NYP Sweeps Packaging Awards

NYP Students show off their hardware - in a record-breaking performance by NYP’s School of Design, students clinched 13 local and 9 international awards.

NYP’s School of Design had good reason to celebrate at this year’s Singapore Packaging Star and AsiaStar Award presentation ceremony for it was best performance ever.

NYP students were presented their awards on the 10 Feb at the Sheraton Tower.  This year, 13 students bagged the Singapore Packaging Star Award and 9 students won the Asia Star Packaging, up from 9 and 7 winners respectively last year.

The winners were selected by an eminent panel of judges from the packaging industry. Awardees received a glass trophy and certificate in packaging excellence from the Asian Packaging Federation.

The Asia Star Awards is the only regional packaging award of its kind and is considered the “Packaging Oscars of Asia”. 

Award-winning NYP students with their lecturers and members of the Packaging Council of Singapore.
NYP students competed with countries such as Thailand, China and Japan.

Joseph Toh,  a Year 3 student in Visual Communication, won the Asia Star Award for “Hana” – an eco friendly jewellery box made from 100%  recycled materials. He said he felt deeply honoured to win the award and he feels that it will help him when he graduates.

“Hana” by Joseph Toh.  Joseph initially wanted to build something based on a shoe locker but he altered his approach when he discovered the technical difficulties of trying to build a suitable mould. He eventually settled on a sophisticated and feminine design targeted towards Japanese women. Hana’s eco-friendly packaging was made from 100% recycled materials obtained from factories.

Melinda Tan, a Year 3 student in Visual Communication who received the Singapore Star Award, agreed. She said the award served as a platform for her to showcase her abilities to future employers.

Melinda Tan’s Jack Daniel’s packaging. Melinda Tan’s winning creation was the fruit of research she conducted at convenience stalls. She initially contemplated working on a bottle she found at a 7-11 before settling on a bottle she bought at Pasir Ris.

Both recipients were surprised when informed of their wins.

Joseph was in China undergoing his internship when he received an e-mail from his lecturer informing him of his win.

Melinda Tan received the news during class, when her lecturer, Ms Lee Soo Cheng, announced it out of the blue. “I was very excited!” She said.

“But when I told my sister, she wasn’t very excited,” she says with a laugh, “but my mum and dad were. Especially my dad, because when I had trouble nailing some parts together, he gave me a hand, so he was happy to see me win”.

Both recipients also said that their wins will give them more exposure and a distinct advantage when they graduate. They also relished the opportunity to see what the rest of industry is producing by exposing themselves to other award-winning works.

Joseph (left) and Melinda (centre) speaking to Dedrick (right) from Discover NYP.

Joseph said, “We get to experience first-hand the standards of the packaging industry, so we can learn from it while looking towards other winners as role-models.”

Both award winners were also quick to thank their lecturers for their help. Melinda said, “They were very patient and they made sure everything we did is correct and alright.”

Joseph agreed, “They guided us through all our ups and downs.”

A selection of the winning NYP packaging is on display at the School of Design.

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