The whole package.

Products made with 100 percent recycled paperboard packaging took home the rigid box best-in-show award and won 16 excellence awards and eight gold awards in the National Paperbox Association's (NPA) 55th Annual Packaging Competition, which was held in January and announced this spring.

The "Louis Vuitton Inclusive" box, best-in-show winner in the rigid box category, was produced by the Taylor Box Co., Warren, R.I., using 100 percent recycled paperboard, printed litho and a leather strap. The box was designed to hold promotional postcards and a booklet for the upscale designer and retailer Louis Vuitton.

"The use of 100 percent recycled paperboard in a high-end piece such as the Louis Vuitton Inclusive box showcases the board's performance and graphic appeal," says Paul Schutes, executive director of the 100 Percent Recycled Paperboard Alliance (RPA-100 Percent). "One hundred percent recycled paperboard continues to expand in popularity as packagers recognize its many strengths and value proposition."

Packages made with 100 percent recycled paperboard also earned a number of gold and excellence awards. Winning packages made of 100 percent recycled paperboard included club store packaging, retail store jewelry and gift boxes, toy and entertainment packaging and household goods.

The 100 percent recycled paperboard winning entries were produced by manufacturers such as Columbus Paperbox, Imperial Packaging Corp., Paul T. Freund Corp., Michigan City Paper Co., Taylor Box Co., Utah Paper Box Co. and Atlanta Packaging Specialties Inc.

Describing itself as the "premier" competition in the rigid box and folding carton industries, NPA's annual packaging competition provides the paperboard packaging industry with the opportunity to showcase its most innovative, creative and distinctive designs produced during the past year. Entries came from the United States, Canada and Europe.