The deadline to submit entries for the fourth annual Colored by INX Can Design Contest is approaching.

Brand owners, design agencies, marketers and metal decorators who used the INX Color Catalog to produce a commercial can design before 31 December 2022, are eligible. All entries must be postmarked by 31 May and contain the submission form, electronic design, and printed cans.

A new rule in effect this year is two INX colours must be used in the final can design. The INX Color Catalog is known as the only true colour standard for metal decorating, containing over 600 removable colour metal swatches. It helps reduce lead times to get labels to market quicker.

Combined with new judges added to this year’s panel, a new voting process, and defending champion Great Lakes Brewing Company trying to three-peat, excitement is building said Renee Schouten, ice president of marketing for INX.

“In each of the first three years, we have increased the amount of entries for the Colored by INX Can Design Contest. Based on the enthusiasm of the people we met with at the Metpack and Craft Brewing conferences earlier this month, we are hopeful it will continue,” she said.

“Great Lakes Brewing Company won it in 2021 and took it to another level last year with their TropiCoastal Tropical IPA beer can design. It should be interesting to see what they enter this year and how it stacks up with the competition.”

The independent panel of five judges who will review all of the entries and determine the five design finalists includes two holdovers from last year and three new additions.

The returning judges are Sarah Jacks, INX International’s colour perfection manager, and Scott Drucker, managing partner of Chicago-based marketing agency, The Drucker Group.

Joining them are Alex Fordham, owner of The Metal Packager magazine in London; Janet Johanson, founder & CEO of BevSource, an integrated provider of beverage development, sourcing and production solutions in St. Paul, Minn.; and Marshall Thompson, the co-founder of Canworks, a digital aluminium can printing company based in Austin, Texas.

Their selections will be announced on 12 June. The public can vote on INX’s Facebook and other social media platforms from 14-16 June; it will count as one vote along with the scoring of the judges.

The winner will be announced on 22 June via the INX website and social media.

In addition to bragging rights, the Colored by INX Can Design Contest winner will be recognised several ways. They will receive a custom trophy, be the subject of social media posts on the INX website for the next year and be featured in a future issue of Color Perfectionmagazine.