Entries have opened for the third annual Colored by INX Can Design Contest. The INX International Ink Co. sponsored event has generated a buzz in the creative community since it was inaugurated two years ago, and all brand owners, design agencies, marketers and metal decorators who produced a commercial can design before December 31, 2021 while using the INX Color Catalog are eligible to participate.

Crown Brand Building Packaging won the first title in 2020 with their entry for INDIO Beer’s Pueblos de México Unido Edición Muertos. Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland took the top honors last year for their Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat beer can design. Entries for this year’s contest must be postmarked by April 29, and a new approach is being applied to determine the finalists and ultimately the winner. An independent panel of six judges will now review and make the selections during the voting process.

In addition to Sarah Jacks, INX International’s Color Perfection manager, and Eduardo Ribeiro, commercial manager for INX International South America, four people representing the brand design, color and printing communities will serve as judges this year. The group includes:

Scott Drucker, managing partner of Chicago based marketing agency, The Drucker Group; Mike Grady, a packaging expert with North American Graphics, a Detroit area digital prepress and platemaking company; Laura Perryman, founder of London based Color of Saying, a color consultant and trend forecasting company; and Ronald de Vlam, a partner, chief innovation officer and brand design strategist at Cincinnati’s COHO Creative.

“From the start, it was always part of the plan to be innovative and imaginative with this contest. We’ve had a lot of fun with it and received a great amount of feedback, and thought the timing was right to involve some very experienced and creative people outside of our organization in the process,” reveals Renee Schouten, director of marketing for INX.

“Going forward,” she adds, “we plan to rotate our panel of judges every year to provide different insights. The interest level in our contest has been high from the start and the entries we receive each year are exceptionally creative. We’re looking forward to seeing what will be the best of the best this year.”

Once the judges determine the finalists, their selections can be viewed online starting May 10. The winner will be announced on the INX International website and social media platforms on May 18.