At the 2026 WorldStar Student Awards, Australia was placed second in the medal tally behind China for innovative packaging.
With 246 entries from 90 educational institutions across 23 countries entering the 2026 round of the WorldStar Student Awards, the competition this year was fierce, writes AIP executive director Nerida Kelton FAIP.
TWENTY-ONE AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY students from the Industrial Design School at UNSW and the Master of Food Science and Agribusiness program at Monash University took on the strong global competition and received two Gold, two Bronze and 16 WorldStar Certificates. Australia also placed second in the medal tally behind China, which is an incredible feat for such a small country.
RECYCLE-READY TOOTHPASTE TUBE TAKES TWO
The standout student from Australia was Robin Luo from the Industrial Design School, UNSW, who received a Gold Award in the Health and Personal Care category and a Bronze Award in the inaugural Accessible Packaging category, for his project MINT Recyclable Toothpaste Tube.
The Mint toothpaste tube was designed in response to the significant waste and environmental impact caused by traditional toothpaste tubes. The mixed-media composition renders them unrecyclable through standard kerbside recycling programs and Mint aims to offer a more sustainable packaging solution.
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Courtesy of PKN Packaging News
www.packagingnews.com.au
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