July/Aug 2025

RIT and Cal-Poly Sweep FPA Student Design Contest

  • July 17, 2025
  • 3-min read

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Students at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and California Polytechnic State University (Cal-Poly) swept the awards in the 2025 Student Flexible Packaging Design Challenge.

One team from RIT won first place and best video, while another RIT team took an honorable mention in the annual contest that has been held for 21 years. A team from Cal-Poly won second place, while a different group of students from the California school won another honorable mention.

Established by the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the contest allows students to apply their skills to real-world challenges, says Kyle Dunno, department chair of Packaging and Graphic Media Science at RIT.

“What I find most rewarding is mentoring students through that journey, where I can watch their ideas take shape, help them navigate challenges, and see their confidence grow,” Dunno says. “These competitions sharpen their technical and creative abilities and prepare them to lead in an evolving industry.”

Dunno adds that the packaging department at the school is committed to experiential learning, innovation, and strong industry collaboration. “The FPA challenge aligns perfectly with that mission,” he says.

Schools nationwide submitted 56 concept outlines for the contest, according to FPA. Three judges from the Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) of FPA reviewed the entries in May and then picked the first place and second place winners, as well as naming two honorable mentions.

Innovations

The winning team from RIT says they developed the idea for EZ PB&J because of the frustrations with making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and then having the bread go soggy. Their package includes peanut butter and jelly on opposite sides of a flexible pouch, with the pouch serving as a utensil to spread the contents after they are squeezed out.

“I had a great experience working on EZ PB&J and hope to have opportunities to work with flexible packaging in the future,” says Amanda Szymanoski, one of five RIT students who won the first place award.

Joongmin Shin, Ph.D., associate professor at Cal-Poly, says he was thrilled to see his students win second place and an honorable mention.

“Their innovative solutions reflect both creativity and practical thinking,” Shin says, adding that the contest helps inspire the next generation of packaging professionals.

Emma Powers from Cal-Poly was on the team that won second place for its Pancake Pack. The package allows consumers to mix pancake batter in the package without needing to use utensils.

“Finding the right shape and material was tough because we needed something that mixed easily while preserving the pancake mix,” she says. “We tested multiple plastic films to get it just right.”

Powers intends to pursue a career in either medical packaging engineering or material testing and development for packages.

“I am open to a career in flexible packaging, especially because of its potential for sustainable innovation and improvement,” she says.

Devin Blish was on the team that won Cal-Poly’s honorable mention for GoGlow: Single Serving Skincare. The package offers portable skin treatments in a series of flexible packages for people traveling or on the go.

“The most difficult part of the contest for our group was trying to measure out each part so that they would align well and be easily held,” says Blish, who has two more years at Cal-Poly. “Our idea came from a travel perspective. We thought it would be convenient for people to have an on-the-go, single-use package of products they use.”

More about the contest and insights from other students will be in the September/October 2025 issue of FlexPack VOICE® after it is published on September 1.

Thomas A. Barstow is senior editor at FlexPack VOICE®.

[sidebar] Winners of the 2025 Student Flexible Packaging Design Challenge

First Place and Best Video: EZ PB&J Pouch

  • School: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
  • Students: Travis Daly, Jacob Marrer, Olivia Morris, Austin Pralow, and Amanda Szymanoski
  • Professor: Kyle Dunno, department chair and associate professor 

Second Place: Pancake Pack

  • School: California Polytechnic State University (Cal-Poly)
  • Students: Matteo Mazziliano, Emma Powers, Henry Wright, and Kyle Zheng,
  • Professor: Joongmin Shin, Ph.D., associate professor

Honorable Mention: Bounce® Dryer Sheets Resealable Pouch

  • School: RIT
  • Students: Maddy Cook, Sam Rosa, and Cole Teeple
  • Professor: Dunno

Honorable Mention: GlowGo: Single Serving Skincare

  • School: Cal-Poly
  • Students: Devin Blish, Edison Chow, Paulina Goncharov, and Maya Harris
  • Professor: Shin

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