Recently, the Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors association (ICMAD)  held its 17th Young Designers Awards Competition. The competition was established in 1999 with a specific set of rules for designing a piece of cosmetic packaging based on the same core container. Finalists were selected from an expert judging panel and ultimately attended a dinner along with ICMAD members and well-known industry personalities who announced the winners and presented the awards.

The three top winners and two honorable mentions received cash awards and other forms of recognition, including a certificate of completion.

This year, ICMAD turned to Webpackaging to enhance its exposure of the annual award program. The three winning design models were sent to Webpackaging and quickly converted into fully, interactive 3D models that are available on the ICMAD portal of the Webpackaging web site.

The first place winner and recipient of a $5,000 cash prize was Nicole Shepherd, American Academy of Art, Chicago, with her design, "Udder Madness".
 
Second place winner and recipient of a $2,500 cash prize was Emily Lora Harris, Colorado Mesa University, with her design, "Cloak". 
 
Third place winner and recipient of a $1,500 cash prize was Stephen Finley, Colorado Mesa University, with his design, "Bearded Dragon".

The winners received an all-expense paid trip to California to attend the Young Designers Awards Ceremony and tour three local cosmetic facilities: Benchmark Cosmetic Laboratories, Gordon Laboratories, and The Beauty Collection.

Each of the designs converted into a 3D model at Webpackaging headquarters will remain online on the ICMAD portal as a resource and portfolio item for the contest winners. The models were also included in several Webpackaging alert mailings to increase awareness of the program and offer visibility to the student packaging designers.