Contest rules

Verallia, the world’s 3rd leading manufacturer of glass bottles and jars, designs and manufactures glass packaging that is ever more environmentally friendly, infinitely recyclable, that enhances the value of its contents, preserves food quality and enhances consumer well-being.

In France, Verallia is the benchmark player in the wine, spirits and food jar markets. With 7 industrial sites dedicated to glass production and 2 technical centers in France, Verallia also offers custom design and glass decoration services.

Between creativity and authenticity, glass unites the beautiful and the commonplace: over the millennia, it has created a unique emotional bond with consumers. A bond renewed today by the recycling chain and its ecological benefits.

Philosophy and theme of the competition

Each candidate will be able to imagine a glass bottle or jar, making the most of the creative possibilities offered by the material glass.

2025 Contest Theme

Funky Glass: Redefining Aesthetics for a Sparkling Experience

“Let’s dare to be original! Dive into a world where glass packaging challenges conventions with vibrant colors, playful designs, and unexpected decorations. This theme invites designers to unleash their creativity and bring a fresh twist to glass packaging. Think bold and unconventional—because who said packaging couldn’t be as appealing as the product it contains?”

Focus of this Edition: The Electric Furnace in Cognac

This year, the Verallia Design Awards spotlight the Cognac site, which will be the first in the world and within the Group to produce glass food packaging using a new 100% electric furnace technology. This state-of-the-art furnace reduces CO2 emissions by 60% while being environmentally friendly. However, it can only produce clear glass bottles. This constraint also presents a unique opportunity for you to showcase your creativity by playing with the transparency and purity of clear glass. For this edition, propose glass bottle designs that fully leverage this new technology while highlighting its innovative nature.

Presentation of the competition

The contest is open to individuals over 18 years old who have “student” status, enrolled for the 2024/2025 academic year in design schools, institutions offering packaging courses, or art schools, and residing in France or Europe. The contest is also open to “young graduates” (less than 2 years after graduation at the time of the contest) from a design school, art school, or institution offering design courses, and residing in France or Europe. Students or young graduates (less than 2 years after graduation) from business or communication schools residing in France or Europe are also invited to participate.

Verallia may at any time request participants to present any documentation necessary to validate their participation. It is understood that the applications of candidates who do not meet the aforementioned conditions or refuse to provide the requested documentation will not be considered.

Students can participate individually or in teams. A team can consist of 2, 3, or 4 people maximum. The team must include at least one student enrolled in a relevant educational institution.

Registrations are made online on the dedicated contest website http://design.awards.verallia.fr/ with a deadline set for March 16, 2025, at 6:00 PM.

The contest includes two categories:

• Glass Award

In this category, you have the opportunity to create a new clear glass bottle that perfectly embodies the “Funky Glass” theme. The design should focus exclusively on the bottle’s shape, which must be innovative, functional, and out of the ordinary.

It’s time to bring your most creative ideas to life! You can choose from the following bottles:

• • 1 Rosé wine bottle
  • 1 Clear Spirit bottle
  • 1 Amber Spirit bottle

• Decoration Award

For the Decoration category, the selected bottle is the Bordelaise Ecova Revolution Bottle (image on the left). Your mission will be to focus solely on the decoration of this bottle, directly linked to the theme. Let your imagination run wild to transform the bottle into a funky work of art that will catch everyone’s eye. Consult our toolbox, which details all possible decorations.

File and deliverables:

Each application file, presenting a glass bottle or jar dedicated to the theme, will be composed of the following deliverables:

1. An illustrated file:

A folder, presenting a bottle or a glass jar dedicated to the theme, in landscape PDF format presenting the following information on the project:

• the proposed concept and how it meets the expectations of the public concerned
• the specificity of the project (aesthetic value, practicality…)
• a visual of the bottle/jar (sketch or 3D visual)
• A technical plan with the main ratings

The weight of this document must not exceed 30 MB.

Innovative and creative ideas could include (but are not limited to) :

• the shape of the bottle or jar
• the appearance of the bottle or jar (shade, material aspect, decoration / completion…)
• the ergonomics of the bottle or jar
• the use of the bottle or jar (use in new areas or markets)

The file includes at least a sketch/visual and technical plan of the project, accompanied by a presentation note mentioning as far as possible:

• The added value provided by the bottle or jar (aesthetic, ergonomic, logistical…)
• The “moment” of consumption
• The audience(s) for which the project is intended
• An estimate of industrial feasibility
• In general, any information likely to enlighten the jury on the project.

