PRADA, HEINZ AND JACK DANIEL’S AMONG LONDON PACKAGING WEEK INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS

London Packaging Week 2026 crowned winners across 18 categories, with Prada, Jack Daniel’s x McLaren, Heinz, Hotel Chocolat and Marks & Spencer among those recognised. From Formula 1-inspired luxury engineering to recyclable flexible packaging, the awards highlighted how innovation now blends creativity, functionality, sustainability and consumer experience into tangible commercial value.

London Packaging Week 2026 has unveiled its Innovation Awards winners, celebrating projects that redefine what packaging can achieve. Announced live at Excel London on 17 September, the results spanned luxury engineering, interactive experiences, everyday usability and sustainability, reflecting an industry increasingly focused on purposeful innovation rather than novelty alone.  

Among the most technically ambitious winners was the Jack Daniel’s x McLaren Halo MK1, entered by Hunter Luxury, which triumphed in the Alcoholic Drinks £100–£1,000 category. Inspired by Formula 1’s Halo safety system, the pack integrates more than 50 components, eight materials and eight manufacturing processes. Its concealed push-button release, tuned acoustic response and automotive-grade construction transform opening into a mechanical performance.  

Luxury was equally inventive, with Prada’s Paradigme Launch Mailer, entered by TwelveNYC, winning Gift Boxes / Limited Edition / One-of-a-Kind. Its puzzle-box design conceals a locking mechanism governed by gravity, magnetism and a moving ball bearing, requiring recipients to invert and tap the pack to discover how it opens. Here, packaging becomes part of the experience itself.  

Hotel Chocolat’s Gifting The World Range secured Fine Food & Gourmet, while The GlenAllachie 1990 / 35-year-old Cask Strength and Kilchoman Distillery CASK 01 took honours in hyper-luxury and seasonal drinks respectively. Heinz meanwhile won Everyday Food with its 1L Bottle, designed alongside chefs for speed, accuracy and one-handed operation in busy kitchens, proving that innovation can be as much about usability as spectacle.  

Beauty and healthcare also featured prominently. HairGym’s Strength Workout Hair Mask won Everyday Product, Refy Skin Base took Premium Product with a push-pump bottle enabling one-handed mixing, and Fortnum & Mason’s Beauty Box Duos claimed Luxury Product. SheMed’s 28-day Supplement Wallet was recognised for its compact, pre-portioned design aiding daily adherence.  

Sustainability emerged as a defining theme. rayro’s Panda Skin Stick won Sustainable Beauty & Personal Care, Feddie Ocean Distillery’s Single Malt Whisky took Sustainable Drinks, and Canagan’s Ready2Recycle Mono Material PE MET Flat Bottom Bag won Sustainable Food. Judges praised its mono-material approach, embedding recyclability into the structure of flexible packaging rather than treating it as an add-on.  

The awards also honoured collaboration, with Marks & Spencer named Packaging Team of the Year, recognising the people behind innovation as much as the finished packs. Christelle Anya, Content & Community Director at Easyfairs, said: “Extraordinary luxury engineering sits alongside intelligent everyday changes, interactive experiences and sustainable solutions. The common thread is purpose.”  

Sponsored by Nuon, the competition attracted 87 finalists across 18 categories, judged by a 22-strong panel of senior leaders from organisations including Diageo, Starbucks, Marks & Spencer, Müller and the British Beauty Council. Together, they highlighted how packaging is evolving into a discipline that balances creativity, consumer insight and environmental responsibility.