AR Packaging Design Competition
Participating Universities & Polytechnics
Every oleh-oleh tells a story of a place.
In Indonesia, oleh-oleh is more than a souvenir. It represents where you have been, what you experienced, and what you want to share with others. From local flavours and materials to patterns, colours, and stories …packaging plays a key role in expressing that identity.
With over 17,000 islands, Indonesia is rich in cultural narratives. Yet most packaging stops at visuals. Nusantara Packaging Experience Awards 2026 challenges you to go further.
What if packaging could do more than look good?
What if it could tell a story, educate, and engage through Augmented Reality (AR)?
Your challenge is to design an oleh-oleh gift packaging inspired by a real place in Indonesia, and enhance it with an AR experience that adds meaningful value. The AR element should complement the packaging: bringing culture, context, or interaction to life through a smartphone.
Innovative packaging design inspired by Indonesia’s cultural identity, enhanced with Augmented Reality (AR) to deliver engaging, interactive brand and product experiences.
The Design Vision of Nusantara Packaging Experience Awards
Everything You Need To Know Before Getting Started
Submissions Open
April 1st
Entries are now open
Submission Deadline
July 31st
Last day to submit your entry
Total Prizes
IDR 80M+
Cash prizes and a 1-year HOVARLAY Pro subscription
Award Categories
5
Recognizing overall excellence, category winners, and community choice
Eligibility Criteria
University and polytechnic students across Indonesia
Participants must be currently enrolled at the time of submission.
Entry Requirements
Individual submissions only (no team entries)
One submission per participant. FREE registration.
Submission Guidelines
Digital submissions only (no physical mock-ups required)
All entries must be submitted online through the official HOVARLAY submission portal.
Submission Language
Entries may be submitted in Bahasa Indonesia or English
Please ensure clarity and readability in your submission.
Judging Process
Professional panel of judges from the creative industries
Comprising both local and international practitioners.
Award Ceremony
August 2026
Winners will be revealed at the official awards ceremony.
Ensure Compliance Before Submission
Eligible Participants
- Currently enrolled students at a university or polytechnic in Indonesia
- Open to students across all fields of study
- Must be residing in Indonesia at the time of participation
Cash Prize Requirement: HOVARLAY reserves the right to request valid documentation to verify eligibility and residency.
Ineligible Entries
- Individuals not currently enrolled at a university or polytechnic in Indonesia
- Entries submitted to another competition simultaneously without disclosure
- Entries submitted after 31st July 2026, 23:59 WIB
For eligibility or submission inquiries, please contact HOVARLAY team prior to submission.
Bring an oleh-oleh to life.
Design a gift box inspired by a real place in Indonesia, then give it a second life through augmented reality. This is packaging as storytelling. Packaging as experience.
The Packaging Concept
Design an gift packaging rooted in a place.
Choose a location anywhere in Indonesia; a city, a region, a village, a landmark and design an oleh-oleh gift box that captures its essence.
- Your packaging must be a box, either a folding carton or rigid box construction.
- The box must have at least one flat exterior face large enough for a QR code and AR scanning.
- Your design must be original, and the place must be real and located in Indonesia.
- Any oleh-oleh product type is valid, food, craft, textile, souvenir, or concept product.
The QR + AR Requirement
Make it scannable. Make it real.
Every submission must include a scannable QR code embedded in the packaging design that launches a HOVARLAY AR experience. This is not optional, it is the core of the brief.
- The QR code must be embedded and clearly visible on one of the flat exterior faces.
- The QR code must be scannable from your submitted digital mockups and images.
- The AR experience must be created using HOVARLAY. Other AR platforms are not accepted.
- You must submit a dedicated AR scannable face image so the jury can scan your AR directly.
What Your AR Experience Should Deliver
AR that means something.
Your AR experience should add real value, not just visual novelty. Here are four directions to guide you:
Sense of Place
Transport the recipient to the origin, a landscape, a local market, a cultural ceremony. Let them visit without travelling.
The Story Behind It
Reveal how the product is made, an animated process, a craftsperson at work, a generational recipe. Make provenance visible.
A Gifting Moment
Create a personalised experience, a message that unfolds, a character that delivers a greeting, a ritual that celebrates giving.
Cultural Depth
Explore a myth, a local legend, a traditional motif come to life. Surface cultural richness that wouldn’t fit on the packaging.
Three steps. Entirely online.
