Winners of the 2026 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards were recognised last week during foodpro 2026, a showcase of how the industry is incorporating circularity, usability, accessibility and digital functionality into packaging solutions across the board.
The annual event, hosted by the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP), honours outstanding achievements in packaging design and innovation, recognising the individuals and companies leading the charge in excellence and sustainability across the industry. It also acts as the exclusive feeder program into the 2027 WorldStar Packaging Awards.
Food and beverage packaging solutions were present in almost every category, with the exception of the Health, Beauty & Wellness Packaging, and Domestic & Household Packaging segments. Check out the details of every finalist and all the winners on PKN Packaging News, the sister title of Food & Drink Business.
A clear pattern emerged across the winning entries, reflecting trends playing out in the wider packaging industry. The strongest takeout is that circular economy thinking has progressed beyond material substitution alone, with greater emphasis on reuse models, design for recovery and closed-loop recycling. Sustainability is no longer a category in its own right – instead, it has become an expectation that underpins good packaging design across virtually every category.
Consumer convenience and accessibility have also become central design considerations, while digital functionality and traceability are increasingly being integrated into packaging solutions rather than treated as optional extras.
Without further ado, the food and beverage winners are as follows.
Food Packaging
The Food Packaging Design category recognises innovation across fresh, frozen and processed food packaging, with winners progressing to the 2027 WorldStar Packaging Awards as part of the Australasian Institute of Packaging's international awards pathway.
Primo Foods and Amcor Flexibles came out on top, receiving the gold award for its Primo Sliced Meats Peel & Reseal Pack, that reduces plastic while improving functionality.
There was a tie for the silver award, with Opal ANZ recognised for its Arctic Shield EPS Replacement, while Bonson Packaging received silver for its RePlay Returnables reusable container system. Caps & Closures completed the category with bronze for its Honey Squeeze Pack.
Beverage Packaging
The Beverage Packaging Design category recognises innovation across alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, with all gold winners progressing to the 2027 WorldStar Packaging Awards
Replacing plastic shrink wrap with a kerbside recyclable fibre solution earnt Graphic Packaging International and Asahi Beverages the top honours, for its Carlton Dry 6x330ml Bottle Shrink Replacement Wrap.
Woolworths received silver for its 600ml Spring Water packaging, while Interpack took bronze for capR.
Labelling & Decoration
Bonson Packaging's RePlay Returnables system claimed one of its three gold medals in the 2026 PIDA Awards in the Labelling & Decoration category for integrating digital traceability into a reusable packaging system.
Costa Group, Result Group and The Packaging Hippie received silver for Ecomark Natural Branding, while MCC Label Australia (Asia Pacific) took bronze for EL TORO Tequila Blanco.
Outside of the Box
The Outside of the Box Design category recognises packaging innovations that do not fit within traditional packaging award classifications, rewarding solutions that rethink systems, materials or processes in new ways. All winners are eligible for entry into the 2027 WorldStar Packaging Awards.
The gold-winning Milk Bottle Recycling System, developed by Popit Recycling in partnership with Martogg and Procal Dairies, was recognised for rethinking the economics of milk bottle recycling by bringing recovery and reprocessing closer to where the bottles are used.
Viscount received silver for its Nally Folding MegaBin, while Result Group and the Australian Table Grapes Association took bronze for Scaling Traceability.
Marketing Design
The Marketing Design award underlines the growing role packaging plays not only in attracting consumers on shelf, but also in building ongoing engagement throughout the product lifecycle. All winners are eligible for entry into the 2027 WorldStar Packaging Awards.
Bonson Packaging's RePlay Returnables system claimed its second gold medal of the 2026 PIDA Awards, winning the Marketing Design category for demonstrating how packaging itself can become a customer engagement platform.
Costa Group, Result Group and The Packaging Hippie received silver for Ecomark Natural Branding, while Pure Australia took bronze for G'day Honey Anti Dust Spray Propolis & Kakadu Plum.
Accessible & Inclusive Packaging
The Accessible & Inclusive Packaging Design category recognises packaging that improves usability, ease of opening and consumer satisfaction across a broad range of abilities.
ByStorm Beauty received gold, recognised for its adaptive makeup tools and accessible mailer box, while Caps & Closures received silver for its Honey Squeeze Pack.
Save Food Packaging
The Save Food Packaging Design category recognises innovations that minimise food waste from paddock to plate through packaging that protects, preserves and extends shelf life.
Simplot's Birds Eye Frozen Single Vegetables 825g range won gold for introducing a block-bottom bag incorporating Peel&Seal resealable tape and 50 per cent recycled-content polyethylene.
IPE Pack and Technology received silver for AUSTLON SG Self Sealing Shrink Bag, Kraft Heinz Australia took bronze for the Heinz Taste Tap Dispenser, while Pinnacle Packaging received a Highly Commended award for its Paper Food Tub and Lid System.
Sustainable Packaging
The 2026 Sustainable Packaging Design awards recognised that there is no single route to more sustainable packaging, with the judges awarding gold across five distinct sustainability principles – Resource Reduction, Reuse, Recycled Content, Design for Recovery, and Innovations in Resource Recovery.
Resource Reduction – The gold award for Resource Reduction went to Ecomark Natural Branding, developed by Costa Group, Result Group and The Packaging Hippie.
Reuse – Bonson Packaging's RePlay Returnables claimed the gold award for Reuse, the company's third gold medal of the 2026 PIDA Awards.
Recycled Content – thinkpac received gold in the Recycled Content category for its ReCree8 PCR Pallet Wrap Range, manufactured using a proprietary resin produced entirely from post-consumer soft plastics.
Design for Recovery – The Honey Squeeze Pack from Caps & Closures took out gold for its emphasis on recyclability, alongside consumer functionality.
Innovations in Resource Recovery – Australia Post, iQRenew, RollsPack and Signet received gold in this category for the Smart Circular Satchel, manufactured entirely from Australian post-consumer recycled LDPE sourced from household soft plastics.
Silver awards were presented to Woolworths (600ml Spring Water) in Resource Reduction, Viscount (Nally Folding MegaBin) in Reuse, Impact International (Mono-material HDPE tube and cap range) in Design for Recovery, and Popit Recycling, Martogg and Procal Dairies (Milk Bottle Recycling System) in Innovations in Resource Recovery. TrendPac and Coles received bronze in Resource Reduction for Coles Antibacterial Handwash 250ml bottle.
