Just when you think you’ve already seen the best in packaging, we get to come back and do it all over again.

Now in its 17th year, DIELINE Awards has not only solidified its place as one of the world’s largest global packaging design competitions, but it’s also officially old enough to get into an R-rated movie. Sponsored by Designalytics and presented by Luxepack, the DIELINE Awards recognize the best and brightest designers and agencies worldwide for product packaging, raising awareness of the enormous value of branding and packaging design. 

And 2026? Welp, there was no shortage of fireworks, and it was another banner year with inspired and innovative projects landing on the pages of DIELINE, from refillable shampoos and upside-down peanut butter jars to slices of milk (yes, really) and boxes of fish from folks who make protein bars (facts).

Today, DIELINE announced its 2026 award winners, presenting trophies to 170 recipients across 41 categories, as well as our 14 overall top winners. Presented onstage at Luxe Pack New York in New York City, the competition received over 1,500 entries from nearly 40 countries. Taken together, the prize-winning recipients offer a snapshot of where the packaging industry is heading, not only through bold, innovative designs but with many brands committing to plastic-free materials. Here, you’ll find some of the best design agencies, studios, in-house teams, and independent designers in the game today.

The awards’ jury chairs featured a who’s who from the world of design—Sarah Di Domenico, co-founder and CCO of Wedge, Established co-founder Sam O’Donahue, Katie Levy, co-founder of Gander, Zipeng Zhu of Dazzled Studio, and Hey Studio founder Veronica Fuerte. All entries were judged by a panel of jurors who are experts in their fields and evaluated across five categories—creativity, marketability, innovation, execution, and on-pack branding—with every entry undergoing two rounds of rigorous critique and appraisal.

“In an era where beautiful design is now considered table stakes for many CPG brands, it takes a truly exceptional studio or designer to place at DIELINE awards,” said DIELINE founder Andrew Gibbs. “Without a doubt, this was one of the strongest competitions to date, particularly as we introduced tiered pricing so that smaller indie studios could take part. Taken as a whole, our incredible 2026 winners are a testament to our industry, as they continue to prove just how valuable brand design and packaging are.”

“While many brands have seemingly doubled down on single-use plastic packaging and ‘cheaper’ substrates, we remain hopeful that many of our sustainable and plastic-free winners will inspire brands to revisit their sustainability goals and push the industry forward to where it must go,” said DIELINE editor-in-chief Bill McCool.

So, are you ready to see some certified GRADE-A level packaging? Well, sit back, because we’ve got plenty of Ds to hand out.

---

BEST OF SHOW

Varus 775

By OlssønBarbieri

Every publication will tell you that we’re all drinking less, but it looks as if that memo didn’t make its way to our judges, as OlssønBarbieri’s Varus 775 nabbed top honors at DIELINE Awards.

It’s also the first spirit brand to win Best of Show since 2019, which, coincidentally, was also a gin—booze is back, baby!

Courtesy of a German family-owned distillery, the drink was inspired by a battle in 9 AD that took place in the Teutoburg Forest, just a stone’s throw away from the gin maker’s front door. Ultimately, the battle itself put an end to the expansion of Rome, as the gin’s namesake, general Varus was defeated. Not only does the brand revel in local history (with major league implications for the European continent) and craftsmanship, but it’s also a nice reminder that all empires end.

Comprised of a 3-part system, Varus 775 consists of a glass bottle and an aluminum refill, ideal as a lightweight (and obviously, non-glass) circular option that helps reduces transport costs and CO2 emissions. But the third part is the actual star of the show: a porcelain container that’s not only refillable, but inspired by Roman vessels of a bygone era. When unboxed from its crate, it elevates the drink to near-ritual status, speaking to the pomp and circumstance of the drinking ceremony the brand creates and reflecting the historical narrative at its heart. Meanwhile, the overall identity is a picture-perfect distillation of the past and present. Illustrations capture the distillery’s surrounding forests as well as regional symbols, like the Lübbecke coat of arms, while the logo uses Roman inscriptional spelling (that’s Varus, not “Varvs”). To bring it all home, a coin—you simply must have a Roman coin, obviously—featuring two clasped hands holding Mercury’s staff is said to represent the commerce and peace that emerged after the Battle of Teutoburg Forest.

