The Flexible Packaging Assn. (FPA) announces the winners of its 2025 Student Flexible Packaging Design Challenge. First Place goes to a team of students from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and the second-place winner was a team of students from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). There were also two honorable mentions awarded for the 2025 competition.

The RIT team of Travis Daly, Jacob Marrer, Olivia Morris, Austin Pralow, and Amanda Szymanoski won for their EZ PB&J Pouch concept (above). The students were under the direction of Kyle Dunno, RIT Department Chair and Associate Professor. The concept is a single-use flexible package featuring separate compartments for peanut butter and jelly. Designed for school lunches, the pouch simplifies the sandwich-making process for busy parents. Instead of preparing sandwiches in the morning, parents could now send two slices of bread and a pouch in their child’s lunchbox.

The pouch’s bread-shaped silhouette is not only playful and kid-friendly, but also functionally designed. The ergonomic tear notch allows children—or adults with dexterity challenges—to open the package easily, without the need for spreading utensils. The eye-catching, colorful graphics further enhance its shelf appeal. This innovative concept also won the award for “Best Video,” which will be featured across FPA’s digital platforms to celebrate the team’s creativity and communication skills.

Dunno states, “The FPA student design competition gives our students a unique opportunity to engage with industry-relevant problems and showcase their innovative thinking. It is rewarding to see their hard work recognized on a national stage. This competition continues to be a powerful catalyst for student growth. It pushes them to think critically about packaging design, sustainability, and real-world functionality. These are skills that are essential for their future careers.”

For the 2025 competition, FPA received 56 concept outlines from some of the top packaging design programs across the United States. From the concept outlines submitted, 16 were selected to continue to the development phase.