Register on the Portal
Create a free account on the HOVARLAY NPEA 2026 Submission Portal. Verify your student status. Registration opens 1 April 2026.
Build Your Entry
Design your packaging, embed your QR code, and build your AR experience in HOVARLAY. Prepare your concept write-up, A2 poster PDF, and supporting files.
Upload & Submit
Upload all required files before 23:59 WIB on 31 July 2026. You will receive a confirmation email. Ensure your QR code is live before submitting.
What you will submit
Every required item must be included for your entry to be judged.
A2 Portrait Poster PDF (Required)
- A poster presenting your packaging design visuals, and details (stories, inspiration, etc)
- Clearly show the QR on the packaging design and enable easy AR interaction.
Packaging Design Images (Required)
- Flat images of each side of packaging:
front, back, left, right, top, bottom, etc. - QR code must be clearly visible and integrated on at least 1 side of the packaging
AR Experience Video (Required)
- A screen recording or captured video demonstrating QR scan and AR experience in action
- Highlight key interactions or storytelling
Packaging Dieline/Flat Layout (Optional)
- Unfolded packaging structure, showing how the box is laid out before assembly.
3D Packaging Visual Image (Optional)
- Perspective render, mockup, or photograph showing the assembled packaging box in perspective.
Pitch Video (Optional)
- Up to 1 minute walkthrough of your packaging design. Share with us the story, key design concepts, etc, behind your design.
File format guidance
Ensure your A2 PDF is vector-quality at 420 × 594mm. Maximum file sizes are shown in the portal.
Anonymised Judging - Important Rule
Do not include any personal information on your A2 poster or in your file names; no name, student ID, or university. Entries with personal data on submitted visuals may be disqualified from the anonymised judging stage.
Your NPEA 2026 calendar.
Plan ahead. The 31st of July deadline is firm, no extensions will be granted.
University Outreach Begins
HOVARLAY partners and campus ambassadors begin reaching universities and polytechnics across Indonesia.
Submissions Open
The portal goes live. Register, review the brief, and begin building your entry.
Build & Submit Period
Four months to design, create your AR in HOVARLAY, and prepare your files. Online demo sessions run throughout this period.
Submission Deadline
All entries must be in by 23:59 WIB. No late submissions. Double-check your QR code is live before the final upload.
Judging Period
International jury reviews all qualified submissions. Anonymised scoring begins. The People's Choice public vote opens during this period.
Award Ceremony
Finalists will be notified directly before the event.
Rp 80,000,000+
across 14 awards.
From the Grand Prize to Jury Special Recognitions and a free Pro subscription for every finalist, there is something for every standout entry.
Overall Winner Grand Prize
Rp 9.000.000
The highest honour at NPEA 2026. Awarded to the single best entry across all judging criteria.
Overall 2nd Place Second Prize
Rp 5.000.000
Overall runner-up
Overall 3rd Place Third Prize
Rp 4.000.000
Overall second runner-up
Category Award Best Shelf Impact
Rp 3.000.000
Most visually striking packaging design
Category Award Best Local Storytelling
Rp 3.000.000
Deepest cultural connection to Indonesia
Category Award Best Phygital Experience
Rp 3.000.000
Most compelling and valuable AR experience
Community Award People's Choice
Rp 3.000.000
Voted by the public. Stackable with any other award.
Jury Special Recognition ×4 Recipients Jury Commendation
Rp 500.000 each
Four recipients selected by the jury for exceptional innovation, craft, narrative, or AR execution.
Top 20 Finalists, Every Finalist Receives 1-Year HOVARLAY Pro Subscription
Worth Rp 2.388.000 each
Every entry that reaches the Top 20 shortlist receives a full year of HOVARLAY Pro, that's Rp 47,760,000+ in subscriptions alone.
Prize Fairness Rules
- The Overall Top 3 cannot also win a Category Award. Category Awards are reserved for entries not in the overall top three.
- The People’s Choice Award may stack with any other award, including Overall and Category Awards.
- Jury Special Recognitions are independent of all other awards and can be given to any qualifying entry.
How your entry will be assessed.
Visual Design & Shelf Impact
Aesthetic quality, print craft, colour, typography, and standout power on a shelf.
Cultural Storytelling & Concept
Depth of connection to the chosen Indonesian place, authenticity, originality, and concept coherence.
