University students have been celebrated for their innovative designs in metal packaging at this year’s Starpack Students Awards.

Nottingham Trent University product design student, Oliver Smithee, impressed judges with his innovative and original concept, Avian Biscuits, to take the top prize of £600 in the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) category of the awards, organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3). A total of 25 entries were submitted from universities and colleges, both in the UK and internationally, making for a highly-competitive category.

MPMA’s brief invited students to design a luxury promotional metal pack for biscuits, with a strong focus on premium design, shelf appeal and reuse potential. Oliver Smithee’s winning design showcased a delicate and imaginative approach, drawing inspiration from bird feeders to deliver a simple yet effective biscuit tin that balanced both visual storytelling and practical function even after use. Judges praised the concept for its striking presence, thoughtful detail and brand potential.

Runners-up

Two joint runners-up, each receiving £100, were also announced. Euan McLeish, also from Nottingham Trent University, was recognised for his  Van Gogh Frame Tin, which cleverly used the famous painter’s motifs of popular paintings and integrated the pack as both product and art piece with a secondary reusable use as a painters storage container. Fellow student Evelyn Walker was also awarded runner-up for Cookie Cache, a playful and refined design that blended modern storage appeal with clean, minimalist lines, which can later be used for geocaching activities.

Highly commended

A Highly Commended award was presented to Daniela Feijoo Villanueva from Universidad Europea de Madrid for her concept Cookie Cup, a stand-out entry thanks to its unique shaping and intricate, high-quality design that demonstrated excellent attention to production feasibility and premium finish.

This year’s judging panel included independent graphic designer Corrina Korrubel with over 35 years of industry experience, Nicola Jones, market & business development manager for Tata Steel UK, alongside MPMA’s director and chief executive, Jason Galley, and MPMA’s Debbie Clements, and Graham Smith from TALAcom. 

Jason Galley commented: “This year’s entries delivered an exciting level of innovation and individuality. Oliver’s design made a real impact for its elegant shaping, concept originality and clear understanding of how to create a metal pack that tells a story. It was both emotionally engaging and technically sound, exactly what we look for in specialty metal packaging.

He continued: “We were inspired by the level of creativity coming through from students’ designs this year as they blended innovation and the ‘re-use’ factor, perfectly demonstrating how metal packaging offers brands a creative and versatile canvas to play with. We’re looking forward to seeing how all the young designers who took part this year help shape the future of metal packaging.”

Winners were celebrated at the IoM3 Starpack Students Awards ceremony held in London on 2 July. The event also featured a roundtable panel discussion led by Jude Allan, Chair of the IoM3 Packaging Group, exploring the theme Shifting the dial on sustainability and The power of design, followed by the announcement of the winners across the packaging categories and the presentation of the prizes.

MPMA continues to support design education and offers universities and colleges a bespoke session on designing and manufacturing in metal. Institutions interested in this opportunity should contact MPMA.