Entries are now open for the prestigious 2026 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards that have been designed to recognise not only innovative packaging design, but also outstanding packaging professionals who are making a significant difference in their field in Australia and New Zealand. What makes the PIDA awards program unique is that it is not only industry-led but is the Exclusive Entry point for the WorldStar Packaging Awards for Australia & New Zealand. Only winners from the PIDA awards can enter the WorldStar Packaging Awards each year.

Coordinated by the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP), the 2026 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards offer recognition across 16x categories and has a sole purpose of recognising innovative and intuitive packaging and the talented people who make up the wider industry. Receiving a PIDA Award is the pinnacle recognition for any company and individual in the industry in Australia & New Zealand.

2025 PIDA Categories include:

The Design Innovation of the Year company awards will recognise organisations that have designed innovative packaging within each of these six manufacturing categories:

1. Food
2. Beverage
3. Health, Beauty & Wellness
4. Domestic & Household
5. Labelling & Decoration
6. Outside of the Box

There are four special awards available:

1. Sustainable Packaging Design
2. Save Food Packaging Design
3. Accessible & Inclusive Packaging Design
4. Marketing

In addition, there are three awards designed for people who have made specific contributions to the packaging industry.

1. Young Packaging Professional of the Year
2. Industry Packaging Professional of the Year
3. Packaging Technologist of the Year.

The Packaging Technologist of the Year Award is unique in that it is designed to recognise and acknowledge the outstanding achievements and contribution by an individual currently working within the Packaging industry across Australia, New Zealand & Asia.

There are three scholarships available, with two supported by the Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA):

1. ABA Diploma in Packaging Scholarship

2. ABA Certificate in Packaging Scholarship

3. AIP President’s Award – From 2026 the AIP President’s Award will be open for ALL AIP members across Southeast Asia to apply for.

The AIP scholarship judging committee will also consider applications from AIP Members outside of Australia & New Zealand to be eligible for a third scholarship.

The winners of the PIDA Awards will be announced on the 28^th of July at a gala awards dinner at the Crown Aviary, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The 2026 PIDA Awards will be held alongside of Foodpro 2026, the largest food and beverage tradeshow in the ANZ region. The 2026 finalists and winners will also be showcased inside of the FoodPro halls.

Entries close on the 27^th of February so don’t delay  http://aipack.com.au/pida-awards-overview/