Tomorrow’s packaging designers compete in BillerudKorsnäs’ international design challenge PIDA


At a digital event on Thursday May 20, we will get to know who wins the Swedish final of PIDA. Packaging Impact Design Award is an international design competition that engages hundreds of students every year in designing creative packaging that challenges conventions. “This year, 38 design students have qualified for PIDA Sweden. The contestants have submitted really impressive entries and at the live final we can promise you a lot of inspiration, new trends, and fresh thinking,” says Lena Dahlberg at BillerudKorsnäs; the company behind PIDA, an initiative that highlights young talent and aims at driving the development of packaging design forward.

This year, 12 packaging concepts have qualified for the Swedish final of PIDA – Packaging Impact Design Award. The students behind the contesting entries attend some of the most prominent design schools in the country: Brobygrafiska, University of Linköping, Mid Sweden University (Mittuniversitetet), and Nackademin.

The competition, a BillerudKorsnäs initiative, runs for the 16th time and the theme of the year is “Packaging that awakens our senses”. The challenge for the students is to create a packaging concept that communicates not only by sight, but also sound, smell, taste, and touch. This is a growing trend in packaging design.

“The quality level of the entries is incredibly high. In the finals, the students will present packaging concepts that both challenge conventional packaging and hint at what we are likely to see more of in the future. That is, packaging that is not only visually appealing but also speaks to our senses,” says Lena Dahlberg, Manager Application Development Paperboard at BillerudKorsnäs.

The winners of PIDA Sweden will be decided by a jury of industry professionals who present awards in four categories: sustainability, innovation, user friendliness, and the PIDA Gold Award – the finest prize of the competition.

“PIDA Gold Award winners automatically qualify for the Grand Finale in Monaco, where an international winner will be selected. In this final, held at the trade show Luxe Pack in September, Gold Award winners from France, Germany, Sweden, USA/UK will compete for the title,” says Anders Gathu, Marketing Manager at BillerudKorsnäs.

BillerudKorsnäs, the company behind PIDA, is a leading provider of packaging material and solutions that challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future. With this competition, BillerudKorsnäs wants to highlight the work of young talents and contribute to knowledge development in the industry. At the PIDA event, established industry professionals have the opportunity to meet and be inspired by a new generation packaging designers.

See all nominated entries here: https://www.billerudkorsnas.com/pida/gallery#0_72059_3677

The members of the PIDA jury:

Lasse Svärd, Marketing & Development Manager, Gafs Kartong AB (chairman)

Sofia Erixson, Packaging Manager, ICA Sverige AB, Sweden

Melissa Magnusson, CRM lead, Eton shirts AB, Sweden

Martin Hallberg, Commercial Manager, Det Norske Brenneri, Norway

Julia Abrahamsson, Packaging Designer, Schur Pack Sweden AB, Sweden

Anna Falkensjö, Packaging Designer, BillerudKorsnäs AB, Sweden

Johan Eklund, Sales Manager Nordics and Baltics, BillerudKorsnäs AB, Sweden

Program:

14.00 Welcome to PIDA, introduction to the competition and event agenda

ca 14.15 Presentation of this year’s brief and the jury

ca 14.30 The students present their entries to the competition

ca 15.10-15.20 Short break

ca 15.20 Prize ceremony, presentation of all winners and interviews

ca 15.45 Event closed