The Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) has broadened its Awards of Excellence for 2022, seeking out and recognising industry innovation, and celebrating success across a wide spectrum of the packaging and processing industry.

Applications are now open for this national program, which identifies excellence, leadership and best practice throughout Australia’s processing and packaging industry.

APPMA chairman Mark Dingley said, “It was exciting to bring back these awards at the last AUSPACK, and APPMA is even more excited to announce what we have in store.

“In 2022, APPMA has very much made the awards around four main points: recognition, celebration, inclusivity and education.

“Recognition is of success, innovation and outstanding contribution to the packaging and processing industry, be that companies, individuals or collaboration projects. The education aspect is to encourage and support ongoing industry education – which is a pillar of the association.

“Celebration is, of course, to celebrate this wonderful packaging and processing industry, and inclusivity is to ensure that the APPMA provides a platform for broad industry participation and engagement, from big to small businesses, in both the processing and packaging sectors.”

There are now eight awards on offer, with categories changed from the five awards open in 2019.

Dingley said both the new machinery awards have a section for SMEs (companies with up to $10 million annual turnover) and corporates (over $10 million annual turnover), to aid the awards’ inclusivity.

Award categories in 2022 are:

Australian Machinery Manufacturing Award: recognising Australian-based manufacturing, innovation and success of a product launched into the domestic and/or export market in the past three years.

Import & Distribution Machinery Award: recognising innovation and success in equipment launched in Australia in the past three years.

Packaging Design Innovation Award: recognising design innovation and success because of a new idea or modification introduced into a packaging design.

Sustainability Award: focusing on environmental sustainability, such as recycling, food waste redistribution, environmentally friendly energy supply, and so on. This category incorporates sustainability projects recognising organisations showing leadership and commitment to environmentally sustainable business practices, through innovative solutions for new and existing market needs. Submissions can include collaborative projects between members and customers, or members and Fight Food Waste CRC.

Community Contribution Award: recognising organisations that demonstrate leadership and commitment community wellbeing. The APPMA supports Foodbank, OZHARVEST and the FFWCRC because each makes a difference to individual communities and society. This award recognises members’ industry-level contributions during the past two to three years. The community benefits could be via projects, initiatives or causes related to support across education, fire relief, COVID-19, food distribution, sport sponsorship, charity involvement and so forth.

Emerging Leadership Award: this is for an individual who has been engaged in the Australian packaging and processing industry machinery industry for less than 10 years. This award recognises capability and leadership, whether in research, technical or business operations. Winners will have the opportunity of an ambassadorial role within the industry.

Dingley said finalists and winners would all have excellent promotional opportunities in industry publications and on the APPMA website, and can benefit from using the “APPMA Awards of Excellence” winner or finalist logo to promote themselves as an award-winning business.

“This awards program allows businesses to grow through education, profiling and professional development and I encourage people to enter as many categories as they wish,” he said.

Key APPMA Awards of Excellence submission dates for 2022 are:

Applications close: March 4
Judging: March 16 to April 13
Finalists announced: April 26
Gala Awards Ceremony: May 18

Applications are now open to all eight award categories. Entrants must be an APPMA member (as of 1 July 2021) and/or an exhibitor at AUSPACK 2022. Full award assessment criteria is available online at www.auspack.com.au/awards. Entries must be submitted via the official online portal.

AUSPACK 2022 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 17 to 20 May 2022. Please visit www.auspack.com.au for more information.