In today's crowded marketplace, shelf space is at a premium. The package must successfully embody the essence of the product, capture the consumer's attention and convince them of its value and effectiveness. In joint efforts with product companies, paperboard converters continue to create new designs and shapes for added shelf appeal, convenience and safety features.

The 62nd National Paperboard Packaging Competition showcased these visually appealing, yet functional packages, and honored the converters and their CPCs who created them. "The winners of the National Paperboard Packaging Competition are the best the industry has to offer—shining examples of its commitment to quality, service and innovation," said the Paperboard Packaging Council in a press release. The PPC sponsors the yearly contest.

MeadWestvaco Packaging System's TAILGATE'R (A) for the Labatt Brewing Co., won the President's Award by outperforming the other 234 entries on the three criteria: internal production/converting excellence, excellence in the consumer product company environment and in the retail consumer environment. This is the third time in the past four years that MeadWestvaco has taken top honors.

The TAILGATE'R muscled its way to the top by demonstrating an inventive new way of combining a case of beer with a beverage cooler. It is designed to hold 28 cans of beer, plus ice. The 2-in-1 package eliminates the need for an extra cooler as it includes a bag liner to catch the run-off from the ice and a reinforced plastic handle for transporting it. As an added bonus, the perforations on the divider inserts turn the dividers into coasters.

"The package is not only convenient, but also provides eye-catching graphics and plenty of billboard space to advertise the product," a judge said. Paperboard was chosen over mini-flute for its flexibility and strength, and the package is made up of six pieces of 27-pt Coated Natural Kraft board and was printed offset. The top and bottom pieces are cut on the same die and consist of 18-pt CNK with individual graphics. Another die is used for the 18-pt CNK board that makes up the inserts that divide the rows of cans. The body is glued on a straight-line gluer, forming a three-ply handle reinforcement that enables the package to hold up to 24 lbs.

While the sharp graphics and imaginative design of the TAILGATE'R wowed judges, the Blisterguard® (B) carded package by Colbert Packaging Co., outshined the competition in the Innovation category solely on its structural and technical properties. To be eligible for the Innovation Award, entries are submitted without graphics.

The Blisterguard was chosen for its exceptional use of a new type of tear-resistant board to create a pilfer-proof, carded package. Colbert used the Everest® Safe-Pak bleached board from International Paper, a heat-sealable, tear-resistant paperboard made with multilayer Valéron® Strength Film, and a clear plastic blister.

The foldover board encapsulates the plastic blister, then the board is printed on a four-color standard offset press and die-cut without additional equipment for conversion. Sensormatic and Checkpoint security tags are applied to the cards, and as the packs are filled, the back of the card is folded over for the sealing process. The inside of the board is bonded to itself by applying heat.

This new package is an alternative to clamshells, which Colbert-customer The Topps Co., Inc., thought was "too expensive and not aesthetically pleasing." The Blisterguard was created to effectively display Topps' Major League Baseball cards while counteracting theft with an enclosed security tag. The strength of the material also prevents the packages from being ripped off of display pegs. It has up to five times the tear resistance of current foldover boards and is easier to recycle than polyvinyl chloride clamshells. "It is more secure than traditional (blister packs) and is easier to open versus the clamshell type," a judge said.

After the President's and the Innovation Awards, the rest of the contenders vie for either a Gold Award or an Excellence Award. Entries can receive a maximum of 10 points for each criteria of excellence. Those that earn 24 to 30 points receive a Gold Award and an entry garnering 18 to 23 points is given an Excellence Award. This year the judges awarded 12 Gold and 63 Excellence Awards.

Notable among the Gold Award winners are the Tran-Z-Print™ General Mills Shrek 2™ Cereal Box Promotion (C) by Zumbiel Packaging for General Mills, Inc., and the Lego Star Wars (D) by Color-Box, LLC for Lego Systems, Inc. Both packages were printed on 100-percent recycled paperboard (CRB).

"These awards are a testament to the quality, value and performance properties of 100-percent recycled paperboard," said Paul Schutes, executive director, 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance (RPA-100%). "The use of 100-percent recycled paperboard is increasing as consumer packaged-goods companies realize that it is functionally equivalent to virgin board grades with comparable smoothness, strength and brightness."

The Shrek 2™ cereal boxes were printed on 24-pt CRB, using a unique ink application developed by Tran-Z-Print™ that allows for heat transference of an image on the box to an appropriate piece of clothing. The Lego Star Wars box is made of a combination E-flute, F-flute and 28-pt CRB. It was printed in just one pass using a combination of lithography and flexography on a seven-color, 55-in. UV press. The high-end graphics were printed five-color offset, while the spot-UV gloss coating was applied using a coating unit with a specially prepared DuPont Cyrel® flexo-coating plate.

Other Gold Award winners include the Martini Bellisima (E) by Rock-Tenn Co. for Bacardi Canada. With the blossoming popularity of the "boutique martini"—fueled by specialty cordial and martini bars—Bacardi wanted a package that captures the allure of the popular drink. The complementary base tones of the package and bottled contents create a unified visual effect, a judge said. The interior handle forms the divider for the two bottles.

The blue and gold carton made by TPC Printing and Packaging for Heaven Hill Distilleries' Elijah Craig Single Barrel Aged 18 Years (F) got the gold by overcoming the challenge of lithographically applying the metallic inks. According to TPC, sufficient ink-film thickness had to be maintained to maximize the metallic look of the printing under a satin aqueous finish, while keeping the screened graphic elements open to give adequate contrast.

Sparking the judges' curiosity, Arkay Packaging's origami-like folding carton with its die-cut sleeve earned enough points to grab a Gold Award. Curious By Britney Spears (G), created by Arkay for Elizabeth Arden, is assembled using three different paperboard end products and two internal vacuum-formed trays for holding the fragrance bottle. The lid cover box is made from 18-pt Black Vat Dyed board that is laminated with matte-black acetate film. Then it is flat stamped in three passes—blue, pink and silver—and is die-cut. The origami base blooms open when the lid is removed.

The judges did not need to sail the Seven Seas to find gold in Smurfit Stone Container's Long John Silver's Kids Treasure Chest Meal carton (H) for Yum! Brands, Inc. The package incorporates a series of reverse scores that compliment with the treasure chest's "wood-grain" graphic design. The domed lid allows steam to escape and it has a locking tuck feature that enables the lid to stay locked even after it has been opened and closed numerous times. This chest-shaped carton also contains a secret compartment for a hidden toy.

Resolution Packaging waxed the competition with its package for Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Car Wax (I). This A-line carton has scored, "beveled" edges on the front panel and gluing seams at the bottom of the carton to create straight tucks on the sides instead of the top. The carton is made tamper-evident through side straight-tuck flaps that are securely locked by a special die.

Enamel Care by F.M. Howell & Co. for Ferrara & Co. is a mailer that was engineered to mail flat but have a dimensional popup of molars. This design was achieved in one piece by precision diecutting and gluing. Through printing and embossing, the converter simulated the subtle changes possible with the use of Enamel Care. "It is the best of both worlds—it combines the economy of a flat mail piece with the impact of a dimensional one," wrote a judge on the score sheet.

L'Oreal USA's Matrix 2004 Holiday Promotion had quite the presence in salons and at the PPC's competition thanks to Diamond Packaging. Each of the six packages had a distinct color, but all the cartons feature a 22-pt SBS foil board with holographic stamping and embossing. Special color inks and matte-UV coating further enhanced the graphics. A total of nine colors and 14 graphic versions were produced for the US and Canada.

Caraustar Custom Packaging Group created a packaged for Nestle Purina PetCare Co.'s Friskies 12-can Pantry Pack (J) that protects and transports 12 cat-food cans without damaging the package. It also converts into a dispensing unit. Caraustar used a 22-pt SUS for tear strength and used J-cut perforations that enable the main front panel to tear away and expose the middle section. Instructions on how to form the package are printed on the side.

King of the self-promotion division, the Rex Promotional Kit by Rex Corp. was crowned with a Gold Award. Its "Rexplore" and "Rexotic" promotional boxes morph from one structure to another and showcase the possibility of offset-printed SBS, foil and rainbow holographic paperboard. Printing consisted of a gloss UV flood coat with matte-varnish pattern coat.

Also snagging a Gold Award in the self-promotions division are the Gravure Boxes by Wilco, Inc., a Rock-Tenn Co. These boxes were made to promote the co.'s new sheetfed-gravure press. "The boxes needed to translate the rich solids and colors that can be achieved on the press," said Wilco in a press release. With five colors in gravure, four process colors, one opalescent ink, matte and gloss varnishes, three colors in hot stamp, diecutting and gluing, the boxes were a challenge in execution, workmanship and the transposing of the complex artwork to the cartons, the company said.

This year's winners join the ranks of the brilliant packages in previous competitions that best exemplified merit and achievement in packaging. Since 1943, the PPC has honored thousands of packages for their ability to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of both CPCs and consumers.