Rotocon names student label design winners

Rotocon has announced the winners of its fourth annual student wine label design competition, held in partnership with Tshwane University of Technology, SA Litho Label Printers and Polyflex Premedia.

First place was awarded to Mpilo Mthembu, with Kara-Mari Gresse in second place and Itumeleng Mohlala in third. Ntokozo Tshabalala received a special mention. The competition was open to undergraduate students in TUT's Department of Visual Communication, with 57 participants this year.

The 2026 theme, A New Vintage of Vision, invited students to reflect on a new generation of designers shaping wine branding. The judging panel included Michael Aengenvoort, CEO of Rotocon Group, Dawrian Salies, general manager of SA Litho Label Printers, and Stuart Baylis, group operations manager of Polyflex. The awards ceremony took place on 17 April at Irene Lodge.

Mthembu, Gresse and Tshabalala will travel to Cape Town for a factory tour of SA Litho Label Printers, where their winning label will be printed. The three will also be recognized at the WineLand Media 30 Under 30 Awards on 5 June, an event Rotocon is sponsoring for the seventh consecutive year.

'This competition is about more than design, it's about shaping industry-ready thinkers,' said Banie Stafford of B Creative, who led the competition. 'And this year's group delivered exactly that.'