FEATURED AWARDS PROGRAMS

CANNEX 2006 Cans of the Year

The Cans of the Year Awards conducted by the Sayers Publishing Group in the United Kingdom has championed the cause of the can since 1996, where it made its first appearance alongside Cannex in Maastricht, The Netherlands. The awards were introduced to celebrate and promote metal packaging and recognize the great deal of innovative—even ground-breaking work—that takes place within the industry each year. The Cans of the Year program has traditionally run alongside the Cannex exhibition where attendees to the show vote for the overall Cans of the Year winner. For complete lists and pictures of the winners since 1999, visit www.spgevents.com.

Can of the Year: Coca-Cola BlaK Bottle, Exal Corporation, USA

Coca-Cola Blak is a premium brand first launched in this attractive aluminum bottle in France early in 2006 with other launches following elsewhere in Europe. Aluminum bottles have been increasingly used for special promotions by beer and beverage companies because they offer better marketing opportunities than glass. They are also lighter, have higher-definition graphics, cool faster and feel colder when handled.

Michael Clark, sales manager of Exal, was thrilled at receiving the award. "The bottle has been a long time in development and it's not fully executed, but it is good to be creatively recognized," Clark said. One of the judges commented: "The Blak bottle was the clear winner overall. It was the sexiest of the lot."

Delegates' Choice: Heineken "ICONE" Bottle, Boxal SA, a division of Exal Group

These exclusive Heineken aluminum bottles are produced at the Boxal plant in Beaurepaire, France, on dedicated production lines. The bottles are the perfect answer to consumers' thirst for novelty, and they reinforce Heineken's global brand image—avant-gardist and refined. The code-breaking visual impact is extremely powerful and reinforced by the sophisticated graphics using the brushed aluminum effect in association with a fresh version of the brand's famous green color.

These bottles were distinguished for the outstanding global concept, including design, use of the aluminum material, and incredibly sharp graphic execution and printing. The jury recognized the important emotional added value of such an innovative design of material and shape combined with real functional benefits of handling and security.