The winners of this year’s prestigious Pentawards were revealed during a live Gala Ceremony at Magazine London on Friday, November 10. Top winning agencies include Backbone Branding, Armenia with nine awards, Auge Design, Italy with six awards including Agency of the Year and James Cropper Luxury Packaging, UK also with six awards.

This year also saw the renowned awards body collaborate with Pantone for the first time to create a Special Award celebrating best use of colour. The partnership comes after Pantone’s feature in the Pentawards’ inaugural Trends Report launched in 2021, where Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Colour Institute at Pantone shared her thoughts on the trend ‘Colour as a key visual’.

The Best Use of Colour Gold Award Gold winner Studio Tumpić/Prenc was selected from a shortlist of over 25 entries that had used colour in an innovative way, that were disruptive in their respective markets and that were purposeful with their packaging design and colour choice. Other winners in the new coveted award are BYCOLOR Dental Beauty by Aekyung Industry and Doritos Rainbow Limited Edition 2022 by PepsiCo both of which took home Silver, and Mozzo Coffee by B&B Studio and BY FAR: The Daydream Fragrance Collection by Vincent Villeger who were awarded Bronze.

This year, the jury highlighted several notable trends among the Pentawards 2023 winners, including statement packaging which uses bold visual messaging to encourage better recycling practices, playing with paper to create more interactive and eco-friendly unboxing experiences, and packaging design elements to spark purpose and positive actions.

This year’s Diamond award, the organization’s highest accolade, went to Auge Design for Casa Marrazzo 1934. Capturing the brand’s nostalgic essence, the agency used a sophisticated, warm, naive style to illustrate home objects on clear glass jars. Custom caps and an elegant palette distinguish each product, with vibrant gold-printed labels for shelf appeal. Unique screen-printed illustrations on the jars add authenticity and emotion, elevating the design to a premium level.

Davide Mosconi, partner and executive creative director at Auge Design, on winning the Diamond award has said, “We are ecstatic for our second Diamond award in five years. As the first design agency to achieve this remarkable feat, I have to applaud our exceptional team’s talent and dedication, as well as our clients’ trust.”

This year’s Special Awards, which recognize remarkable achievements in packaging design by individuals and agencies, were also handed out: Design Agency of the Year – Auge Design (Italy); Design with Purpose Award – BOSAI GIFT by drawrope (Japan); Educator of the Year – ELISAVA (Spain); and NXT-GEN, Best Student Work – Muety, Yun Zhu (Kuwasawa Design School) Japan.

Now in its 17th year, the 2023 competition received over 2,000 entries from more than 70 countries across five continents, with China, the United Kingdom, Spain, USA, Japan and Italy receiving the highest number of awards. Out of all the entries, over 600 were shortlisted by the competition’s international jury and revealed earlier this year.

Adam Ryan, head of Pentawards, said, “It’s been a hugely exciting year for Pentawards, not only due to the caliber of entries but also with the announcement of our partnership with Pantone and the introduction of a new category which allows us to celebrate arguably one of the most visually arresting aspects of packaging design – colour. With noticeable trends also emerging and a continuing focus on designing with interaction, purpose and action in mind, it’s such an exciting time for packaging design and it’s an honor to celebrate it each year.”