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WorldStar 2027 Entries Open: Crescents and Stars Winners Head to the International Stage

The 2027 edition of the WorldStar Packaging Awards, organised by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) since 1970, is now open for entries. Widely regarded as the most prestigious international competition in the packaging field, WorldStar is open to products that have won at least a Merit Award in either the 2024 or 2026 editions of the Crescents and Stars for Packaging Awards.

Timeline: Early-Bird Rate Ends 20 September

Online entries close on 15 October 2026. The awards ceremony will take place in June 2027 in Bangkok, as part of the ProPak Asia trade fair.

Entry fees are applied across two periods:

Companies wishing to benefit from the early-bird discount should complete their submissions before 20 September 2026.

Awards Across 19 Categories

The competition comprises 19 categories in total: Alcoholic Beverages, Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Electronics, Food, Health and Personal Care, Household Appliances and Consumables, Labelling and Decoration, Luxury, Medical and Pharmaceutical, Packaging Materials and Components, Point of Sale Presentation and Display Products, Industrial and Transport Packaging, E-Commerce, Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Pet Products (including food), Toys, Digital Packaging, Gift Packaging, and "Other" for packaging that falls outside these headings.

In each category, three packages will be awarded the Bronze, Silver and Gold Special Award.

Structural Change to the Special Award Categories

As of the WorldStar Awards 2027, Special Award Categories will be assessed as independent entries. Applicants may enter a Special Award Category directly, without submitting an entry to any Main Category. Accordingly, the previous EUR 50 supplementary fee attached to Main Category entries has been removed, and an entry fee of EUR 650 now applies to each Special Award Category submission.

The evaluation process itself remains unchanged. Following the second-stage jury assessment, only three to four winners will be selected in each Special Award Category. These winners will not be announced in January alongside the Main Category winners; they will be revealed solely at the WorldStar Awards Ceremony.

How to Enter

Entries are submitted online, by the companies themselves, exclusively via worldstar.org. Submissions sent by email or postal mail are not considered, and there is no requirement to send physical products to the competition secretariat.

Documents required for entry:

• Online form
• Product description in English — maximum 500 words
• Product photographs — maximum 5 images in JPEG format, minimum 300 dpi, 6 cm wide, 5 cm high, totalling no more than 5 MB
• Payment — by credit card

During the online application, entrants must select "Crescents and Stars for Packaging" as the competition, along with the relevant year.

Products entered must not have been submitted to any previous WorldStar competition.

Jury Evaluation Criteria

The jury will assess packaging under the following headings:

• Protection and preservation of the product contained
• Ease of use, filling, opening and closing
• Sales appeal, branding on the pack and marketing
• Quality of execution
• Cost reduction, material economy and cost savings
• Sustainability
• Creativity and innovation
• Product ergonomics

The jury also includes a representative on behalf of Türkiye and ASD.

Recommendations to Strengthen an Entry

Because the assessment is based entirely on the photographs and written descriptions submitted, the quality of these two elements directly affects the outcome. Key recommendations include:

Use quantified data. The pack's impact on sales and marketing, the advantages it delivers in production cost, reductions in raw material use, energy savings, environmental performance, recyclability, extended shelf life and its positive effect on migration rates should all be expressed in concrete figures. Examples: "increased sales by 40 per cent", "reduced raw material use by 30 per cent", "mono-material construction", "delivered 20 per cent energy savings", "extended shelf life by 90 days", "significant cost advantage through 10x faster set-up".

Write concisely. Avoid unnecessary wording and list the pack's essential and most significant features as bullet points.

Use professional imagery. Photographs should be high resolution, shot from the correct angle, and fully convey the product's features.

Review previous winners. Past years' WorldStar winners and the official evaluation criteria, both available on the WPO website, should be reviewed before submitting.

Contact

For entries, payment and detailed information, WorldStar officer Ms. Soha Atallah can be reached at s.atallah@worldpackaging.org.

For further details on the subject, ASD Purchasing and Events Coordinator Eda Yurga can be contacted at edayurga@ambalaj.org.tr.