The German Packaging Institute (dvi) has announced the winners of the 2026 German Packaging Award, with 36 packaging innovations selected from more than 200 submissions originating from 17 countries.
The annual competition, one of Europe’s most established packaging awards, attracted entries covering all packaging materials and industry sectors. Following evaluation by an independent jury, the winning innovations came from companies in Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
This year’s awards recognize developments spanning plastic, fibre-based packaging, glass and metal, alongside three packaging machinery solutions, underlining that innovation is taking place not only in materials and pack design but also in manufacturing technologies.
According to the dvi, the competition is judged across ten categories, with entries assessed for their degree of innovation, functionality, sustainability, economic value and overall market relevance. The institute has published the complete list of winners together with the jury’s detailed assessment of every award-winning solution, providing insight into the technical merits behind each selection.
The award-winning projects range from packaging concepts that improve material efficiency and recyclability to machinery designed to increase production performance and resource efficiency. Together, the results reflect the industry’s continued focus on balancing sustainability objectives with manufacturing efficiency and practical market requirements.
“The diversity and quality of this year’s winners once again demonstrate the innovative strength of the packaging industry across materials and technologies,” the German Packaging Institute said in announcing the results.
The winners will receive their trophies during the German Packaging Award ceremony in Berlin on 19 November. During the event, the jury will also announce the recipients of the Gold Awards, which recognize the most outstanding innovations from among this year’s Packaging Award winners.
