CATEGORY 1: Food
These categories are for food only, including bread, cereals, pasta, dairy, dairy alternatives, spices, oils, sauces, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, meat alternatives, ready to eat, fast food, meal kits, confectionary, desserts, sweet snacks, and savory snacks.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded for each subcategory 1a-1g
• One Best of Category Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 2: Beverage
These categories are for beverages only, including water, soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, functional beverages, beers, ciders, seltzers, low and non-alcoholic drinks, wine, champagne, clear spirits, and dark spirits.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded for each subcategory 2a-2i
• One Best of Category Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 3: Health, Beauty, & Personal Care
These categories are for all health, beauty, & personal care products including clothing, fashion, fragrance, health care, body care, beauty, and cosmetics.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded for each subcategory 3a-3d
• One Best of Category Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 4: Home, Shopping, & Other Markets
These categories are for all home, shopping, & other market products including household maintenance, home improvement, electronics, e-commerce packaging, baby, kids, pets, tobacco & cannabis.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded for each subcategory 4a-4e
• One Best of Category Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 5: Sustainable Design
These categories are for all sustainably designed products including food, beverage, health, body, beauty, home, shopping, & other markets.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded for each subcategory 5a-5d
• One Best of Category Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 6: Plastic Free
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CATEGORY
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awards from entries to the Sustainable Design category.
• One Plastic Free Innovation of the Year Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
In 2019, Dieline Awards partnered with A Plastic Planet to launch the world’s first Plastic Free Award for sustainable, plastic-free packaging. Together, we want to recognize the innovation and efforts of designers and brands for creating the solutions of tomorrow, today.
A Plastic Planet will award 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, while the top-scoring Plastic Free project from the Plastic Free category will win the coveted Plastic Free Innovation of the Year Award for its outstanding work and contribution to plastic-free based package designs over the past year.
A Plastic Planet are global pro-social change-makers. Together we have a single goal, to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. APP works collaboratively with industry, Governments, the UN, and legislators to dramatically reduce the misuse of plastic, particularly when it's used to package food and drink.
CATEGORY 7: VISUAL BRAND IDENTITY SYSTEMS
This category must include packaging along with visual brand identity systems that can include all brand touchpoints, branding systems, merch, motion graphics, social media and entire marketing campaigns.
Entries in this are awarded based on these five criterias: Memorability, Marketability, Adaptability, Meaningfulness, & Brand Story.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded for each subcategory 7a-7d
• One Best of Category Winner
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 8: IN-HOUSE (ALL CATEGORIES)
This category is for all products created by an in-house design team, from across all main categories #1-#6.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 9: LIMITED EDITIONS (ALL CATEGORIES)
This category is for all limited editions, LTOs, and limited time seasonal products across all main categories #1-#6.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 10: PRIVATE LABEL (ALL CATEGORIES)
This category is for all private label products across all main categories #1-#6.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded.
CATEGORY 11: LUXURY (ALL CATEGORIES)
This category is for all luxury products across all main categories #1-#6.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be awarded.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 12: Design For Good
NO COST TO ENTER THIS SPECIAL CATEGORY
An outstanding original package design for a social cause, by an individual or team. Learn more about this free-to-enter category here.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 13: BRAND PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS
Brand Partnerships and Collaboration is for any two brands who have partnered and co-developed a packaging and branding system in the last year.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 14: STARTUP BRANDS
The Startup Brand category is for any new-to-market startup brand and packaging developed within the last year.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
CATEGORY 15: DIELINE AWARDS CONCEPT (ALL CATEGORIES)
This category is for all CONCEPTUAL and STUDENT products. This category also allows for unpublished professional conceptual work.
• One First Place winner will be awarded per sub-category below. (27 total 1st Place Winners)
• The highest scoring project in the Concept category will win Concept Best of Show.
• The next highest scoring projects will win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place in Best of Concept.
• One Concept Editor’s Choice will be chosen by DIELINE’s Editorial Team.
• Entrants may enter the same project into multiple categories.
15A Concept – Bread, cereals, pasta
15B Concept – Dairy or dairy alternative products
15C Concept – Spices, oils, sauces
15D Concept – Fruits and Vegetables, Fish, Meat, Poultry & Alternatives
15E Concept – Ready to eat, fast food, meal kits
15F Concept – Confectionary, desserts, and sweet snacks
15G Concept – Savory Snacks
15H Concept – Water
15I Concept – Soft drinks, juices
15J Concept – Tea and Coffee
15K Concept – Functional beverages
15L Concept – Beers, Ciders, & Malt
15M Concept – Low-alcohol and no-alcohol drinks
15N Concept – Wine & Champagne
15O Concept – Clear Spirits
15P Concept – Dark Spirits
15Q Concept: Ready to Serve Cocktails + Seltzers
15R Concept – Clothing, Fashion, Fragrance
15S Concept – Health care
15T Concept – Body Care
15U Concept – Beauty & Cosmetics
15V Concept – Household maintenance & home improvement
15W Concept – E-commerce packaging
15X Concept – Electronics, office, e-commerce, entertainment, & self-promotional
15Y Concept – Baby, Kids, and Pets
15Z Concept – Tobacco & Cannabis
15ZA Concept – Sustainable
15ZB Concept – Luxury
SPECIAL CATEGORY: DESIGNALYTICS DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS AWARD
Free to enter
This year, in partnership with Designalytics, we will recognize package redesigns that have had a significant impact on brand growth. Winner selection is data-driven, and based on:
An analysis of sales performance (via retail scanner data) for the six months prior to and following the redesign.
Evaluation by hundreds of consumers on multiple design performance indicators, including preference, communication, mental availability, resonance, and more.
