LINTHICUM, MD. (Feb. 23, 1 p.m. ET) -- ConAgra Foods’ Phoenix Packaging division took top honors in the 2012 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition for its work redesigning the popcorn bag.

The Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowl is a microwavable package that turns into a stable, wide mouth bowl during popping, and is designed to be portable and easy to share.

The Flexible Packaging Association, who coordinates the competition, described the bowl as “the most complex lamination ever produced for high volume microwave popcorn packages” in a news release.

The bowl snagged the highest achievement award, as well as gold awards for both Packaging Excellence and Technical Innovation.

Of the 86 flexible packaging entries submitted, 25 packages earned 31 achievement awards in several categories -- Packaging Excellence, Printing Achievement, Technical Innovation, and Environmental and Sustainability Achievement.

The following companies earned gold awards:

Plastic Packaging Technologies earned gold in three categories -- Packaging Excellence, Printing Achievement and Technical Innovation for the Blue Bones small natural dental chew bones flexible box pouch.

Berry Plastics Corp. was recognized for Technical Innovation for their Microwaveable “One Size Fits All” Packaging.

Amcor Flexibles Europe and Americas earned a Technical Innovation award for their Interior Tinted/Printed Formpack.

Innovative Packaging Solutions Inc. earned a Technical Innovation award for the Method Laundry and Dish Refill Pouch (with spine).

Printpack Inc. earned an award in Printing Achievement for the Ganador QuadSeal Sack (10 kg).

Flex-Pack was recognized in Printing Achievement for the Icelandic Grouper Fillets packaging.

Bemis Co.'s Curwood Inc. unit earned an award in Environmental and Sustainability Achievement for their FreshCase packaging for fresh red meat.

Curwood, in collaboration with Heinz North America, was also recognized in Packaging Excellence for the Heinz Dip n Squeeze ketchup pouch.

Several companies also earned silver awards.

Curwood was recognized for three products – Schwan’s Fresch Taste-Seal Packaging for Freshchetta Simply Inspired Pizza, the Swanson Flavor Boost Portion-Control Sachet, and the Heinz Dip n Squeeze.

Printpack earned awards for two products, the Beneful Discovery Pack and Bengay Zero Degrees packaging.

Ampac was also recognized for two products, its Pocket Shots Stand-Up Pouch made with its alcohol compatible laminate and the Tesco Finest Soups retort pouch.

Other silver award winners were: Amcor Flexibles Europe and Americas, Hilex Poly Co. LLC, Flex America Inc., Nordenia U.S.A., CL&D Graphics Inc., Exopack LLC, American Packaging Corp., Sonoco Flexible Packaging, Peel Plastic Products Ltd., and Sealed Air Corp. and Cryovac Food Packaging.

The Flexible Packaging Association has held the achievement awards for 56 years. Winners were honored at the FPA Annual Meeting on Feb. 22.

Judges for the 2012 awards were Larry Alehman, master faculty at Western Michigan University; Lisa McTigue Pierce, editor of Packaging Digest, and Michael Richmond, co-founder of Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions.