Esko has unveiled the winners of its inaugural Dot Awards, a new global competition celebrating excellence and innovation in flexographic print production. Presented for the first time at Esko World 2026 in New Orleans, the awards recognise printers that are pushing the boundaries of print quality, process control and technological achievement through the use of Esko screening technologies.
“The Dot Awards were created to recognize the extraordinary work being produced every day by flexographic printers across the globe,” said Eddy Fadel, Esko GM Flexo. “These awards celebrate not only outstanding print quality, but also the innovation, expertise and commitment to continuous improvement that drive our industry forward. The standard of entries in this inaugural year has been exceptional.”
The first edition of the awards attracted 29 entries from printers around the world. Each submission was evaluated by an independent judging panel against three key criteria – Technical Print Quality, Degree of Difficulty, and Esko Ecosystem Excellence. Awards were then presented across three technology categories highlighting excellence achieved using corresponding Esko Spark, Crystal and Quartz screening technologies.
The highest honour of the competition, the Top Dot Award, was presented to well-known Australian packager Brandpack for its Spud Lite Potatoes flexible packaging project. Selected from all category winners, the Best in Show entry ‘demonstrated exceptional contrast, colour strength, realistic product imagery and precise control across both highlight and solid-tone areas’. The judges praised the quality of execution and press consistency throughout production, describing it as a benchmark example of modern flexographic printing excellence.
“The print shows high contrast and a strong combination of solids and highlights, with very good colour strength and realistic product imagery, and despite a critical design that magnifies any imperfection, defects are kept to a minimum,” the judges noted.
The use of Esko screening across both highlight and full-tone areas reflects strong press control from start to finish, exactly the level of craftsmanship the Top Dot Award is meant to recognise.
“The Top Dot Award represents the very best of what flexo can achieve today,” said Eddy. “The winning entry from Brandpack combined technical excellence, process discipline and visual impact in a way that truly stood out among an outstanding field of competitors.
Brandpack was also named the Solvent Web Winner for Connoisseur Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. The judges highlighted the ability of the Quartz workflow to preserve the premium appearance of the brand through smooth gradients, fine typography and exceptional print definition at high line screens.
Other categories in the competition – UV Web, Solvent Web, Corrugated Water Web – were won by companies from India, Brazil (2), UK, Spain and Italy.
“The inaugural Dot Awards showcased the continued evolution of flexographic printing and the capabilities enabled by Esko HD Flexo, Crystal and Quartz screening technologies,” added Eddy Fadel. “From extended colour gamut printing and high-speed flexible packaging production to advanced corrugated applications and complex multilayer substrates, the winning entries demonstrated how innovation and craftsmanship continue to raise industry standards.
“With the launch of the Dot Awards, we are creating a platform to celebrate the achievements of our customers and inspire the wider packaging community,” he said. “The quality of this year’s entries confirms that flexography is not just competing with other print processes – it is leading. We look forward to seeing the competition grow even further when the Dot Awards return in 2027.”