Flexo Platemaking

Esko DOT Awards 2026 – The Winners

5 Jun 2026

Celebrating the Winners of the First Ever Esko Dot Awards

At EskoWorld 2026 in New Orleans, flexo’s best work took center stage during the inaugural Esko Dot Awards, a new global competition celebrating excellence in print quality, technical execution, and innovation across the Esko ecosystem.

From 29 entries submitted by printers around the world, each piece was judged on three core criteria:

Technical Print Quality
Degree of Difficulty
Esko Ecosystem Excellence

The result? A showcase of what modern flexo can truly deliver. Let’s introduce our winners.

Spark Category Winners

Recognizing outstanding print work using Esko HD and/or Pixel+ screening technology.

UV Web Winner: UVBIZ (India)

Work: Holland Park Chocolate Eclairs (Flexible Packaging)

Printed using fixed-gamut printing technology, this entry demonstrated exceptional color precision and consistency on flexible film.

Judges called it a “textbook demonstration of fixed-gamut (ECG) printing pushed to the HD flexo limit,” highlighting clean contrast, smooth min-dot transitions, and precise registration across seven colors at 175 LPI.

Solvent Web Winner: Alpha Clicheria (Brazil)

Work: Flor de Ypê — 6-pack Moisturizing Bar Soap (Flexible Packaging)

This entry impressed with vibrant solids, optimized and controlled dot gain, sharp text and floral detail, all delivered consistently at high speed.

Judges praised the “near-perfect execution on BOPP Pearl,” highlighting sharp registration, controlled dot gain, and strong consistency across a seven-color job running at 300 m/min.

Corrugated Winner: Contact Originators Ltd (UK)

Work: Hozelock Auto Reel Mobile (Corrugated)

This entry successfully transformed a litho design into post-print HQPP using Esko Highlight Screening, demonstrating the capabilities of HD flexo on corrugated substrates.

“Coated EB flute is a demanding substrate that requires careful control to keep solids, vignettes, and highlights in check.”

Judges highlighted how Contact Originators preserved fine highlight detail and consistent color laydown while carrying a brand-critical litho design into corrugated post-print.

Crystal Category Winners

Celebrating exceptional work using Esko Crystal screening technology.

UV Web Winner: OVELAR S.A. (Spain)

Work: Ambi Pur Active Cleaner — Water Flowers & Mint (Flexible Packaging)

Originally printed in offset, this job was matched – and improved – using Crystal Screening, achieving cleaner transitions, stronger colors and stable repeat runs that enhanced shelf impact and product definition.

Judges described the result as “genuinely impressive” and “masterful,” particularly the spray-paint textures fading cleanly to zero. Originally an offset job, OVELAR successfully matched and improved on the original using Crystal Screening across a seven-color, 150 LPI build.

Solvent Web Winner: Clicheart (Brazil)

Work: MultiStar Premium Dog Food (Flexible Packaging)

Combining smooth gradients and crisp tone reproduction, this entry showcased the combined power of Crystal Screening and advanced plate imaging delivering photographic precision with zero rework

Judges highlighted Crystal V with Pixel+ for maintaining isolated highlight dots cleanly through plate and press, delivering strong depth, detail, and tonal control on a complex solvent job running at 300 m/min.

Quartz Category Winners

Honoring the finest work using Esko Quartz screening technology.

Water Web Winner: Zincopar (Italy)

Work: Brainrot Collectible Trading Card Packaging (Flexible Packaging)

The job used a FUJI SEAL four-color process with gold ink, with facial elements printed in gold and overprinted in black. Quartz Screening delivered superior print definition across a technically complex multi-layer substrate.

“Extraordinarily complex and detailed artwork, the kind of design that punishes any weakness in plate, press, or process.”

Judges noted excellent ink coverage, sharp registration, and strong consistency across a technically demanding multi-layer film job running at 300 m/min, exactly the kind of performance Quartz Screening was built to deliver.

Solvent Web Winner: Brandpack (Australia)

Work: Connoisseur Cookies & Cream Ice Cream (Flexible Packaging)

“A strong example of the Quartz ecosystem delivering at high line screens on solvent web, preserving the minimalist, premium look of the Connoisseur brand without losing tonal smoothness in the gradients or sharpness in the fine type.”

Judges noted that maintaining this level of quality at high LPI on flexible film demonstrates the strengths of the Quartz workflow.

Top Dot Award — Best in Show

Winner: Brandpack (Australia)

Work: Spud Lite Potatoes (Flexible Packaging)

The highest honor of the Esko Dot Awards recognizes a single entry that stands above all others… and Brandpack delivered.

“The print shows high contrast and a strong combination of solids and highlights, with very good color strength and realistic product imagery, and despite a critical design that magnifies any imperfection, defects are kept to a minimum.” noted by the Judges.

The use of Esko screening across both highlight and full-tone areas reflects strong press control from start to finish, exactly the level of craftsmanship the Top Dot Award is meant to recognize.

Raising the Bar for Flexo

The first ever Esko Dot Awards proved one thing clearly: flexo is leading, not just competing.

Across HD Flexo, Crystal, and Quartz screening technologies, this year’s winners demonstrated what’s possible when innovation, process control, and craftsmanship come together. From flexible packaging to corrugated, from ECG printing to multi-layer substrates, these entries pushed the boundaries of print quality, consistency, and efficiency.

A big thank you to every participant for raising the standard. And to the winners, congratulations on setting a new benchmark for the industry.

The Esko Dot Awards will return next year — bigger, broader, and even more competitive. Keep an eye out for the official call for entries and start planning your next standout print job now.

May the best dots win.