ROTOCON has kicked off its third annual Student Wine Label Design Competition in partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The competition is open to undergraduate students in TUT’s Department of Visual Communication (Integrated Communication Design (ICD)), Faculty of Arts & Design, with 60 students participating.

Banie Stafford of B Creative, ROTOCON’s marketing agency, met with the students on February 24, 2025, to brief them on the competition. He led sessions covering an introduction to ROTOCON, printing processes and embellishments, in addition to key wine label design elements, including paper, color use, diecutting, and typography – concluding with the importance of “knowing your target market.”

SA Litho Label Printers will once again collaborate with ROTOCON in this year’s competition by printing the winning label. Additionally, Dawrian Salies, general manager of SA Litho Label Printers, will join Michael Aengenvoort, ROTOCON Group CEO, and Stafford on the judging panel on April 14, followed by an awards function on April 15. The competition winner will also be recognized at WineLand Media’s 30 Under 30 Awards on 30 May, with ROTOCON sponsoring the event for the sixth consecutive year.

“This competition reflects ROTOCON’s investment in youth and social development by fostering creativity, sharing new industry knowledge, and hands-on experience in wine label design,” states Stafford. “We are pleased with the increased student participation this year, as it demonstrates the growing enthusiasm for wine label design among young creatives. We look forward to celebrating the award winner and all participants at the ROTOCON awards function on April 15, reinforcing our commitment to nurturing future talent in the printing industry.”