WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2026 Celebrates the Best Packaging Innovations Worldwide

The World Packaging Organization (WPO) has announced 234 winners for the WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2026, chosen from 481 entries across 36 countries. Japan led with 24 awards, followed by Austria, Germany, China, and Brazil. The winners will be honored on May 8, 2026, in Düsseldorf during interpack. The event highlights innovation, sustainability, food protection, and smart packaging solutions.

Published Date: 14 January 2026
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WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2026 Highlight Industrys Best-in-Class Designs 

The World Packaging Organization (WPO) is a private, non-profit global federation of national packaging institutes and related entities, dedicated to advancing excellence in packaging science, sustainability, trade, and innovation. Its core mission is to enhance quality of life through high-quality packaging by fostering awareness, establishing global standards, and contributing to the reduction of food waste worldwide. 

The WPO brings together experienced professionals and innovative thinkers, providing a global platform to showcase groundbreaking approaches in packaging. Its core objectives focus on empowering technology and innovation, while highlighting packagings critical role in protecting food. At the same time, WPO calls upon leading brands and packaging industry leaders to adopt responsible packaging practices across the global packaging market

For the WorldStar Packaging Awards 2026, the World Packaging Organization (WPO) announced 234 winners selected from 481 entries submitted by participants from 36 countries. According to the official results, Japan led the awards tally with 24 wins, followed by Austria with 21 awards. Germany and China shared 18 awards each, while Brazil earned 17 recognitions. The Czech Republic and Slovakia also delivered strong performances, securing 12 winning projects each. 

The WorldStar Awards will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 8th May 2026 during the interpack, which will be on 7-13 May 2026. WPO will unveil the winners name for Special Categories, as its like a surprise. Furthermore, the Marketing Award, Packaging that Saves Food Award, Sustainability Award, and Presidents Award will also be declared later during the ceremony.

Expressing her enthusiasm over the winners announcement, Luciana Pellegrino, President of the World Packaging Organization (WPO), said: 
The scale of this years awards reflects the strength and commitment of the WorldStar program, highlighting advancements across the entire packaging value chain. These award-winning achievements reinforce the significance of WorldStar, not only as a platform for outstanding packaging solutions but also as a showcase for innovation driven by sustainability, functionality, convenience, technology, and other key themes. These areas are essential to the continued growth and success of the global packaging market.” 

She further added, “The projects received at our desk identified major issues like food safety, food preservation, and food waste reduction. This is the best chance to raise the packaging standard bar and serve brilliant solutions to crucial hurdles.

The WorldStar coordinator and vice-president of Marketing at WPO, Soha Atallah, said, “The technical and unique ideas of these event winners showed the advancement quality in packaging covering areas like circular economy, consumer-centric design, smart technologies, and material efficiency.

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