Confectionery is a broad term encompassing various sugary treats like candy, chocolate, and other similar items. Food and drink gift buying has been resilient to the income squeeze and nearly 50% of people see confectionery as the ultimate trusty present. Confectionery also occupies a cherished role in travel retail, as travellers look for ways to bring a piece of their visit home as they purchase gifts at airports and stations. In 2025, the confectionery industry is expected to be driven by a few key trends: healthier treats, sustainable and ethical sourcing, and innovative flavour profiles.
Visual appeal is very important to purchasers in the gifting market, and many confectionery tins are kept long after consumption of the contents, for many different secondary storage uses; or just because they are stunning pieces in their own right. Metal can be recycled an infinite number of times without loss of quality. It has been designated ‘permanently available material’ status, making metal packaging a key contributor to the circular economy.
The Brief
Design and develop a metal pack to hold confectionery of a type of your choosing. The pack should be aimed at high-end stores specialising in quality foods, giftware and souvenir packs such as those you might find at an airport duty free store, Fortnum & Mason or heritage shops. Students must focus on the pack. It can be any shape or size, should showcase the exceptional properties of metal, what stunning designs and finishes can be achieved with metal; be eye-catching, functional and have real shelf appeal. Model pictures or rendering of the final design should be included with development boards.
- High-quality branding, decoration and graphics - creative branding to enhance shelf impact and consumer appeal, and add value to the brand.
- Textures, print finishes, and features, consider using the metal of the tin to highlight your graphics, design and brand.
- Shaping - shaping your tin to reflect and enhance your brand
- Finishes and features such as embossing, debossing, micro-embossing and perforations.
- A variety of opening and closing options, think about inclusivity and the opening experience.
- Consider how your tin will look on the shelf, given the premium value of in-store shelf space.
- A unique after-use feature is a great consideration in building your design and is highly valued in the judging process
These types of packs are usually made of tinplate. Entrants do not need to specify the thickness of the metal. Materials other than metal should not be used in the main pack design.
Entry Guidelines
Entries must include uploads of the developments boards
- No model required.
- VIsualise the texture/inclusion on how you believe it should look/feel.
The 4 A3 development boards uploaded as a single PDF document should include the following:
- Research board
- Design exploration board
- Final design solution.
Development boards must not show the entrant’s name or university/college.
- The project names submitted at the time of entry will be printed as typed, if there are any errors and certificates/trophies need replacing, then the entrant will be liable for these costs.
- If you are not able to attend the ceremony in person or the ceremony becomes virtual, certificates and trophies will be sent by post to the entrants to the mailing address listed in the entry in early July 2026.
- Please make sure you have access to the mailing address past term times. If you are unsure, please enter your home address.
- IOM3 is unable to issue replacements for certificates/trophies sent to wrong addresses.
- The entry fee is £20 per entry.
- You will be invoiced for the entry payment once you have submitted your entry. If you have indicated that your college/university is paying for your entry, please ignore the invoice directed at you as another invoice will be sent directly to your college/university.
- The invoice will be received by Monday 30 March 2026 at the very latest and the deadline for payment is Friday1 May 2026. If your invoice is not paid, your entry will not be shortlisted for judging.
About the Entry
Judging criteria
Judges
Director & Chief Executive, MPMA
Jason Galley
Administration Manager, MPMA
Debbie Clements
Designer-Product, Packaging & Graphic, Eviosys
Corrina Korrubel
Associate Director, Talacom
Louise Coxon
Prize
Winner: £600.00 cash prize
Runner-up awards will be presented at the judges' discretion.
IOM3 presents trophies to Gold, Silver and Bronze and certificates to Highly Commended entries.
About the Sponsor
The Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association is the lead voice of the UK metal packaging industry. The Association supports and represents members’ interests on industry matters related to operational, regulatory and environmental issues.
In addition, the work of the Association promotes the benefits of metal packaging and the sustainable attributes of steel and aluminium through education programmes, industry awards and relevant communication channels.
Useful links
For guidance and helpful videos, visit Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association
For inspiration, click here