28 Packages Receive Honors in 70th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards
A new member of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) took the top prize in the 70th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition during the trade group’s Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida.
Sun Centre USA Inc., which joined FPA in 2025, won the Highest Achievement Award for its POUCH3™ Cuboid Packaging Format. The package also won Gold Awards in Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging and Packaging Excellence.
The company, which is based in Illinois, sought to eliminate headspace in some flexible packages, creating a package that appeals to brands and customers who want to buy products that don’t appear half full.
Overall, FPA-member companies submitted 108 packages, resulting in 360 entries, as some packages competed across multiple categories. Ultimately, 28 packages received 36 Achievement Awards, FPA said in a news release.
“This year’s competition carries special significance as the FPA proudly celebrates the 70th anniversary of its flagship awards program—seven decades of honoring excellence, innovation, and leadership in flexible packaging,” FPA says. “Since its inception in 1956, the annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition has stood as the industry’s gold standard, recognizing the most impactful advancements shaping the future of flexible packaging.”
This year, FPA introduced new international awards in some categories, “reflecting the growing worldwide influence and innovation of the flexible packaging industry,” the trade group based in Annapolis, Maryland, also says.
The judging panel
Three judges met in the fall to pick the winners. Fred Crowe, managing partner, Crowe and Associates LLC; Lisa McTigue Pierce, executive editor, Packaging Digest; and Dr. Yoorae Noh, assistant professor, Michigan State University (MSU) School of Packaging.
Crowe brings decades of industry experience to the judging panel and now serves as a consultant. Pierce has covered the packaging industry as a media journalist for more than 40 years. As an assistant professor at MSU, Noh teaches and conducts research in plastics and packaging, focusing on engineering solutions to improve plastic recycling and plastic waste management.
The competition placed a strong emphasis on design trends, sustainability, and printing innovation.
“You almost can’t have a package design these days without considering sustainability,” Pierce notes. “A couple of the design trends I observed included matte finishes with metallization and varnish. Several entries featured matte with varnish, and there was one entry that incorporated all three.”
Crowe echoed the pace of advancement in the flexible packaging industry.
“The amazing thing to me is the execution that has taken place and how dramatically it has progressed over the last two or three years,” he says. “You see a significant amount of new technology being brought to the forefront, along with creativity—not only from converters, but also from product development teams—finding ways to solve these challenges.”
Noh adds, “After reviewing all the entries, the great designs we saw demonstrate a strong strategy toward supporting the circular economy.”
The May/June edition of FlexPack VOICE® magazine will include a detailed overview of the contest and the winners. The magazine can be found at flexpackvoice.com starting on May 1.
