Sponsored by iF Design
Entries for iF DESIGN AWARD 2027 close on November 2nd. Here’s what packaging designers should know about the international awards program.
Getting your package design right the first time takes a Herculean amount of effort that rarely makes it into a boilerplate press release. There’s the closure you kept refining, the material you fought to use, and the edited-within-an-inch-of-its-life brand story you found a way to tell in a few square inches, not to mention the 100s of back-and-forth emails with your printers.
That’s why an award entry offers a chance not only to explain away all those tiny, intricate decisions but also to give them the attention they so rightfully deserve.
The iF DESIGN AWARD 2027 is accepting entries through November 2, 2026. For packaging designers, studios, and in-house teams, that means YOU STILL HAVE TIME to put a project in front of an international jury of experts and design legends.
While the Germany-based organization’s roots go back to 1953, today the iF Design Awards attracts more than 10,000 entries from over 70 countries annually, spanning disciplines from UX design and branding to architecture and digital experiences.
They also run their own packaging program, which might make you wonder why DIELINE would promote when we already have our own awards show (more on that in a bit).
Dedicated packaging categories cover food, beverages, beauty and wellness, medicine, electronics, consumer products, and unbranded or B2B packaging. Whether your project lives in a grocery aisle, a bathroom cabinet, or a shipping carton, the entry is an opportunity to dive into the deep, strategic thinking behind your branding or even the innovative materials used to make it stand out on the shelf.
Welp, that thinking matters to the judges. Judges assess entries across five criteria: Idea, Form, Function, Differentiation, and Sustainability. The process begins with an online preselection, followed by an in-person final jury. Participants also receive feedback charts showing how their work was evaluated.
For packaging designers, those criteria should sound familiar. Does the structure make the product easier to use? Does the identity give the brand a distinctive voice? How do the materials and construction support the project’s environmental goals? A considered entry explains choices that a beautiful product lifestyle shoot alone can’t communicate. What’s more, it gives designers and agencies a chance to walk their peers through the brand’s many touchpoints (because, more than likely, our parents still have some questions about what we do for a living).
Sustainability accounts for 20 percent of the design evaluation, adding specificity to what your design achieves, whether through reduced material use, a refill system, or easier component separation.
So, what does this have to do with DIELINE?
Well, through DIELINE’s cooperation with iF, winning projects from the 2025 and 2026 DIELINE Awards are invited to enter the 2027 competition with the standard entry fee waived—yes, that means FREE. What’s more, they will even advance directly to the Final Round of judging.
Eligible winners can contact ifusa@ifdesign.com for details, including applicable jury and winner fees.
Ready to enter? Create an iF account, choose the appropriate discipline and category, and prepare the images and explanations that tell your project’s story. Review the eligibility requirements and full fee schedule before submitting.
The deadline to register and complete your entry is November 2, 2026.
