The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) has named 234 winners for the WorldStar Packaging Awards 2026, which were selected from 481 entries submitted across 36 countries.
Japan recorded the highest number of winning entries with 24 awards, followed by Austria with 21. China and Germany were tied with 18 winners each, Brazil received 17 awards, while the Czech Republic and Slovakia each recorded 12 winning projects.
According to Luciana Pellegrino, president of WPO, the scale of this year’s awards reflects the role the program plays in highlighting developments across the packaging sector. “This record edition reflects the importance of WorldStar, not only in recognising the best packaging solutions worldwide, but mainly in highlighting innovations driven by technology, sustainability, convenience, functionality, and other themes that are essential for the global development of the packaging industry,” she said.
Pellegrino added that the projects submitted addressed issues such as food waste reduction, food safety and food preservation. “This is a powerful opportunity to raise packaging standards and to deliver concrete solutions to critical challenges such as food waste reduction, food safety, and food preservation,” she continued.
Soha Atallah, WorldStar coordinator and vice-president of Marketing at WPO, said the diversity of the winning projects reflected changes across the sector. “The diversity and technical sophistication of this year’s winners clearly show how packaging is advancing in areas such as material efficiency, circular economy, smart technologies, and consumer-centric design,” she said.
The WorldStar Awards ceremony will take place on 8 May 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany, during interpack, which runs from 7–13 May 2026. During the ceremony, WPO will also reveal the winners of its Special Categories, including the President’s Award, Sustainability Award, Marketing Award and Packaging that Saves Food Award.
The full list of WorldStar 2026 winners is available at the official WorldStar website.
