The First City Meeting of the Papirüs Packaging Design Competition Was Held in İzmir

The first of the City Meetings held within the scope of the Papirüs Packaging Design Competition, organized for the first time this year by the Ege Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association with the support of the Ministry of Trade, was held in İzmir. At the event, attended by approximately 40 design students and professionals, topics such as the future of packaging design, sustainability and manufacturability were discussed.

The Papirüs City Meetings, launched within the scope of the Papirüs Packaging Design Competition, began in İzmir on September 1, 2026. At the first meeting, held at the Ege Exporters' Associations Service Building, design students and professionals came together with members of the competition's jury and advisory team.

The purpose of the event was to directly convey the scope of the competition to designers, answer questions regarding the application and evaluation processes, and enable a mutual exchange of ideas on current approaches to packaging design.

The meeting, organized with a "Same Table as the Jury Members" approach, was attended by Papirüs Packaging Design Competition jury member Industrial Designer Ece Güçer and competition advisor Didem Durmaz Çetinkaya.

User experience and sustainability in packaging design were discussed
Unlike a classic presentation format, the event was held in a conversational and Q&A format, during which the purpose of the competition, the specifications, application conditions and evaluation criteria, as well as the approaches expected from designers, were reviewed.

Participants directly posed questions they were curious about regarding the competition to the jury and advisory team, while also exchanging views on topics such as user experience, manufacturability, sustainability and functionality.

At the end of the event, design students and professionals shared their interest in the competition and their intentions to apply, demonstrating that the City Meetings constitute an important platform for establishing direct communication with designers.

"We attach importance to establishing direct contact with designers"
Ali Fuat Gürle, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ege Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association, noted that the Papirüs Packaging Design Competition was being organized for the first time and stated that packaging design is important in terms of the competitive strength and perceived added value of products in international markets.

Gürle said, "Packaging is one of the elements that directly affects a product's competitive strength and perceived added value in international markets. With Papirüs, we aim to bring together the creative power of our young and professional designers with our sector's production and export experience, contributing to the development of high-value-added and sustainable packaging solutions."

Mustafa Yurteri, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Ege Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association, stated that Papirüs was launched not merely as a design competition, but with the aim of creating a sustainable ground for communication and cooperation between the packaging industry and the design world.

Yurteri expressed satisfaction with the interest shown in the first City Meeting held in İzmir, and said they aim to reach more designers through meetings to be held in different cities.

Packaging is being addressed within the axis of "Value, Experience and Transformation"
The Papirüs Packaging Design Competition, organized under the theme "3D – Rethinking Packaging: Value, Experience and Transformation," approaches packaging not merely as an element that protects and carries the product, but as a holistic design field that shapes the relationship between the product, the user, production processes and the environment.

Held in two categories, student and professional, the competition expects participants to develop original, innovative, applicable and sustainable packaging solutions.

In addition to a total cash prize of 725,000 TRY, the competition also offers international trade fair participation and, if the necessary conditions are met, the opportunity for training abroad.

City Meetings will continue in different cities
With the Papirüs City Meetings, which began in İzmir, it is planned to bring the competition together with design students and professionals in different cities.

Through the meetings, it is aimed to reach a broader audience of designers, bring together the needs of the packaging industry with the creative potential of the design world, and bring innovative packaging ideas into the competition.

Application deadline is October 1
Applications for the student and professional categories of the Papirüs Packaging Design Competition will continue until October 1, 2026.

The competition's specifications, application conditions and other details can be found on the official website of the Papirüs Packaging Design Competition.