Young Talent Shines with Sustainable Metal Packaging Proposals at the Starpack Students Awards

Creativity and innovation in metal packaging took center stage at a new edition of the Starpack Students Awards, where university students surprised with reusable, functional, and visually appealing projects.

The top award in the category sponsored by the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) went to Oliver Smithee, a Product Design student at Nottingham Trent University. His proposal, Avian Biscuits—inspired by bird feeders—, was recognized with a £600 prize for its combination of originality, refined aesthetics, and post-consumption utility.

The jury also awarded two runner-up prizes, worth £100 each, to:

• Euan McLeish, for Van Gogh Frame Tin, a decorative tin with reproductions of the painter that transforms into a case for art supplies.
• Evelyn Walker, for Cookie Cache, a minimalist proposal that functions as a cookie container and, subsequently, as a geocaching hideaway.

Also, Daniela Feijoo Villanueva, from the European University of Madrid, received a special mention for Cookie Cup, an innovatively designed and high-quality finished tin that stood out for its technical feasibility and distinctive aesthetics.

The evaluation panel—comprising experts from MPMA, Tata Steel UK, and design professionals—particularly valued the integration of sustainability, reuse, and visual narrative criteria in the submitted projects.

The awards ceremony took place on July 2 in London, at an event organized by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3), which also included a round table on sustainability and the role of design in the transformation of the sector.

The MPMA took the opportunity to reiterate its support for industrial design training, offering interested universities educational sessions focused on the development and manufacture of metal packaging.