For the interest of the submitted file it is strongly discouraged to use Artificial Intelligence and to use software such as Midjourney, DALL-E, NightCafé or Snowpixel …

2. Visuals:

In addition, when submitting the application, candidates will be able to submit 1 main image and up to 4 complementary images in png, jpeg, jpg or gif formats. Images must be in landscape format, maximum 1329 x 768 pixels.

The candidate will ensure that his main visual is representative of his project.

It is up to the candidate to verify that there are no identical or strongly similar anteriorities to his project. If there are any, the participant must justify that his project differs significantly and sufficiently from existing creations in order to avoid any risk of counterfeiting or unfair competition.

The organizers reserve the right to withdraw a project from the competition if they consider that there is a significant legal risk due to the proximity of the project to an existing creation.

3. A photograph of the candidate:

Finally, the candidate will also submit a photograph of himself unobstructed, centered and natural, portrait format.

A candidate may cancel his participation for the duration of the competition. In case of participation in his educational program, hemust inform his institution as soon as possible.

Responsibility of the organizer

The competition secretariat is in charge of the transfer and conservation of objects, the exhibition of works and the organization of the award ceremony.

He cannot be held responsible for any loss or deterioration of the object.

Composition of the Jury

The composition of the competition jury reflects the multidimensional approach adopted.

The jury is composed of at least:

• a designer
• a journalist in the field of packaging
• one or more Verallia customers
• one or two Verallia employees (a member of the design office and a marketing/sales manager)

The jury may include one or more additional members, whose professional experience guarantees expertise in the fields of design and/or packaging.

Calendar

• Opening of registration and project submission: September 16, 2024*
• Deadline for registration and project submission: March 16, 2025, at 6 PM*
• Award ceremony: June 26, 2025*

* The calendar may change

A pre-selection of projects will be carried out by an internal jury made up of people from the design, marketing, production and sales departments, before the projects are submitted to the jury’s online vote.

A jury of professionals (employees of the food industry, journalists, designers…) will finally meet to select the winners.

Selection criteria

• The objects presented will be evaluated on the following criteria (indicative and non- exhaustive list):
• Added value for the various users of the bottle or jar
• Aesthetic enhancement of the glass material
• Jury’s assessment of the project’s industrial feasibility and/or viability
• Enhancement of the contents of the bottle or jar
• New prospects opened up for the material (the project enables glass to address new segments)
• Innovative design/concept
• Added value of the proposed enhancement(s) (e.g., interaction with the shape of the bottle or jar)
• Quality of the application (complete, well-argued and offering an overall vision of the project)

Promotional Use of the Contest

Participation in the competition implies the candidate’s agreement to the dissemination of his creations, his name and the information he provides.

Applicants authorize the organizers to use their names and projects for publicity, promotion or a national PR campaign.

Confidentiality

During the duration of the competition, candidates undertake not to disclose and not to allow their projects to be disclosed without prior written authorization from Verallia. This obligation of confidentiality shall survive at the end of the contest, for a period of 2 years following the date of award of the prizes. Candidates will thus refrain from any disclosure of their project or any communication on it, in particular on social networks, without the prior written consent of Verallia.

It is expressly agreed that confidentiality does not apply to communication within their institution to which projects are attached by applicants, and more particularly in the context of pedagogical presentations within their institution.

All information that would be transmitted by Verallia to candidates as part of the possible further development of their project (in particular glass plans, prototypes, analyses, studies and technical information, names of customers who may be interested, etc.) is strictly confidential for a period of 10 years, unless it falls into the public domain without this being the fault of the candidates.

Awards, endowments and fees

• Glass Prize: Rosé Wine: €2,000
• Glass Prize: White Spirits: €2,000
• Glass Prize: Amber Spirits: €2,000
• Décor Prize: €2,000
• Sponsor’s Favorite: €800
• Verallia Employees’ Favorite: €500

Each endowment corresponds to a reward for a project.

Consequently, even if a project team is composed of several students, the endowment will remain the same, and will be shared among the members of the team.

Verallia cannot be held responsible for any dispute between team members.

