The goal of this year’s challenge is to create a non-food pet care product line consisting of two (2) packages that aren’t typically packaged in fiber-based packaging and design a new paper-based solution.   

Viable products could include accessories, toys, training devices, health aids, or grooming products.    

One of your products must be a pet DNA testing system (or similar lab dependent item). It must be available through e-commerce or retail channels and convert after use to a forwarding mailer so that the pet specimen can be analyzed.  

This challenge calls for a real-world innovative packaging solution that encourages customers to pick sustainable, fiber-based packaging instead of single-use plastics. The new package should also be widely accepted in residential recycling programs. 

The design needs to be:

1. 100% paper-based; Widely acceptable in residential recycling streams;
2. The package should have innovative, functional distinctions that enhance the recipient’s unboxing experience and set it apart from other packaging;
3. It should be optimally designed to protect and secure its intended contents during shipping and handling;
4. The structural and functional design must enhance brand recognition and encourage consumers to opt out of single-use packaging.

In supporting documentation, designers should include recommendations for ways an organization can take the packaging concept even further.

Designers must address how the package would be converted and assembled in mass quantity. The package must be commercially producible on standard machinery.

Any hand assembly should be minimal and purposeful. Decorations like magnets, ribbons, etc. that need to be attached to the package make it difficult to mass produce.

The package should communicate its recyclability and highlight paperboard packaging as a preferred substrate. The package must also reflect its desirability, feasibility, and viability.

• 100% paper-based, and made of at least 70% paperboard (cannot be more than 30% fluted or corrugated)
• Must be widely accepted in residential recycling systems Include any other material that would enhance the experience of sustainability of paper and paperboard packaging
• Visually appealing and enhances brand awareness
• Include an innovative functional feature that distinguishes itself from other packaging Feature the renewability, recyclability, versatility and innovative qualities of paperboard
• Non-fiber components should be Identified as easier to recycle, according to the AF&PA Design Guidance for Recyclability
• Also considers paperboard replacement for plastic fastening solutions

The judges will evaluate each entry based upon the following submission requirements:

1. Prototype (40 points)

• Complete mock-up of packages (note: physical prototypes are required for consideration)
• Product protection
• Distinctive functionality
• Structurally sound
• Full graphics (Sponsor companies will proved paperboard samples for the design execution phase)

2. Structural Development and Exploration (30 points) 

• Plain, unglued carton blanks
• Detailed production die drawings
• Design concept and execution (Sketches, various iteration and representative prototypes leading to final execution)
• Standard 10-point drop testing should be conducted and portrayed in your video as part of the process (no equipment needed).  
• May also include graphic development 

3. Design Brief (20 points) 

• Relevant Client Detail.  Capture the key points about what the company does, what is their mission, how do their brands go to market.  Include competitor details if relevant.  

• Project Goals & Objectives.  Outline the overarching purpose of your project, as well as the methods you plan to use to achieve that purpose.  

• Target Audience.  Describe the customer/buyer, including their demographics such as age, gender, economic status, and media consumption.  Also include any known pain points they may have.  

• Budget.  This can be high level, but you should demonstrate the understanding of how this impacts the whole of the project.  

• Does not exceed 5 pages (PPT Format Preferred)  

4. Final Video of Designs (10 points)

•  The video will be considered your “voice in the room” and should relay pertinent information to the judging panel.  The video content should be specific to the designs and their functionality - it is not intended to be a commercial for the products themselves.   

• A file or link to the video must be provided in order to display the functionality of the packaging. 

• Only one video is expected to highlight both prototypes and should be 2-3 minutes in length. 

5. Required Forms

• Acknowledgment of Intent (Due February 17, 2025)
• Student and School Contact Information Certification of Originality
• Graduate Student Advisors Form (if applicable)

All entries with supporting forms and materials must be submitted online at paperboardpackaging.org no later than Friday, June 6, 2025. Dielines and final prototypes must be mailed to PPA for judging, postmarked by June 6, 2025. 

Paperboard Packaging Alliance

ATTN: Gabriell Maupin

601 Thirteenth Street NW, Suite 1000 N 

Washington, D.C. 20005 

If you have any questions, please contact Gabriell Maupin at ppa@afandpa.org.