Judges Report

Congratulations to all students and institutions for their fantastic efforts to the 2009 Southern Cross Package Design Awards. We received an overwhelming response this year with over 640 students registering from 32 institutes across the country.

A considerable amout of effort was put into the briefs once again this year by the sponsors, Judges and the PCA. The students were provided with fantastic challenges that offered them a range of materials to work with.

The role of a Judge for these Awards has become increasingly challenging due to the high standard of concepts presented before us. Over 3 days, we engage in long, healthy and vigorous discussions about each and every pack and try to tap into the students thought processes. We are pleased to see that students are tackling these briefs with research and understanding of the current market. Many concepts displayed a great level of innovation and were a real shake up to what we see on our shelves today as consumers. The overall standard of the rationales was fantastic – many students followed the guidelines and presented them in a clear and logical format.

Many thanks to my fellow 6 Judges for volunteering their valuable time and expertise to be a part of such a highly regarded program and give something back to our future designers. Also, special and sincerest thanks to Jen Salem, the Awards Manager, for her extremely passionate approach to these Awards. Her support and cooperation towards the Judges is greatly appreciated.

On behalf of the Judging panel, I would like to congratulate all winners for their creative submissions and presentations.

Finally, to all students, it is hoped that you have gained valuable knowledge into the complexities of the packaging industry and that the experience itself has allowed you to grow an appreciation and an understanding into the world of packaging!

Again, well done to all that entered and we, as an industry, wait with excitement to see what the future will bring.

Doug Bartlett
Senior Judge