FTA Europe has announced the 34 companies shortlisted for the Diamond Awards 2026, a biennial European competition where leading flexographic print work from national associations across the continent competes at European level. The finalists come from Italy, Benelux, France, Spain and the UK, and the shortlist covers labels, flexible packaging, corrugated and specialist flexographic printing applications.
For corrugated board producers, the important names are DS Smith Packaging Rouen, DS Smith Packaging Savoie, Saica Packaging Livingston and Smurfit Westrock, through its CRP Pre-Print operation.
That makes this more than an awards story.
It is a sign that corrugated packaging is moving deeper into Europe’s high-quality flexo arena — where print quality, colour control, pre-print, post-print and brand impact are becoming part of the competitive benchmark.
FTA Europe says being shortlisted is already a significant achievement, placing each company among Europe’s standout flexographic printers and converters. The winners will be celebrated on 29 October 2026 at Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza in Barcelona.
Labels & Labeling also reported that the 34-company shortlist spans labels, flexible packaging, corrugated and specialist applications, confirming that corrugated is part of the 2026 European flexo conversation, not a side note.
The corrugated names to watch
Several finalists are directly relevant to the corrugated packaging market.
DS Smith Packaging Rouen and DS Smith Packaging Savoie represent large-scale corrugated packaging production in France.
Saica Packaging Livingston brings another major European paper and packaging group into the flexo-quality conversation.
Smurfit Westrock’s CRP Pre-Print operation is especially important because pre-print is one of the strongest routes to premium graphics on corrugated board.
These names matter because they are not small decorative-print specialists. They are part of the industrial corrugated packaging mainstream. Their presence in a European flexo finalist list shows that high-quality print is becoming part of the competitive identity of major corrugated players.
Why this matters now
For many years, corrugated board competed mainly on strength, price, paper supply, delivery speed and logistics.
Those factors still matter.
But the finalist list points to a broader shift: corrugated packaging is increasingly expected to support retail presence, brand communication, e-commerce experience, export packaging and promotional campaigns.
This is where flexo quality becomes strategic.
A brown box protects a product.
A well-printed corrugated pack can also help sell it.
That difference matters for converters that want to move beyond commodity box production and into higher-value packaging.
The 2024 winners show the benchmark
The 2026 shortlist becomes more interesting when viewed against previous Diamond Awards results.
In the 2024 FTA Europe Diamond Awards winners list, corrugated categories were already strongly represented:
Corrugated Post Print Coated Single Flute
1st — Smurfit Kappa Markham Vale, Tesco Meal for 2
2nd — DS Smith Packaging Livingston, Diageo Buchanans Pineapple
3rd — DS Smith Packaging Livingston, Brewdog
Corrugated Post Print Coated Double Flute
1st — Smurfit Burgos, Onia
2nd — DS Smith Savoie, Teisseire – Fruit à Diluer
3rd — Saica Viana, Baron De Ley
Corrugated Post Print Uncoated Single Flute
1st — DS Smith Packaging Livingston, Irish Distillers – Jameson 12 x 1L
2nd — SICAL Groupe Rossmann, Calendrier de la Sical
3rd — Smurfit Kappa Turnhout, Hollandia Premium
Flexo Print on Paper, Super Wide Web / Pre-Print
1st — Smurfit Kappa CRP Pre-Print & Coatings, Coors Chill to Reveal Promo 20 Pack.
This is the concrete evidence behind the trend.
Corrugated board is not simply being mentioned in flexo awards. It is already winning across coated, uncoated, single-flute, double-flute and pre-print categories.
That is why the 2026 finalist list deserves attention.
DS Smith Livingston: print investment turned into awards
DS Smith Livingston is a useful case for corrugated converters.
In July 2024, DS Smith reported that its Livingston site secured three wins at the FTA Diamond European Awards and UK FIA Print Awards for packaging designs developed with Irish Distillers’ Jameson and other drinks brands. The company said each design was a Gold winner at the UK FIA Print Awards, which provided entry to the FTA Diamond European Awards.
The awards included Diamond First for Irish Distillers 12 x 1 litre corrugated post print uncoated, Diamond Second for whisky corrugated post print coated, and Diamond Third for another drinks-related design.
Wayne Fernandes, General Manager at DS Smith Livingston, said the awards were “testament to the highly skilled team” at the site and their work to deliver high-quality excellence.
For corrugated board producers, this is important because DS Smith linked the awards to years of development in print technology at Livingston. The site had undergone investment over the previous three years and introduced new printing technology to support the quality and performance of its packaging.
That is a practical message.
Awards do not come only from creative design.
They come from investment, process control, people and repeated technical improvement.
Smurfit Kappa CRP Pre-Print, now part of Smurfit Westrock: why Coors matters
Smurfit Kappa Pre-Print & Coatings, now part of Smurfit Westrock, won FTA Europe Diamond Awards recognition for the Coors 20 Pack — a strong example of how HD pre-print can turn corrugated packaging into premium branded packaging.
The article explains the technical reason pre-print matters: the flexographic process prints before corrugating, which can create a better-quality finish.
The judges were particularly impressed by the high-definition execution of the Coors brand imagery.
Chris Shaw, General Manager at Smurfit Kappa Pre-Print & Coatings, said the award showed the company was supplying packaging recognised as the highest standard in its sector. Molson Coors’ Lauren Mills also described Smurfit Kappa as a trusted partner for representing premium brands to high quality.
For corrugated converters, this example is valuable because it shows where premium corrugated can go.
