Prada, Jack Daniel’s, Heinz and Hotel Chocolat among London Packaging Week Innovation Awards winners

From Formula 1 inspired luxury engineering and interactive launch packs to everyday usability and recyclable flexible packaging, the 2026 London Packaging Week Innovation Awards reveal how brands are turning packaging into a source of practical, commercial and consumer value.

London Packaging Week has revealed the winners of its 2026 Innovation Awards, with Prada, Jack Daniel’s x McLaren, Heinz, Hotel Chocolat, Fortnum & Mason, Refy and HairGym among the brands taking home trophies, while Marks & Spencer was named Packaging Team of the Year.

Announced live at Excel London on Thursday 17 September, the results span everything from Formula 1 inspired luxury engineering and interactive launch packs to everyday food packaging, beauty innovation and solutions designed to reduce environmental impact.

Together, they reveal an industry becoming increasingly sophisticated in how it defines innovation. Rather than rewarding novelty alone, this year’s results recognise projects using design, engineering and materials to create tangible value, whether through stronger consumer experiences, improved functionality, greater sustainability or commercial differentiation.

Among the most technically ambitious winners was the Jack Daniel’s x McLaren Halo MK1, entered by Hunter Luxury, which claimed the Alcoholic Drinks £100 to £1000 category. Inspired by Formula 1’s Halo safety system, the pack brings together more than 50 components, eight materials and eight manufacturing processes. Its concealed push button release, tuned acoustic response and automotive grade construction turn opening into a controlled piece of mechanical theatre.

In luxury, the Prada Paradigme Launch Mailer, entered by TwelveNYC, won Gift Boxes/Limited Edition/One of a Kind. Its puzzle box structure conceals a locking mechanism governed by gravity, magnetism and a moving ball bearing, requiring the recipient to invert and tap the pack to discover how it opens. Here, working out the packaging becomes part of the experience itself.

Hotel Chocolat’s Gifting The World Range took Fine Food & Gourmet, while drinks saw The GlenAllachie 1990 35 year old Cask Strength triumph in Hyper-Luxury & Bespoke and Kilchoman Distillery CASK 01 win Limited Edition/ Seasonal/One of a Kind.

Yet innovation was just as evident in packaging designed for everyday use.

The Heinz 1L bottle won Everyday Food with a design rooted firmly in real world usability. Developed alongside professional chefs, its grip, closure and nozzle geometry were engineered for speed, accuracy and one handed operation in busy kitchens, improving control while helping users dispense product with less effort and mess.

Foli’s Set of Essential Dressings took the Everyday Homeware award and Spice Kitchen’s Feasting Kits won Seasonal Food & Gifting, with Harrods’ Best of British Giftset taking second place. In Healthcare, SheMed’s 28 day Supplement Wallet received a certificate, recognising its compact day by day format with pre-portioned dual capsule cavities that allow users to see whether a dose has been taken.

Beauty offered another expression of purposeful design. HairGym’s Strength Workout Hair Mask won Everyday Product, while Refy Skin Base took Premium Product with a push pump bottle designed to make dispensing and mixing possible with one hand. A built-in palette, visible product level and customisable dispensing system give users greater control over how the formula is used. Fortnum & Mason Beauty Box Duos, entered by Lightening Tree, was named the winner in Luxury Product.

Sustainability emerged as another defining thread. rayro’s Panda Skin Stick won Sustainable Beauty & Personal Care, Feddie Single Malt Whisky from Feddie Ocean Distillery took Sustainable Drinks, and the Ready2Recycle Mono Material PE MET Flat Bottom Bag, entered by Law Print & Packaging Management for Canagan Dog & Cat Food, won Sustainable Food.

The Ready2Recycle bag puts material innovation at the heart of a familiar flexible packaging format. Its monomaterial approach reflects one of the clearest developments identified during this year’s judging: sustainability increasingly being engineered into the fundamental structure of packaging, rather than treated as a separate feature.

The awards also celebrated the teams behind the industry’s progress, with Marks & Spencer named Packaging Team of the Year. The award adds another dimension to this year’s results, recognising the people and collaborative expertise behind packaging innovation as well as the finished packs themselves.

Christelle Anya, content and community director at Easyfairs, said: ‘What makes this year’s results so exciting is the sheer breadth of what innovation now means in packaging. Extraordinary pieces of luxury engineering sit alongside intelligent changes to everyday products, interactive experiences, new material approaches and solutions designed to reduce environmental impact.

‘The common thread is purpose. The strongest projects combine creativity with a clear understanding of the consumer, the challenge being solved and the value the packaging needs to create.’

The awards, sponsored by Nuon, attracted entries from brands, designers, manufacturers and packaging innovators from around the world, with 87 finalists progressing to the final stage of the competition across 18 categories.

A 22 strong judging panel brought together senior packaging leaders from organisations including No7, Superdrug, Trinny London, Pladis, PZ Cussons, Diageo, Starbucks, Marks & Spencer, Müller, Pernod Ricard and Glenmorangie, alongside experts from the Food & Drink Federation, British Beauty Council, ThePackHub and Re-sources.