The Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) has recognized the highest level of print excellence with Best of Show honors at the 2026 Excellence in Flexography Awards, presented at FTA’s FORUM INFOFLEX during the Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 26, 2026. 

Entries topped more than 250 submissions in this year’s competition, with a total of 43 awards presented across multiple print segments. Leading the field, wide web captured 16 honors, followed by narrow web with 11, envelope with 5, preprint linerboard with 4, mid web with 4, corrugated with 3, and special achievements with 3, reflecting strong participation across both flexible packaging and paper-based applications. 

By award level, judges presented 12 gold medals, 13 silver, and 18 bronze, recognizing excellence in degree of difficulty, level of execution and overall print quality across an increasingly competitive field. 

Several converters distinguished themselves with multiple awards, underscoring their consistency and technical leadership. Among those earning repeated recognition were McDowell Label, Mondi Jackson and ROBERTS MART & CO LTD. Additional companies earning multiple honors included Multi-Color Corporation, Emirates Printing Press L.L.C., Artcraft Label, The Robinette Company, ProAmpac, and Smurfit Westrock. 

Selected from a highly competitive field of entries across multiple print segments, Best of Show winners represent the top-performing submissions based on degree of difficulty, level of execution and overall print quality. 

Best of Show Winners

• ProAmpac – Xtreme Lime Takis in Wide Web, Process, Film for its award-winning entry, demonstrating exceptional print consistency, strong color reproduction and precise registration across a complex design. 
• Walki Westpak & Marvaco Oy – Sour Croco Fizzy Bubble and Sour Apple in Mid Web, Process, Film for delivering crisp detail and an excellent proof-to-print match across a wide tonal range. 
• McDowell Label – Tequila Blanco in Narrow Web, Process, Coated Paper for its standout label work featuring extremely fine dot reproduction, sharp text and flawless consistency across runs. 
• Adara Pakkaus Oy & Marvaco Oy – Boulangerie Marco Cake Box in Corrugated, Process, Combined Corrugated for a technically demanding job that achieved superior tonal range, precision and overall visual impact. 
• Smurfit Westrock – Kimberly Clark Huggies Snug & Dry in Preprint Linerboard, Process, Preprint Linerboard for producing large-format graphics with strong color consistency, smooth solids and clean reproduction. 
• MackayMitchell Envelope Company – Fireflies in Envelope, Process, Uncoated Paper for delivering high-quality print performance with tight registration and consistent results across production. 

Judges noted that this year’s Best of Show entries stood out for their ability to combine technical difficulty with flawless execution. Across multiple categories, winning pieces demonstrated exceptionally clean process dots, tight registration, strong color saturation, and consistency from proof to production. 

In particular, judges highlighted work featuring “incredibly clean process dots,” “sharp edges on text with perfect registration,” and “wide tonal range executed crisp and clean,” underscoring the level of precision achieved by this year’s top performers. 

The Excellence in Flexography Awards continues to celebrate printers and converters pushing the boundaries of print performance across a wide range of applications and substrates.