All said, it’s a masterclass in storytelling and craftsmanship and more than deserving of Best of Show honors.

View Case Study

---

Studio of the Year

Wedge

What do the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers, the Yankees, the UConn women’s basketball team, the Houston Comets, and the gosh-darn Montreal Canadiens have in common with the brand and design studio Wedge?

The three-peat. 

Yes, that rarest of feats is emblematic of not just grit, determination, and more Gladwellian hours than any of us care to commit to, but a body of work that speaks for itself. So, yes, for the third year in a row, the Montreal and LA-based studio has taken home Studio of the Year, racking up five significant wins, including some of the ones we’re going to be talking about a few lines from now, including Best Rebrand for Cocolab.

View Wedge

---

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Fussy Refillable Body Wash

by BETA DESIGN OFFICE

There’s a very good chance you’re taking a look at this year’s Editor’s Choice from Beta Design Office and saying that you’ve seen this before, and we just want to assure you that’s OK. 

With a mission to kick all single-use plastic waste from our bathrooms to the curb, Fussy’s latest body wash uses a refillable system with a forever container and refills packaged in endlessly recyclable aluminum cans. With a premium sheen and a gorgeously designed pump (that makes a truly satisfying “click” when activated), it’s a perfect example of precisely what every personal care brand should be doing if they care about eliminating all of those pesky plastic bottles. The outer container uses tinted PET that lets consumers see the goods inside, while a much-needed matte texture wraps the bottle so it doesn’t slip out of sudsy hands.

What’s most impressive of all is just how well it fits into the rest of Fussy’s refillable brand world, as they already previously offered deodorant. It’s a continuation of the brand’s commitment to sustainability, as they continue to expand and give consumers better eco-friendly options in the bathroom, and we sure wouldn’t be mad at them if they expand into the kitchen.

View Case Study

---

Plastic Free Innovation of the Year

Honeysticks

by MILK

Did you know there are other crayon brands besides Crayola? Neither did we! Such is the stranglehold that the world’s biggest crayon producer has on kiddo-fueled creativity.

However, maybe y’all should start looking into the NUMBER TWO brand in the world: New Zealand’s Honeysticks. Using 100% natural beeswax—as opposed to Crayola’s petroleum-based coloring implements—the brand had expanded to nearly 30 SKUs and was looking to bring a skosh more cohesion to the branding system, so they turned to Milk to unify the range. Centering the brand around its “World of Pure Creation” ethos, they wanted to further Honeystick’s sustainable mission by using plastic-free craft paper packs, vegetable-based inks, and biodegradable rock-paper labels for the crayons. You’ll now find no-glue, 100% recyclable cartons, in addition to bath products sold in reusable tins, which also can be used as bath toys. 

Your move, Crayola. 

View Case Study

---

REBRAND OF THE YEAR

Cocolab

by Wedge

When Cocofloss launched in 2015, it was a cult hit with its refillable dental floss. But they also had reached a natural inflection point, growing beyond their sole offering; the name, as it turned out, didn’t reflect the dental-designed experience they longed to build. 

Seeking out the help of brand and design agency Wedge, the company rebranded to Cocolab with an expanded portfolio, strengthening its positioning in the oral care space, bringing all of the brand’s offerings under one umbrella, and unifying them into one big, beautiful brand world that would lend itself to the business’s next chapter. At the core of the brand’s transformation and expansion was a new kind of strategic approach, “Your Daily Hit of Dental Dopamine.” Not only does it drive home that feeling of joy, but it reframes oral care as beauty care with what Wedge calls a “system worthy of the MoMA store.”

View Case Study

---

DESIGN FOR GOOD AWARD 

Godawan 173

Butterfly Cannon

Now in its sixth year, The Dieline Design For Good Awards honors the agencies and creatives who take on the issues and causes that matter to them, creating work that gives back to humankind while emphasizing kindness and promoting a higher quality of life.

