No! Participation in the competition is free of charge.

Once you have created a user account in the competition platform, simply fill in the submission form. This consists of several fields, but the key criteria on which entries are judged are
1) a statement outlining the entry and what is innovative about it, and
2) the impact it has had or is projected to have. There is a limit of 600 words for each of these sections.

You can also link to external web pages with additional information or a video about your submission. Please upload an image of the innovation or initiative, both to help the judges and so it can be included in articles about the competition. You can save your entry and finish it later.

Don’t forget to complete all sections of the form by 10th March!

The innovations or achievements entered into the competition must have been launched or announced no earlier than 1st June 2024.

There is a maximum of six entries per submitting organisation. Large organisations with multiple business units are encouraged to coordinate internally to decide which innovations or initiatives to nominate.

Products that are intended for commercialization may be eligible for the categories for Start-Ups or uncommercialized research.

The Readers’ Award is separate from the main part of the Sustainability Awards, in that nominations are made from the readers of Packaging Europe rather than the companies responsible for them. Therefore, you cannot submit your own work for this category through the main competition. The winners are also chosen by Packaging Europe readers rather than the independent judging panel.

No, you can only submit a particular product or initiative in one category. Otherwise, Packaging Europe reserves the right to withdraw the submission from one or all categories. Please read the category descriptions carefully before deciding which is the most appropriate one.

The closing date for entries in 2026 will be midnight (US Pacific time) at the end of 10th March.

A selection of industry experts representing the whole value chain will vote independently on the submissions.

There are two rounds of voting. The first round will determine four finalists in each category. The second round will select the winners for each category, and also an overall winner.

Please read the specific criteria for each category. In general, the core principle of the awards is to reward the project or product that, in the judges’ view, has the greatest significance in terms of its positive impact on sustainability. This can be understood either in its immediate performance metrics or in the potential transformative impact. Judges are also instructed to consider the holistic implications for sustainability, even when the category emphasises a particular aspect. For example, if the criterion is ‘resource efficiency’, the winning entry should not simply be the one with the biggest weight reduction, but also offer a viable solution that does not result in reduced performance according to other environmental criteria. The more factual information you can provide – including any relevant supporting data –the more likely the judges are to accept your claims. You are encouraged to provide links to additional information, videos, etc.

We encourage organizations that are represented on the jury to participate in the Sustainability Awards: for instance, the competition benefits both from seeing the work leading global brand owners have done on packaging sustainability, and also from the knowledge their experts can bring to the judging process. However, in any instance of potential conflict of interest relating to a submission, judges must abstain from judging or commenting on that entry. This rule applies strictly to any submissions made by a judge's own organization, and also where the judge's organization is commercially involved in a third party's innovation project.

Yes! Although a single user must submit the entry, you can list all involved stakeholders. We welcome collaborative entries such as packaging innovations developed jointly between a brands and packaging companies, and multi-stakeholder projects.

The finalists will be selected in the first round of judging and announced by Packaging Europe on 1st June 2026. If your submission is selected as a finalist (i.e. one of the top four entries in one of the competition categories), judges may request additional information and/or clarifications from you.

The judges sometimes leave comments about entries. On request we can share any remarks they may have made, on an anonymous basis. Please be patient with us – this is a manual process and we have hundreds of submissions!

Winners will be announced at Europe's largest packaging sustainability event - the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht, Netherlands on 10-12 November. Tickets can be reserved from Packaging Europe.

No. The Sustainability Awards is no longer affiliated with the WorldStar awards.