Entries for this year’s Colored by INX Can Design Contest are now being accepted, kicking off another great season of competition between brand owners, design agencies, marketers, and metal decorators. Eligibility requires entrants to have used at least one colour from the INX Color Catalog to produce a commercial can design before 1 January, 2024.

The design entry for Shiner Texhex Bruja’s Brew IPA won last year’s contest. Voting was conducted by an independent group of judges and the public via INX’s Facebook and LinkedIn social media pages. The result ended a three-peat challenge from Great Lakes Brewing Company, the Cleveland-based craft brewer that won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, and had an entry make the list of five design finalists.

Participants are required to send their submission form, electronic design, and actual printed cans, and all entries must be postmarked no later than 29 April to meet the deadline. Needing to use only one colour from the INX Color Catalog marks a change from last year when two colours were required. The catalogue, which contains over 600 removable colour metal swatches and is widely accepted as the only true colour standard for metal decorating, helps reduce lead times to get labels to the market sooner.

“Responding to the requests of past contestants, we’re introducing a significant update for this year’s Colored by INX Can Design Contest,” said Renee Schouten, INX vice president of marketing. “By welcoming any can that reached the market before 1 January, 2024, we’ve addressed a long-standing concern where many exceptional cans had to be turned away in previous years. We’re happy to make this change for our contestants, and we look forward to  having more people be able to participate in the contest this year.”

The same group of brand design, colour, and printing representatives who served last year as judges have returned. Tasked with reviewing every submitted entry, they determine the five design finalists by weighing the merits of originality, overall design aesthetics, best use of the colour palette, and the project statement describing how the INX Color Catalog was utilised for the design.

The panel includes Sarah Jacks, INX international’s Color Perfection manager; Scott Drucker, managing partner of Chicago-based marketing agency, The Drucker Group; Alex Fordham, owner of The Metal Packager online publication 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, co-founder of the digital aluminium can printing company Canworks, in Austin, Texas.

The five finalists will be announced on 20 May. Each judge gets one vote, and public input through social media will count as one vote. The voting process takes place from 22-24 May, and one winner will be announced 29 May on the INX website and social media platforms. Complete contest information is available regarding contest dates and times, to submit a design entry, and to view the official INX contest rules.