World Packaging Organisation has announced the winners of the WorldStar Student Awards 2026, with Australia emerging as one of the standout nations in this year’s global competition.
A total of 246 entries from 90 educational institutions across 23 countries were assessed, with 30 trophies awarded across five market categories, four special awards and the Top Three Overall Winners.
Australia secured four trophies – including two Gold Awards – placing the country equal first in total trophies and second overall on the medal tally. It marks the first time Australia has achieved this level of global recognition in the student competition.
The Australian wins included two Gold and two Bronze awards, with students from UNSW Industrial Design and Monash Food Innovation recognised on the international stage. Notably, Australia took both Gold and Bronze in the Accessible Packaging Design category – the inaugural year this focus area has been formally embedded in local student award guidelines.
According to Nerida Kelton, executive director of the Australasian Institute of Packaging, the results reflect both student talent and the strength of local mentoring and competition pathways.
“The Australasian Institute of Packaging is so incredibly proud of all 14 university students that were recognised in the 2026 round of the WorldStar Student awards,” Kelton said.
“As only Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Student award winners are eligible to enter the WorldStar Student awards, we are always excited to see them recognised on a global packaging stage as well.
“For the first year ever, we have seen Australia place second in the world with two Gold Awards and two Bronze awards, with students from UNSW Industrial Design School and Monash Food Innovation.
“What is really special to the AIP education team is that we won the Gold and the Bronze for Accessible Packaging Design. Recently the AIP added Accessible Packaging Design to our guidelines for students so that they can now choose from Sustainable, Save Food or Accessible Packaging Design, or a blend of all three.
“We are so proud that in the inaugural year for this award category Australian students are shining a light on this important design principle. What a fantastic year for the Australian students.”
Global innovation themes
The competition, organised by the World Packaging Organisation, is open to students who have already won a recognised local packaging award or received endorsement from a WPO member in countries without formal programmes.
Entries spanned undergraduate to master’s level and disciplines including packaging design, industrial design, graphic design, food science, engineering and global business studies. A growing number of submissions were multi-disciplinary team projects, reflecting the increasingly collaborative nature of packaging development.
Across all entries, judges identified common themes of sustainability, circular design, ease of use and engaging on-pack communication.
A 43-member international judging panel representing 31 countries evaluated the submissions.
Top three overall winners
Gold – Ella Salminen (Finland)
Salminen’s project ‘Ease’ addresses single-use plastic cutlery by integrating a cardboard utensil directly into the packaging label. The win marks the second consecutive year that a ScanStar student has taken the overall top prize.
Silver – Christian Alfred Landsberger Glik (Brazil)
‘Eco-Dosadora’ introduces an integrated dosing system for flexible fabric softener packaging, eliminating the need for a separate measuring cup and reducing plastic use and manufacturing costs.
Bronze – Chenxin Li (China)
The ‘Cold Brewed Tea’ concept features a telescopic accordion-structure bottle aimed at reshaping sustainable packaging for urban consumers.
Trophy leaders by country
China, Australia, Ghana, Turkey and Hungary each secured four trophies. China’s haul included Overall Bronze and two Gold Awards, while Hungary recorded two Silver Awards among its four wins.
Luciana Pellegrino, president of the World Packaging Organisation, said the competition plays a vital role in encouraging emerging talent to push boundaries.
“These students will be the professionals of the future, and we need to encourage them that it is possible to make a difference and enhance packaging’s positive impact in modern life in society,” she said.
Bill Marshall, organiser of WorldStar Student and representative of the Institute of Packaging South Africa, added that success at WorldStar level provides a valuable boost to students’ careers.
For Australia, the results reinforce the strength of the local PIDA pathway and the growing emphasis on accessible and sustainable design, which the AIP notes are areas increasingly central to industry practice.