If you’re going to name your whisky after a critically endangered bird, it’s a pretty good idea to bring its plight into the public consciousness. For the past few years, Godawan Artisanal Indian Whisky has been doing just that for the Great Indian Bustard, aka the Godawan, and the brand has helped grow its population from 96 to 173. Rooted in Godawan’s Rajasthani origins, Butterfly Cannon and Diageo India looked to the artisans who helped craft Jaipur’s beloved Blue Pottery, including the renowned expert Dr. Leela Bordia. Once a prized art form reserved for the likes of royalty—and apparently for capturing spirits and spooks—the craft is now practiced by a handful of local artisans. Releasing just 173 handcrafted bottles, forged from quartz and salts, and using natural glazing techniques, each one-of-a-kind edition represents one of the surviving Godawan, with gorgeous illustrations and geometric detailing.

What’s more, the sale of extremely limited-edition whisky raised over $1 million for conservation groups. Not too shabby.

View Case Study

---

DESIGNALYTICS DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS AWARD

Catalina Crunch

Catalina Crunch In-House

The Designalytics Effectiveness Awards, in partnership with Dieline, were created to elevate the role of package design by spotlighting its impact on consumer brands. As always, winner selection was entirely data-driven, based on sales performance in the marketplace and rigorous quantitative consumer testing. 

This year’s grand prize winner is the redesign for Catalina Crunch.

Debuting last year, the better-for-you snack and cereal brand not only reimagined its logo but also issued updated, craveable food photography with added dynamics and plenty of splashing milk. Key product attributes like protein (I mean, this is 2026, y’all), sugar, and calorie count are highlighted front and center, along with a shout-out to the new recipe. 

And how well did that redesign do? A whopping 66% of consumers said they preferred the new packaging to the previous version, with many praising the new, improved, appetizing look.

Overall, it was a resounding redesign success worthy of Designalytics top prize for design effectiveness. “Design can feel like a gamble—until you bring the consumer into the process early and often,” said Steve Lamoureux, founder and CEO of Designalytics. “Catalina Crunch did exactly that with these redesigns, turning uncertainty into a disciplined system for growth and delivering results that speak for themselves.”

View Case Study

---

Best of Food

HEYDOH

by Herefor Studio

It can be easy to assume all soy sauce is created equal. If we get takeout Chinese or go to a Thai joint, we use whatever is provided, whether it’s a bottle served at the table or something in small sachets. However, like any food, soy sauce can vary widely in taste depending on the quality and origin of its ingredients and the craft involved. Heydoh is a new brand that aims to provide a better sauce than most people are used to cooking with.

Heydoh, an Anglicized version of the Mandarin Chinese word for black soybeans, enlisted design studio Herefor to dream up the packaging. The brand identity is playful, modern, and fresh, a departure from conventional soy sauce branding at your local grocery store. Illustrations throughout the branding and packaging effectively communicate Heydoh’s key differentiators, including its single-origin status, twice-brewed process, and non-GMO standing. The tall, slender bottles are made from thick glass, adding a premium, quality touch.

Reimagining soy sauce might not be the easiest thing to do, but Herefor’s design manages to move away from conventional cues for something that feels genuinely new.

View Case Study

---

Best of Beverage

PAZ®

by HardCuore

In Portuguese, “paz” translates to “peace,” but with the new-to-market energy drink Paz, there’s nothing calming or serene about the brand.

Energy drinks are largely characterized by visual garbage and chaos, a sea of extremes that is virtually shouting at consumers. Paz, however, sought something different, a beverage that’s defined by stability and clean focus. Not quite calm, but something that can bring the body to the best version of itself. 

Courtesy of the Brazilian agency Hardcuore, Paz dabbles in duality: while the brand preaches a very particular brand of peace, the visual identity still conveys movement and speed. Drawing inspiration from 80s running aesthetics and old -school Olympic vibes—not to mention nostalgic automotive branding—the brand contains multitudes. It’s sporty and bombastic, yet minimal and restrained enough to counter all of the cliches associated with the caffeine-powered category. 

View Case Study

---

Best of Health, Beauty, & Personal Care

Cocolab

by Wedge

When Cocofloss launched in 2015, it was a cult hit with its refillable dental floss. But they also had reached a natural inflection point, growing beyond their sole offering; the name, as it turned out, didn’t reflect the dental-designed experience they longed to build. 

