
THE INTERNATIONAL  JUDGING PANEL
The judging Panel of WorldStar is composed of WPO Board members which consist of leading packaging professionals and Executive Directors of National and regional Packaging Institutes for more than 60 countries.The judging panel usually meets in November of each year  for the judging process. The jury's decision is final.The jury has the right to exclude entries which do not meet the conditions of entry. 
 
JUDGES FOR WORLDSTAR 2026 

Nerida Kelton
Executive Director   Australasian Institute of Packaging  
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 
 
    
 
Ernst Krottendorfer
Managing Director  Packforce Austria 
AUSTRIA 

 
Mariana
General manager  CENEM 
CHILE 

 
Li Ling
Director of International Cooperation Department  China National Export Commodities Packaging Research Institute (CEPI) 
CHINA 

 
Wang Guanzhong
Deputy Secretary General of the Design Professional Committee  China Packaging Federation(CPF) 
CHINA 

 
Drena Tejic-Milijevic
Faunder, coowner and managing director  Institute of Packaging and Graphic Arts Tectus - IatT 
CROATIA 

 
Miriela Valle Cepero
Asesora  Centro Nacional de Envases y Embalajes 
CUBA 

 
Iva Werbynská
Managing Director  Czech & Slovak Packaging Institute SYBA 
CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA 
 
    
 
Antro Säilä
Managing Director  Finnish Packaging Association 
FINLAND 

 
Oliver Berndt
Head of Events & Marketing  dvi German Packaging Institute 
GERMANY 

 
Dimitris Mandis
Chairman  AGMPM 
GREECE 

 
Pelczer Ágnes
organising secretary  Csomagolási és Anyagmozgatási Országos Szövetség 
HUNGARY 

 
Shekhar Amberkar
Deputy Director & Head - International Packaging Centre  Indian Institute of Packaging 
INDIA 

 
AFSHIN FAKHR
CEO   Iranain InstituIte Of Packaging  
IRAN 

 
Abdullah Adnan Abdulkarim
Director  National Center of Packing and Packaging 
IRAQ 

 
shira Rosen
chairwoman  Israeli packaging institute 
ISRAEL 

 
Alessandra Alessi
Communication Manager  Istituto Italiano Imballaggio 
ITALY 

 
Yoichi Sonoyama
General Managing Director  Japan Packaging Institute 
JAPAN 

 
Joseph Nyongesa
Chief Executive Officer  Institute of Packaging Professionals Kenya 
KENYA 

 
Sandra Muižniece-Brasava
Chairwoman of the LIA Board  Packaging Association of Latvia (LIA) 
LATVIA 

 
SANDRA MUIZNIECE-BRASAVA
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD  PACKAGING ASSOCIATION OF LATVIA 
LATVIA 

 
Michael Nieuwesteeg 
Managing Director   NVC Packaging Centre  
NETHERLANDS 

 
AHMED ALEX OMAH
Executive Director  Advanced Institute of Packaging Professionals Nigeria Ltd./Gte. 
NIGERIA 

 
Kari Bunes
CEO  Den norske emballasjeforening 
NORWAY 

 
Ayman Sbeih
Secretary General  PFPPI 
PALESTINE 

 
Andrey Zagorskiy
Board Member  NCPack 
RUSSIA 

 
SUSI MOORE
CHAIRMAN  IPSA SOUTH AFRICA 
SOUTH AFRICA 

 
Nacho Cusi
general Secretry  Nacho 
SPAIN 

 
A R Munasinghe
Past President  Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging 
SRI LANKA 

 
Mikael Gällstedt
Head of the Swedish Packaging Guild, Chairman of Scandinavian Packaging Association, Project Manager or Scanstar competition  Swedish Packaging Guild 
SWEDEN 

 
NURLAN IDEMEN
Secretary General  ASD Turkish Packaging Manufacturers Association  
TÜRKIYE 

 
Nopparat Viriyakitpattana
Researcher  Nopparat Viriyakitpattana 
THAILAND 

 
CHARLES MUYANJA
President   Institute  of Packaging partners  of  Uganda (IPPU) 
UGANDA 

 
Nohelia Barrios
Executive Director  Camara Venezolana del Envase (CAVENVASE) 
VENEZUELA 

 JUDGING CRITERIA  
FOR WORLDSTAR MAIN CATEGORIES
The judges consider the following criteria:

Protection and preservation of contents

Sales Appeal: On-Pack Branding/ Marketability 

Ergonomics

Quality of Execution

Sustainability

Cost Reduction, economy of material, and cost saving

Ease of handling, filling, closing, opening and reclosing

Creativity and Innovation
JUDGING CRITERIA  
FOR WORLDSTAR SPECIAL CATEGORIES
Marketing Award:
- The overall success of the packaging to represent the equity of the brand and  relevance to the product
- The point of difference that gives it a marketing edge encouraging purchase
- The packaging that best creates value to the consumer based on interaction, emotional connection or usability
Sustainability Award
- SOCIAL: Benefit to Society
- MATERIAL: Responsible raw materials sourcing, including materials from renewable resources
- SOURCE REDUCTION: weight reduction when compared to the previous package or to general packs in its class
- ENERGY: Optimization during transportation, storage and use
- RECOVERY: Re-usability, recyclability, recoverability, post-consumer material recycling, ease of disposal
Packaging that Save the Food
- The packaging solution has shown to reduce food losses or food waste in a relevant amount.
- Appropriateness, adequacy, convenience
- Innovative but feasible
- Sustainability
- Communicates to consumers that the package is saving food or reducing food losses/food waste
- Benefit to Society/Community
 
Accessible Packaging Award: 
- Packaging must be easy to open and use for those with limited functional abilities. 
- Innovation for accessibility 
- Packaging shall be fit for purposes
- Packaging labelling information shall be highly legible
 
JUDGING  PROCESS
The Judging  process for WorldStar is conducted over 2 phases usually in the month of November of each year.
 
- The first phase is done online where each judge  assess each WorldStar entry remotely and individually and puts a score based on the above judging criteria
 
- The second phase is  a  live deliberation session via zoom meeting or physically  to assess the shortlisted entries  and to select the special award categories.