Time is rapidly running out for designers, agencies, brand creators, and students looking to secure the lowest possible entry fees for the upcoming Dieline Awards 2027 cycle. Today marks the final day of the Fall Entry window, bringing an immediate end to the introductory pricing tier that has been available to early participants.
At precisely 23:59 GMT tonight, the cost of submission will increase across all participant tiers. For professional entries, the fee will rise from $385 to $415. Independent creators will see their submission cost increase from $275 to $300, while the entry fee for concepts, student work, and Design for Good submissions will adjust upward from $145 to $160.
For the global packaging design community, this midnight deadline represents a critical juncture. The Dieline Awards stand as one of the most prominent international competitions dedicated to consumer packaging design, celebrating innovation, sustainability, and creative excellence across a wide spectrum of physical goods. Securing a submission during the Fall Entry window offers participants a significant financial advantage before the scheduled rate adjustments take effect throughout the remainder of the competition season.
What you can still do today
Even with the clock ticking down to the midnight deadline, organizers have emphasized that participants do not need a completely finalized, polished project in hand to lock in today’s rates. Designers and agencies can easily start an entry right now and finish it later.
One of the key flexibilities built into the competition platform is that entries remain fully editable right up until the moment final entries close in February 2027. This means that if a packaging project is nearly complete but minor elements—such as high-resolution commercial photography, final copywriting tweaks, or rendering adjustments—are still being polished, creators are strongly encouraged to enter the project into the system anyway and continue working on the finer details over the coming months.
Crucially, the entry fee is locked in at the point of purchase, not at the point of perfection. By registering a submission before tonight’s 23:59 GMT cutoff, participants can take advantage of the lowest pricing tier while giving themselves ample time to refine their case studies, update their visual assets, and present their packaging designs in the best possible light well ahead of the final judging phases.
If you are on the fence about the category
Navigating the wide array of submission options can sometimes present a challenge for creators whose work crosses multiple disciplinary boundaries or product sectors. For those who find themselves on the fence about where a specific project belongs, the competition structure accommodates multiple submissions for a single body of work.
Participants are permitted to submit entries to multiple categories, keeping in mind that each category submission is treated as a separate entry with its own corresponding fee. When a design team faces a dilemma regarding whether a project belongs squarely within a specific market group or within the Brand Identity Systems category, industry experience often suggests that the answer is both.
Entering a project across multiple relevant categories can increase visibility before the judging panel, provided the work speaks directly to the specific criteria of each group. With nineteen distinct categories available for submission, alongside specialized tracks for concept and student work, designers have a broad canvas to showcase how their packaging addresses consumer needs, structural innovation, and brand storytelling. Detailed descriptions and definitions of all available categories can be reviewed directly on the Dieline Awards categories page to ensure accurate placement.
The next rate after this one
Tonight’s deadline marks the definitive end of the initial discount period, but it is also part of a broader, structured timeline leading up to the final judging cutoff in early 2027. Following the close of the Fall Entry window, the competition will transition into its next pricing phase.
The upcoming Pre-Holiday rate period is scheduled to run from October 1 through October 31, during which time professional entries will be priced at $415. As the competition progresses further into the new year, fees will continue to escalate, culminating in a final rate of $545 when the ultimate entry deadline arrives in February.
For design studios, independent creators, and educational institutions looking to maximize their budgets, tonight represents the absolute last time that any of these specific registration numbers will remain this low. Once the clock strikes 23:59 GMT, the introductory pricing tiers will disappear for the remainder of the 2027 awards cycle.
The Fall Entry window officially closes tonight, September 30, at 23:59 GMT. Participants utilizing the final hours of the window can still register at the rates of $385 for professionals, $275 for independents, and $145 for concepts, students, and Design for Good entries. Submissions can be processed directly through the official Dieline Awards platform.