Seeking out the help of brand and design agency Wedge, the company rebranded to Cocolab with an expanded portfolio, strengthening its positioning in the oral care space, bringing all of the brand’s offerings under one umbrella, and unifying them into one big, beautiful brand world that would lend itself to the business’s next chapter. At the core of the brand’s transformation and expansion was a new kind of strategic approach, “Your Daily Hit of Dental Dopamine.” Not only does it drive home that feeling of joy, but it reframes oral care as beauty care with what Wedge calls a “system worthy of the MoMA store.”

View Case Study

---

Best of Home, Shopping, & Other Markets

b is for ball® X Sundae Kids

by biggest little®

Nope, B is for Ball doesn’t mean Sue Grafton is back from the dead and kicking off her alphabet series anew. Instead, it’s the latest children’s toy from Biggest Little & Sundae Kids, a multi-purpose silicone ball for stacking, rolling, or even chewing if that’s your thing. 

The project and its award-winning packaging were the result of a time-tested insight: the toys kids love most typically aren’t tech gadgets or anything too complicated. They’re simple, and they leave room for interpretation; even the box the toy came in can be just as engaging, as children will “see potential in materials that are undefined.”

Essentially, you should turn the packaging into a toy as well. 100% plastic-free, made from FSC-certified paperboard and printed with soy-based inks, B is for Ball’s packaging is intended to outlast its initial purpose as a regular ol’ box. Inspired by whack-a-mole, the packaging invites interaction with a drawer on the other side that has three pre-cut holes, which can be pulled out by a child, flipped over, and then put back in for a ball drop game. Sundae Kids’ illustrations not only look great on a toy shelf, but also serve as a vehicle for storytelling that inspires conversation. 

Beats throwing a tablet or an iPhone in their face.

View Case Study

---

Best of Brand Identity

Mienne

by Aruliden

Intimate body care brand Mienne attempts to answer a fairly complex question: What does everyday eroticism look like?

Designed by Aruliden, Mienne’s brand world and identity are utterly seductive in their approach. There’s nothing too romantic or minimal, nor is it overtly bondage-coded. Striking a chord between fantasy and reality, it’s an approachable, luxe brand that invites consumers to explore their own desires.

The challenge, according to the studio, was to rejuvenate body care and intimacy products with passion and “a reverence for the body, and a wink of eroticism elevated in the style of luxury beauty.” The packaging mirrors the contours of our own bodies, inviting tension and innuendo; that same approach applies to the products themselves, with textural notes like shibari-inspired finishes.

View Case Study

---

Best of Sustainability

Fussy Refillable Body Wash

by BETA DESIGN OFFICE

With a mission to kick all single-use plastic waste from our bathrooms to the curb, Fussy’s latest body wash, designed by Beta Design Office, uses a refillable system with a forever container and refills packaged in endlessly recyclable aluminum cans. With a premium sheen and a gorgeously designed pump (that makes a truly satisfying “click” when activated), it’s a perfect example of precisely what every personal care brand should be doing if they care about eliminating all of those pesky plastic bottles. The outer container uses tinted PET that lets consumers see the goods inside, while a much-needed matte texture wraps the bottle so it doesn’t slip out of sudsy hands.

What’s most impressive of all is just how well it fits into the rest of Fussy’s refillable brand world, as they already previously offered deodorant. It’s a continuation of the brand’s commitment to sustainability, as they continue to expand and give consumers better eco-friendly options in the bathroom, and we sure wouldn’t be mad at them if they expand into the kitchen.

View Case Study

---

Best of Concept

MUUPI

by Sweety & Co.

As any parent will attest, getting your kids to chomp or guzzle down medicine or vitamins is mostly a painful and thankless task, nor was it meant to withstand the rigors of “gentle parenting.” Thankfully, most of these little wonders now come in gummy form, which certainly helps as a delivery system—but the packaging still feels clinical and yawn-inducing.

Anywho, more brands should take a page from our 2026 Best of Show Concept project from Sweety&Co, Muupi. With a rich, character-driven identity, a smiling, joyful wordmark, and saturated, contrasting color combos, this concept brand successfully balances play with parental trust. What’s more, you’ll find a playful, geometric cap that’s all the rage these days, with a colorful and transparent bottle. Dropper bottles come housed in cylindrical canisters with Muupi’s fun-loving characters plastered all over them. We’re pretty sure those could be used to store all of your kids’ little trinkets and doo-dads you keep stepping on.

