Putting circularity to work
2026 biennial Awards
The biennial APCO Awards recognise organisations delivering real-world circular packaging outcomes, with positive economic and environmental consequences. As Australia advances towards the National Packaging Targets, the Awards highlight leadership across the full packaging system — from design and material choices through to recovery, reuse, transparency and behaviour change.
This year’s Awards will recognise organisations delivering measurable, credible circular packaging outcomes aligned to APCO’s 2030 Strategic Plan. Judges independently assess every entry, and the process is designed to be fair, transparent and evidence-based.
The Awards are open to APCO Members only. Entries are welcome from:
All entries must demonstrate initiatives and projects that have been implemented within the previous two years. Submissions that include concepts, early‑stage pilots or other activities that are yet to be implemented and not have evidence of impact will not be considered.
Yes, an entry fee applies to each submission. Once you have completed your submission through the online portal, you will be directed to the secure payment page to finalise your entry.
An entry fee of $550 applies to each APCO Awards submission. Entries are only considered valid once payment has been received in full. After payment, you will receive an email confirmation and tax receipt.
A fee applies to each entry, including when the same organisation submits multiple initiatives across different categories. To encourage broader participation and recognition of member organisations undertaking multiple initiatives, APCO offers discounted rates for additional entries submitted by the same organisation.
Yes, we encourage you to enter all relevant categories if you believe it fits the criteria.
Make sure each submission is tailored to the criteria of the category entered, clearly demonstrating how the initiative delivers against the specific outcomes being assessed.
Each additional Award category entry for the same initiative can be submitted with discounted entry fee of $165.00.
Eligible initiatives must:
Initiatives can relate to packaging design, reuse systems, recovery, data, collaboration, behaviour change, system integration.
Absolutely. SMEs are eligible and encouraged to enter in any category, especially the SME Circular Leadership Award.
The APCO Awards focus on impact, ingenuity and system relevance, regardless of organisational size.
Strong submissions demonstrate leadership through innovation, collaboration or scalable solutions—all of which are relevant to SMEs.
The Awards are open to APCO Members only. Entries are welcome from:
All entries must demonstrate initiatives and projects that have been implemented within the previous two years. Submissions that include concepts, early‑stage pilots or other activities that are yet to be implemented and not have evidence of impact will not be considered.
Yes, an entry fee applies to each submission. Once you have completed your submission through the online portal, you will be directed to the secure payment page to finalise your entry.
An entry fee of $550 applies to each APCO Awards submission. Entries are only considered valid once payment has been received in full. After payment, you will receive an email confirmation and tax receipt.
A fee applies to each entry, including when the same organisation submits multiple initiatives across different categories. To encourage broader participation and recognition of member organisations undertaking multiple initiatives, APCO offers discounted rates for additional entries submitted by the same organisation.
Yes, we encourage you to enter all relevant categories if you believe it fits the criteria.
Make sure each submission is tailored to the criteria of the category entered, clearly demonstrating how the initiative delivers against the specific outcomes being assessed.
Each additional Award category entry for the same initiative can be submitted with discounted entry fee of $165.00.
Eligible initiatives must:
Initiatives can relate to packaging design, reuse systems, recovery, data, collaboration, behaviour change, system integration.
Absolutely. SMEs are eligible and encouraged to enter in any category, especially the SME Circular Leadership Award.
The APCO Awards focus on impact, ingenuity and system relevance, regardless of organisational size.
Strong submissions demonstrate leadership through innovation, collaboration or scalable solutions—all of which are relevant to SMEs.
The APCO Awards celebrate organisations and industry bodies that lead the way for circular packaging transformation in Australia and New Zealand.
Demonstrate measurable progress against APCO’s 2030 targets.
Position your organisation as a leader in circular packaging delivery.
Gain recognition from a cross-sector, independent judging panel and industry peers.
Contribute to industry-wide learning and marketable case studies.
Benchmark your performance against peers.
Each of our selected judges provide demonstrated expertise relevant to this year’s award categories, each bring a wealth of knowledge about packaging, sustainability, recovery systems or related disciplines. All seven judges have signed a Confidentiality Agreement and Conflict of Interest Declaration, both of which are reviewed again during the moderation stage — so a relevant connection between a judge and an entrant doesn’t go unchecked.
An entry fee of $550 applies to each APCO Awards submission.
Entry fees apply to all APCO Awards submissions and are charged on a per-entry basis. APCO has adopted a standard administrative fee structure for all entrants, regardless of organisational size, recognising that each submission requires a consistent level of administration, assessment and program management.
To encourage broader participation and recognition of member organisations undertaking multiple initiatives, APCO offers discounted rates for additional entries submitted by the same organisation.
Entry fees contribute to the administration, governance and delivery of the 2026 APCO Biennial Awards program, including submission management, judging, moderation, reporting and associated program costs.
APCO reserves the right to review and amend entry fees, discount arrangements and eligibility criteria for future award programs. Any changes will be published prior to the opening of submissions.
The APCO Awards prioritise impact over intent.
While ideas are important, submissions are primarily assessed on measurable environmental and economic impact, evidence of implementation and scalability, and contribution to system‑wide circular outcomes.
By emphasising impact and outcomes, the Awards showcase credible examples of industry leadership that is crucial to driving sector-wide change.
All entries are assessed by an independent judging panel through a rigorous, score-based judging process facilitated by third-party platform, EventsAir.
The judging panel includes cross‑sector representation from industry, government, technical experts and independent specialists to ensure credibility, balance and system alignment.
Judges evaluate submissions across multiple criteria that relate broadly to Impact, Implementation and Innovation.
APCO reserves the right not to present an Award in any category if the judging panel deem no submission meets the required standard.
This adherence to consistent high standards ensures the Awards remain a credible benchmark for circular packaging performance.
Winning and shortlisted initiatives may be featured as APCO case studies to support member engagement and industry education, and/or referenced in policy and sector engagement activities.
This helps translate individual leadership into broader system benefit.
The APCO Awards prioritise impact over intent.
While ideas are important, submissions are primarily assessed on measurable environmental and economic impact, evidence of implementation and scalability, and contribution to system‑wide circular outcomes.
By emphasising impact and outcomes, the Awards showcase credible examples of industry leadership that is crucial to driving sector-wide change.
All entries are assessed through a rigorous, independent judging process facilitated by an external partner.
The judging panel includes cross‑sector representation from industry, government, technical experts and independent specialists to ensure credibility, balance and system alignment.
Judges evaluate submissions across multiple criteria that relate broadly to Impact, Implementation and Innovation.
APCO reserves the right not to present an Award in any category if the judging panel deem no submission meets the required standard.
This adherence to consistent high standards ensures the Awards remain a credible benchmark for circular packaging performance.
Winning and shortlisted initiatives may be featured as APCO case studies to support member engagement and industry education, and/or referenced in policy and sector engagement activities.
This helps translate individual leadership into broader system benefit.
