. Text by Iveta Krauja
The national competition The Best packaging in Latvia 2022, organized by the Packaging Association of Latvia since 1996, has finished. The national competition for the best packaging takes place every year, and packaging customers, designers, packaging manufacturers, packers and product distributors can submit their works.
This year, 20 contestants with 37 packages and package series participated in the competition.
The competition traditionally consists of several stages, in which works are evaluated by both consumers and industry professionals. In September, the visitors of the international exhibition Riga Food voted for the submitted works, and in October and November – Internet users, expert jury, supporters of the competition. The jury determined their evaluations according to the criteria defined in the Regulations of the competition: construction, form, design, functionality, overall impression, quality of implementation, etc.
The visitors of the Riga Food exhibition the highest rating gave to the packaging for cured beef submitted by Žanis Nikolaychenko. Consumer vote on the Internet won the packaging for Lite candle by Lite Candles LLC.
This year, the expert jury decided not to award the main prize of the competition, but to invite Stora Enso Packaging LLC to participate in the WorldStar for Packaging competition organized by the World Packaging Organization in 2023 with packaging for the book Day of Miracles.
The highest results in the competition in five categories were obtained as follows:
• Commercial packaging for food – packaging for canned sardines of the brand-name Diplomats by Unda LLC;
• Commercial packaging for beverage – cardboard gripper for 6 beer bottles Tērvete (0.5 l) by VG Kvadra Pak JSC;
• Commercial packaging for non-food products – universal packaging of 150 different medical products of the brand-name Tonus Elast by Brandbox LLC and packaging for the cosmetic set Lumene by VG Kvadra Pak JSC;
• Gift packaging – packaging for the book Day of Miracles by Stora Enso Packaging LLC and packaging for the Advent calendar box of the brand-name Lumene by VG Kvadra Pak JSC;
• Labels for Packaging – label for an alcoholic beverage Apple Jack of the brand-name Tallinn Distillery made by Liepājas Papīrs JSC;
Long-time supporters of the national competition also this year gave their assessment: European Packaging Institutes Consortium (EPIC), exhibition center BT1, The Green Dot Latvia, GS1 Latvia, Latvian Printing Company Association, Printing and Media Technology Industry Expert Council of Employers’ Confederation of Latvia, Packaging Certification Center of Latvia, Technology and Knowledge Transfer Department of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and Latvian Designers’ Society.
The most recognition in four categories received the packaging submitted by Unda LLC for canned sardines of the brand-name Diplomats: 1st place in the category Commercial packaging for food, Letters of Appreciation from the Technology and Knowledge Transfer Department for bright, attractive and noticeable design, consistency of the series and material solution for packaging and from GS1 for the exact observance of GS1 and ISO standards in displaying and placing the bar code symbol, as well as 3rd place in the evaluation of the visitors of the Riga Food exhibition;
Among the participants, VG Kvadra Pak JSC received the most prizes: three 1st places and one 2nd place in the assessment of the expert jury, as well as Letters of Appreciation from GS1 for the exact observance of GS1 and ISO standards in displaying and placing the barcode symbol on the Advent calendar box of the brand-name Halva and the packaging for sweets selection Christmas Story, as well as from the Technology and Knowledge Transfer Department about the mystery of the carnival or fairy tale transformations in the packaging for sweets selection Christmas Story.
The results of the competition in all nominations, as well as the works and descriptions of the competition, can be viewed on the website of the Packaging Association of Latvia www.packaging.lv