Pre-print allows corrugated board to remain strong, recyclable and logistics-friendly while also carrying high-impact brand graphics.
That is exactly the space where corrugated can compete against more expensive packaging formats.
Pre-print and post-print: different routes to higher value
The Diamond Awards examples show that corrugated producers have more than one route into higher-value printed packaging.
Pre-print is powerful when brand image, colour stability and premium appearance are central. It is especially relevant for beverage, FMCG, retail and shelf-ready packaging.
Post-print remains highly important because it can be integrated into many existing corrugated converting operations. Improved post-print can help plants upgrade print quality without rebuilding the whole production model.
The 2024 results show both routes at work: Smurfit Kappa CRP Pre-Print & Coatings won in super wide web / pre-print, while DS Smith, Smurfit Kappa, Saica and others appeared in corrugated post-print categories.
The strategic point is not “pre-print versus post-print.”
The stronger question is: which print model helps the customer win?
For some customers, that means premium pre-print.
For others, it means fast, flexible, high-quality post-print.
For many converters, the future will be a smarter mix of both.
What changes for corrugated board producers
The finalist list and previous award examples point to several practical shifts for corrugated producers.
Customers will compare packaging not only by cost, delivery and board strength, but also by visual execution.
Brand owners will ask for stronger colour consistency and cleaner graphics.
Retailers will expect shelf-ready packaging to look sharper.
Exporters will need packaging that can adapt to different countries, languages and campaigns.
E-commerce brands will continue using packaging as part of the customer experience.
This creates a new pressure point for plants.
A producer that treats print as a secondary operation may remain trapped in lower-margin commodity work.
A producer that treats print as part of the value proposition can compete for higher-value contracts.
What plant leaders should improve first
The first step is not always buying a new press.
In many plants, the first gains come from controlling the process better.
A practical checklist for corrugated producers:
- Audit current print quality
Compare output with strong retail, beverage and e-commerce packaging. - Strengthen prepress discipline
Artwork handling, trapping, colour separation and plate preparation often decide print quality before the job reaches the press. - Review plates and anilox selection
A weak plate/anilox combination can limit results even on good equipment. - Improve colour control
Brand owners need repeatability, not only one good run. - Reduce setup time and waste
Higher-value print loses margin if changeovers are slow and waste is high. - Train operators continuously
The DS Smith Livingston example shows that people and skill remain central to award-winning print. - Build a commercial story around print
Sales teams must explain why stronger graphics, cleaner colour and better consistency create value for the customer.
What suppliers should watch
This shift matters for the entire corrugated supply chain.
Better print quality requires stronger inputs and support:
plates
inks
anilox rolls
prepress systems
colour management
inspection tools
drying systems
operator training
technical service
As corrugated printing becomes more sophisticated, suppliers are no longer selling only materials.
They are becoming part of the performance system.
A converter that wants to win premium retail or beverage work needs suppliers that can help reduce variation, waste and downtime.
What this means for 2026–2028
The next two years could be important for corrugated print investment.
Brand owners want packaging that is recyclable and cost-conscious, but they still need packs that look strong in retail and e-commerce. Corrugated board is well positioned because it offers logistics strength and a large printable surface.
The opportunity is clear.
The risk is execution.
From 2026 to 2028, the strongest converters are likely to focus on:
pre-print capacity where premium graphics justify it
better post-print flexo for industrial packaging plants
colour management and inspection
faster changeovers
hybrid flexo-digital workflows for versioning and short runs
operator training and process discipline
The plants that move early can use print quality to defend margin.
Those that stay only in low-cost commodity box production may face stronger price pressure.
Key takeaways for plant leaders
- Corrugated print quality is becoming a competitive weapon.
The FTA Europe shortlist and 2024 award results show that corrugated is already part of Europe’s premium flexo benchmark. - Pre-print and post-print both matter.
Smurfit Kappa CRP Pre-Print shows the premium pre-print route; DS Smith Livingston shows how post-print excellence can also win recognition. - Awards reflect process, not only creativity.
Investment, operator skill, prepress discipline and colour control sit behind the visible pack. - Suppliers become strategic partners.
Plates, inks, anilox, prepress, inspection and training will matter more as customers demand better print. - The next competition is not only about boxes.
It is about how well corrugated packaging can serve brands, retailers, exporters and e-commerce customers.
The key conclusion
The FTA Europe Diamond Awards 2026 finalist list is a useful signal for the corrugated packaging market.
It shows that major corrugated-related names — DS Smith Packaging Rouen, DS Smith Packaging Savoie, Saica Packaging Livingston and Smurfit Westrock, through its CRP Pre-Print operation — are visible in Europe’s flexo excellence environment.
Previous Diamond Awards results make the trend even clearer: corrugated post-print and pre-print are already winning across multiple categories, from Jameson and Brewdog to Tesco, Teisseire and Coors.
For corrugated board producers, the conclusion is simple.
The next stage of competition will not be won only by plants that produce more boxes or cheaper boxes.
It will be won by companies that can combine the strength of corrugated board with print quality, brand value and process discipline.
Corrugated board is entering Europe’s flexo Champions League.
And this time, the evidence is not only metaphor.
It is already visible in the finalist list and in the award-winning work.
Sources
This analysis is based on FTA Europe’s official 2026 Diamond Awards shortlist and event details, Labels & Labeling’s report on the 34 shortlisted companies, FTA Europe’s 2024 Diamond Awards winners list, DS Smith’s report on Livingston’s 2024 award wins, and Smurfit Kappa / Smurfit Westrock’s public information on the Coors 20 Pack pre-print award.
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