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Paperboard Packaging Alliance Announces 2026 Student Design Challenge Finalists

Students from California Polytechnic State University and Rochester Institute of Technology Selected as Finalists

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) today announced its 2026 Student Design Challenge Finalists. The Student Design Challenge is a yearly competition that tests students’ skills in designing creative, innovative paper-based packaging by applying them to a real-world application. PPA is a joint initiative between the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC).

The 2026 Design Challenge asked students to design an influencer PR box for a new luxury confectionery brand. Submissions had to contain and protect the retail product while elevating the user experience through an engaging, memorable unboxing moment.

Student projects from the following schools were named as finalists:

  • Dāt–California Polytechnic State University 
  • Tempus–California Polytechnic State University
  • Pacha Cacao–Rochester Institute of Technology

“The Student Design Challenge pushes students across North America to reimagine packaging through a sustainability lens,” said Heidi Brock, President and CEO of AF&PA. “It connects classroom learning with real-world innovation, transforming creative ideas into recyclable, paper-based solutions. By emphasizing circularity at every stage of design, the challenge highlights emerging talent and drives a more sustainable future for packaging.”

This year’s winners will be announced at PPC’s 2026 Fall Meeting from September 30 to October 2 in Orlando, Florida, where finalists will present their projects live before industry executives and packaging manufacturers across North America. The first-place team will win $10,500, and their school will receive $10,000. The second and third-place teams also take home cash prizes.

“One of the most inspiring moments of our PPC Fall Meeting is watching the next generation take the main stage to present their work to an audience of industry leaders and potential future employers,” said Emily Leonczyk, President of PPC. “What makes this opportunity so meaningful is the two-way dialogue. Students engage directly with manufacturers, executives, and innovators, while our industry has the opportunity to celebrate their creativity, listen to fresh perspectives, and better understand how we can attract, inspire, and develop the next generation of talent. We look forward to welcoming these outstanding finalists to Orlando this fall and showcasing them alongside the leaders shaping the future of paperboard packaging."

About the Paperboard Packaging Alliance

The Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) is a joint initiative of the American Forest & Paper Association and the Paperboard Packaging Council. The mission is to promote the benefits of paperboard packaging to influence preference for these materials in packaging design and selection. PPA is a proud supporter of collegiate packaging and design programs across the U.S. and Canada, donating thousands of dollars in scholarships, materials, and classroom resources each year. Alliance membership includes companies representing the full range of mills and converters engaged in the production of paperboard packaging. Additional information about PPA can be found at www.paperboardpackaging.org.

About the American Forest & Paper Association

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance public policies that foster economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness for a vital sector that makes the essential paper and packaging products Americans use every day. The U.S. forest products industry employs more than 925,000 people, largely in rural America, and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 44 states. Our industry accounts for approximately 4.7% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufacturing more than $435 billion in products annually. AF&PA member companies are significant producers and users of renewable biomass energy and are committed to making sustainable products for a sustainable future through the industry’s decades-long initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2030. For more information, visit www.afandpa.org. 

About the Paperboard Packaging Council

For 95 years, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) has served as the premier North American association for converters of paperboard packaging and their suppliers. PPC works to grow, promote, and protect the paperboard packaging industry while providing its members with resources and tools to compete successfully in the marketplace. For more information, visit www.paperbox.org.