Awards ceremony

The awards will be presented at an event on 26 June 2025*

* The calendar may change

The participants selected by the Jury, as well as the establishment in which the students are registered, will be notified individually of their pre-selection by telephone or by e-mail to the e-mail address given in the dossier submitted.

At the same time, they will be informed of the place, date and time of the event at which the Jury will award the prizes.

The candidate undertakes to attend the prize-giving ceremony, if he/she is the winner, or to be represented at the place and date to be confirmed. Travel expenses incurred by the candidate to attend the awards ceremony will be covered by Verallia, subject to the submission of proof of transport and up to a limit of 200€. The fare to be reimbursed must correspond to second-class rail travel, or air travel (only if train travel is not possible) at economy fare. Rail travel is preferred.

Prizes will be paid by bank transfer only. Winners will be asked to provide a bank account number. Winners may not request payment in any other form.

Prospecting

Verallia will prospect its customers by submitting all or part of the projects of the participants in the competition, awarded or not, with a view to the development of one or more projects.

As a result, for a period of two years following the date of award of the prizes, the participants, rewarded or not by the jury of the competition, undertake not to submit their creations to other competitions and not to take steps with third party companies aimed at the development of their project, unless they seek the prior written consent of Verallia.

Beyond this period of 2 years, for participants for whom no development project has been identified by Verallia and who would consider working with a third company on a project to exploit their creation, we ask you upstream of your approach to contact Verallia to discuss the conditions under which Verallia could be required to help you in the glass development of this project. Verallia is obviously committed to respecting the strictest confidentiality on the details of these possible projects.

In the event that Verallia develops a Candidate’s project, Verallia will propose to the Candidate to participate in the various phases of its development. It is important to remind Candidates that a project cannot be developed solely on the basis of the elements submitted as part of the competition. Analysis, study and testing work are essential in order to adapt a project to the industrial realities of the glass world.

Intellectual property

The candidate grants Verallia an exclusive option on the creation(s) proposed as part of the competition in order to allow it to develop it and, if necessary, to submit it to any customer of its choice who would be interested.

By participating in the Competition, the candidate firmly and irrevocably promises to assign to Verallia, on an exclusive basis, for the whole world and for the entire term of protection of intellectual property rights as provided for by the applicable laws and international conventions, full ownership of all authors’ economic rights on their creation(s) proposed under the course, whether these creations have been awarded or not, in return for a fixed remuneration of € 8,000 excluding taxes.

Verallia will have the right to request the realization of the promise of sale of any andidat at any time for a period of 2 years from the date of award of the prizes.

If Verallia decides to lift the option, it will notify it at any time before the expiry of the period defined above, by mail or by e-mail to the address or email address appearing in the file submitted by the applicant. The authorities undertake, if necessary, to sign any necessary confirmatory act and to provide Verallia with the elements enabling it to proceed with the payment of the remuneration set out above.

If the option is exercised, the economic rights thus transferred by the candidates to Verallia include in particular:

• The right of reproduction to know to reproduce all or part of the elements of the creations in any quantity and by any process and in particular by printing, drawing, photography, video, computer support and / or more generally, any mechanical
  process and / or any process of graphic or plastic arts or others.
• The right of representation, namely to represent and communicate to the public, directly or indirectly, all or part of the elements ofcreations in any way and by any process whatsoever, and in particular by public presentation and transmission, press and catalogues, public displays and exhibitions, television broadcasting and distribution of advertising films and / or more generally, any process for communicating images, data documents, and messages of any kind (such as television, computer networks, telematics or the Internet);
• The right to grant any license or sublicense or to assign all or part of the elements of the creations for any purpose listed above.
• The right to adapt all or part of the elements of the creations (including in particular the right to adapt the bottle or jar models to all capacities and all materials) for all purposes listed above.

The candidate expressly waives the right to have his or her status as creator of the project or of all or part of its elements appear on industrial reproductions or on Verallia’s commercial documents, catalogs or prospectuses.

The candidate also undertakes not to assign or encumber in any way whatsoever the rights during the entire exercise of the option.

In the event that Verallia has not exercised the option at the end of the 2-year period above, it falls and the promise lapses. The candidat accordingly recovers its rights and is free to assign them to any third party of its choice.

Divers

Participation in this competition implies unreserved acceptance of the conditions of participation by the candidates and their university (for students).

Verallia reserves the right to shorten, extend, modify or cancel this contest if circumstances so require.

Verallia shall not be held liable in any such event.