View Case Study

---

FOOD

Breads, Cereal Pasta

Breads, Cereal Pasta — Merit Winners

Dairy or Dairy Alternative Products

Dairy or Dairy Alternative Products — Merit Winners

Sauces, Oils, & Spices

Sauces, Oils, & Spices — Merit Winners

Fruits, Veggies, Fish, Meat, and Meat Alternatives

Fruits, Veggies, Fish, Meat, and Meat Alternatives — Merit Winners

Ready to Eat, Fast Food, Meal Kits

Ready to Eat, Fast Food, Meal Kits — Merit Winners

Confectionary Desserts and Sweet Snacks

Confectionary Desserts and Sweet Snacks — Merit Winners

Savory Snacks

---

Savory Snacks — Merit Winners

Beverage

Water

Water — Merit Winners

Soft Drinks

Soft Drinks — Merit Winners

Tea & Coffee

Tea & Coffee — Merit Winners

Functional Beverage

Functional Beverage — Merit Winners

Beers, Ciders, & Malt

Beers, Ciders, & Malt — Merit Winners

Low-Alcohol and No-Alcohol

Low-Alcohol and No-Alcohol — Merit Winners

Wine & Champagne

Wine & Champagne — Merit Winners

Clear Spirits 

Clear Spirits — Merit Winners

Dark Spirits

Dark Spirits — Merit Winners

Ready To Serve Cocktails

---

Ready To Serve Cocktails — Merit Winners

Health, Beauty, & Personal Care

Clothing, Fashion, And Fragrance

Clothing, Fashion, And Fragrance — Merit Winners

Health Care

Health Care — Merit Winners

Body Care

Body Care — Merit Winners

Beauty & Cosmetics

---

Beauty & Cosmetics — Merit Winners

Home, Shopping, & Other Markets

Household Maintenance & Home Improvement

Household Maintenance & Home Improvement — Merit Winners

E-Comm Packaging

E-Comm Packaging — Merit Winners

Electronics, Office, E-Commerce, Entertainment

Electronics, Office, E-Commerce, Entertainment — Merit Winners

Baby, Kids, & Pets

Baby, Kids, & Pets — Merit Winners

Tobacco & Cannabis

---

Tobacco & Cannabis — Merit Winners

Sustainable Design

Food

Food — Merit Winners

Beverage

Beverage — Merit Winners

Health, Body, and Beauty

Health, Body, and Beauty — Merit Winners

Home, Shopping, & Other Markets

---

Home, Shopping, & Other Markets — Merit Winners

Visual Brand Identity Systems

Food Brand Identity Systems

Food Brand Identity Systems — Merit Winners

Beverage Brand Identity Systems

Beverage Brand Identity Systems — Merit Winners

Health, Body, & Beauty 

Health, Body, & Beauty — Merit Winners

Home, Shopping & Other Markets

---

In-House

In-House All Categories 

---

In-House — Merit Winners

Limited Editions

---

Limited-Edition — Merit Winners

Private Label

---

Private Label — Merit Winners

Luxury

---

Luxury — Merit Winners

Design for Good

1st Place

Godawan 173

Brand – Diageo India / Agency – Butterfly Cannon

View Case Study

2nd Place

Oh! for OzHarvest

Weave

View Case Study

3rd Place

Wild Oats

Sukle

View Case Study

Design for Good — Merit Winners

Brand Partnerships and Collaborations All Categories

---

Brand Partnerships — Merit Winners

Startup Brands

---

Startup Brands — Merit Winners

CONCEPT WINNERS

Concept Best of Show

MUUPI

Sweety & Co.

View Case Study

Best of Concept – 1st Place

Priceless

Co-Partnership

View Case Study

Best of Concept – 2nd Place

Pomelo Mooncake

K Laser Design Lab.

View Case Study

Best of Concept – 3rd Place

Tiger Balm

The University of Melbourne

Jacqueline Widodo