Make holiday packaging that works beyond the pretty.
Holiday packaging has a job to do. It needs to express the brand, feel right for the season, and make sense when it moves into production.
The Holiday Packaging Challenge™ gives you two weeks to explore those decisions through holiday-focused brand briefs, real dielines, practical resources, and live guidance from Sharon Eucce.
Alumni pricing available upon request. Please contact PackagingChic before registering.
A seasonal brief. A practical packaging education.
A festive color palette is a starting point. The more interesting questions come next: Does the brand still feel like itself? Does the artwork work with the structure? What happens at the folds, edges, and panels? Can the idea be produced as intended?
This Challenge helps you connect those decisions. You’ll work within an existing brand and packaging format, explore a holiday direction, and build a clearer understanding of how your creative choices affect the finished package.
The goal is work you can learn from, explain with confidence, and develop into a thoughtful portfolio piece.
Resources, direction, and room to create.
The briefs, materials, and live sessions work together to help you move from an initial idea to a considered submission.
Five holiday-focused briefs
Explore five fictional premium brands, each with a distinct packaging format and a seasonal design assignment.
Brand kits & dielines
Work with established brand direction and structural templates, so you can focus on the packaging decisions.
Practical resources
Use the Resource Pack to connect layout, structure, and production considerations as you develop your work.
Four live Zoom sessions
Join Sharon for the kickoff, production insights, submission readiness, and the Featured Entry Showcase.
Session replays
All four sessions are recorded. Watch when your schedule allows, or revisit a conversation while you work.
Professional review
Every submission receives a professional review. Selected entries are featured in the closing Showcase.
For people who want to understand packaging better.
If you’re comfortable working in a design environment and want to strengthen your packaging knowledge, you’ll fit right in. You might be building your portfolio, expanding your production skills, or looking for a structured creative project.
Five familiar brands. A fresh holiday direction.
The brands and packaging formats return from the Summer Challenge, this time with holiday-focused briefs. Choose up to two projects, each for a different brand.
Returning participants can explore another format or revisit a familiar brand with a new seasonal perspective.
Pacific Theory™
Premium Sunscreen · Folding CartonExplore how a clean, coastal brand can take on a holiday expression while keeping its identity clear. Consider how typography, hierarchy, and the carton structure support the seasonal direction.
Open Mile™
Premium Snack · Ecommerce MailerThink through a holiday delivery from the outside in. Explore how the mailer can communicate the brand, protect the product, and create a considered unboxing experience.
Between Sets™
Premium Tea · Carton / SleeveBring a seasonal perspective to tea packaging through storytelling, visual hierarchy, and brand expression. Consider how the carton or sleeve supports the experience.
Afterglow™
Premium Sparkling Beverage · Can CarrierExplore a holiday presentation that works across the full pack. Think about how the carrier frames the product, communicates the brand, and functions as a structure.
Room Service™
Premium Candle · Rigid BoxExplore the relationship between seasonal gifting, brand expression, and rigid box construction. Consider how the packaging becomes part of the product experience.
Two weeks to explore, develop, and submit.
A clear structure gives you room to concentrate on the work, with live support at key points along the way.
-
Register by January 24
Reserve your place and watch for your welcome information. Challenge materials are released on January 25.
-
Get started on January 25
Review the holiday briefs, brand kits, dielines, and resources. Join the Kickoff Session to understand the assignments and ask questions before you begin.
-
Choose your projects & develop your work
Work on one or two brand projects during January 25–February 7. Bring your questions to the January 29 and February 5 sessions.
-
Submit & join the Showcase
Submit by February 7 at 6 p.m. Pacific. Then join the February 12 Showcase to see selected entries and learn from the different approaches.
Four sessions, each with a purpose.
All sessions take place on Zoom at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern, last approximately one hour, and are recorded. All dates below are in 2027.
Kickoff & Challenge Briefing
Walk through the five holiday-focused briefs, explore the production context, and get clear on the materials and expectations before you start.
Packaging Tips & Production Insights
Look at practical production considerations and common mistakes, with time for questions as your ideas begin taking shape.
Challenge Clinic & Submission Readiness
Review submission requirements and work through final questions so you can prepare your entry with confidence.
Featured Entry Showcase & Wrap-Up
See selected submissions, explore how participants approached the briefs, and connect the creative decisions to the packaging lessons behind them.
The thinking behind the package matters.
Every submission receives a professional review from the PackagingChic review panel, considering how the work responds to the brief, communicates the brand, and works with the structure and production requirements.
Selected entries are featured in the February 12 Showcase. Seeing how other participants solve the same assignment is part of the learning, whether your approach is similar or completely different.
A few things to know before you join.
Do I need packaging design experience?
Some design experience is expected, but you don’t need to be a packaging expert. If dielines are new to you, the resources and Kickoff Session will help you understand how to work within them.
What software do I need?
Adobe Illustrator is required. The provided dielines are vector files used for packaging design and production. Your registration includes the Challenge materials; Adobe Illustrator access is your responsibility.
How many projects can I submit?
You may submit up to two entries, each for a different brand. Working on a second project is optional. One thoughtful, well-developed submission is welcome.
What if I participated in the Summer Challenge?
You’re welcome to return. The same five brands and formats now have holiday-focused briefs, giving you a new direction to explore. Choose different brands or revisit a familiar one with what you’ve learned.
Alumni pricing is available upon request. Please contact PackagingChic before registering.
What if I can’t attend live?
All four sessions are recorded, and replays are included. If you can attend one session live, prioritize the January 25 Kickoff so you can ask questions before starting your work.
Can I join from outside the United States?
Yes. The Challenge is fully online. Live sessions begin at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern, and replays are included if the timing doesn’t work in your time zone.
When will I receive the materials?
Challenge materials are released on January 25, 2027. Watch for your welcome information after registration for next steps and access details.
How do I submit my work?
Submission instructions are provided with the Challenge materials and reviewed during the live sessions. All entries are due February 7, 2027, by 6 p.m. Pacific / 9 p.m. Eastern.
What does the professional review include?
The review panel considers how your work responds to the brief, expresses the brand, and accounts for the packaging format’s structural and production requirements. Selected submissions are discussed in the closing Showcase.
What is included in the $57 registration?
Registration includes five holiday-focused briefs, brand kits, dielines, the Resource Pack, all four live sessions, session replays, and professional review of up to two submissions for different brands.
Will my work be shared publicly?
Participants retain ownership of their original work. By submitting an entry to the Holiday Packaging Challenge™, participants grant PackagingChic permission to review submissions, display submitted work during live sessions, and feature selected entries in educational or promotional materials related to the Challenge.
Whenever possible, participant credit and attribution will be included when work is shared.
Give your next packaging project a stronger foundation.
Bring your creativity. Learn how it connects to structure, production, and brand expression. Leave with work that shows how you think through a packaging assignment.
Challenge: January 25–February 7, 2027
Featured Entry Showcase: February 12, 2027
Registration deadline: January 24, 2027
One-time registration payment
- Five holiday-focused brand briefs
- Brand kits and packaging dielines
- Supporting Resource Pack
- Four live Zoom sessions with Sharon
- All four session replays
- Up to two entries for different brands
- Professional review of your submissions
- Opportunity to be featured in the Showcase
Please contact PackagingChic before registering.