CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Three students at the University of Illinois competed and placed third out of more than 350 applicants at this year’s 32nd Global Innovation Awards in Chicago.

The student design competition was last week, organized by the International Housewares Association. Junior students Peter Carlsson, Kyle Hampton and Amber Mies created a product called “Pail.” It’s a new kind of lunchbox offering a portable meal.

The students said the event gave them a platform to speak with industry leaders about their product.

“We got a great opportunity to just talk to different manufacturers and designers, and so it was cool to get their feedback on how to improve the design because it’s definitely not finished yet, but the concept is there,” Carlsson said. “And so, to get valuable feedback from them and reassurance that this is a good product really meant a lot.”

“What we identified was that most backpacks have two water bottle pockets, but that you only ever use one for a water bottle, so we decided to try to come up with something that could fit in the other one and hold food,” Hampton said. “And so, what we came up with, we called it the ‘Pail,’ and it’s a wedge-shaped lunchbox that has hard sides and removable cups on the inside. So, you’re able to store food and take it with you on the go.”

“Designing ‘Pail’ was one of the most challenging, time-intensive, and demanding projects I have ever undertaken,” Mies said. “However, when we sold out of all 17 handmade units in under two hours and secured third place in the IHA Student Competition, our efforts proved to be more than worthwhile. Winning third place was not just exciting because of the recognition or prize money, it reinforced my belief that success can stem from pursuing what you truly enjoy and are passionate about.”

The award for third place was $1,200 per student. The students said now they’ll head back to the drawing board to add any possible improvements to the product.