AR Experience Quality & Value
How well the HOVARLAY AR experience works, its creativity, and the value it adds to the recipient.
Phygital Integration
How seamlessly physical packaging and digital AR connect, QR placement, design coherence, scan usability.
Brief Compliance & Execution
Adherence to brief requirements: box format, HOVARLAY AR, QR code, complete submission.
* Percentage weights are indicative and may be adjusted by the jury.
Judged by global experts in packaging design and phygital experience.
The NPEA 2026 jury is an international panel of professionals with expertise spanning packaging design, brand strategy, retail experience, and augmented reality technology. Jury composition will be announced ahead of the judging period.
All entries are assessed anonymously, judges do not see your name, university, or any personal information during scoring. Scores are aggregated and moderated before final rankings are confirmed.
Meet Our Jury Panel: Industry Experts Across Key Sectors
A cross-disciplinary panel of global experts in packaging, retail, and AR technology, committed to discovering the next generation of Indonesian design talent.
Ariana Susanti
Business Development Director
at
Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF)
Faddy Ravydera Montery
Co-Founder & Creative Director
at
SUKA STUDIO
Yulia Saksen
Co-Founder & Director
at
Creativeans
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
We want you to succeed.
Whether you're new to AR or want to double-check your files, we've got you covered.
Live Demo Sessions
Join our online workshops: “How to build AR and generate your QR code in HOVARLAY.” Sessions run throughout the submission period. Beginners welcome, no prior AR experience needed.
Pro Tip
Test your QR code at least 3 days before the deadline. Scan it from your printed mockup image at normal viewing distance. If it doesn’t scan, resize it and retest. A broken QR means the jury cannot experience your AR, don’t let this be the reason your entry falls short.
Supporting Partners
Frequently asked questions.
Who owns the intellectual property of my submission?
You retain IP rights over your original work. By submitting, you grant HOVARLAY and the organisers a licence to display and promote your entry in connection with NPEA 2026. Full IP terms are in the Terms & Conditions.
When will the Top 20 finalists be announced?
The Top 20 finalists will be announced during the August 2026 judging period, before the award ceremony. Finalists will be notified directly and the list published on this page.
I am not a design student. Can I still enter?
Yes. NPEA 2026 is open to all students currently enrolled in any programme at a university or polytechnic in Indonesia. Your passion and connection to a place in Indonesia matter more than your discipline.
What happens if I win? How do I receive my prize?
Winners will be notified via the email registered in the portal before the award ceremony. Cash prizes are disbursed to Indonesian bank accounts. Full terms are in the Terms & Conditions.
Does my product need to be a real oleh-oleh sold in Indonesia?
Your product can be real or a concept, it does not need to be commercially sold. However, it must be rooted in a real, specific place in Indonesia, and believable as an oleh-oleh gift.
What if my QR code is not scannable from my submitted images?
If the jury cannot scan your QR from the submitted AR scannable face image, they cannot experience your AR, which is a core judging criterion. This will significantly impact your score. Always test before submitting and provide a clear, high-resolution image.
Does my packaging need to be physically produced?
No. Your submission is entirely digital, an A2 poster PDF, digital images, and your AR experience. High-quality digital mockups are acceptable.
Can I submit in Bahasa Indonesia?
Yes. Submissions may be in Bahasa Indonesia or English. Your concept write-up, A2 poster annotations, and pitch video may use either language. You are not disadvantaged by your choice.
I have never used HOVARLAY before. Is that okay?
Absolutely. HOVARLAY is designed to be accessible, no technical background needed. Our live demo sessions walk you through the entire process from scratch. Start early and give yourself time to experiment.
My university is not well known. Does that affect my chances?
Not at all. Judging is fully anonymised, the jury does not see your name, university, or institution during scoring. Every entry is evaluated on its own merit.
Can I submit more than one entry?
Each participant may submit one entry only. Multiple submissions from the same person will result in all entries being disqualified. Invest your energy in one exceptional entry.
Is the competition free to enter?
Yes. Submitting to NPEA 2026 is completely free. There is no registration fee or entry fee. A HOVARLAY free tier account is sufficient to build your AR experience for this brief.
Your oleh-oleh story is waiting to be told.
Join students across Indonesia in the most exciting phygital packaging challenge of 2026. Submissions open 1 April. The deadline is 31 July. Start building now.
By submitting, you accept our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Notice.
Questions? Contact our support team.