Spirit of Innovation Awards
Nominate your product for the 2019 Spirit of Innovation Awards today!
The Spirit of Innovation Award is designed to recognize product development teams for excellence in creating an innovative new product. The winners are acknowledged for each step of the process: from ideation and development to design, creation and launch of the product.
The Spirit of Innovation Award is sponsored by Prepared Foods. Created back in 2003 by Prepared Foods, the award has a history of recognizing landmark food and beverage product launches. In addition to being rewarded for true excellence in innovation and outstanding teamwork, these winners have received priceless worldwide exposure.
2019 CATEGORIES & DESCRIPTIONS
Best New Product - Retail Food: Most interesting, unique new retail offering (product line or individual SKU)
Best New Product - Retail Beverage: Most interesting, unique new retail offering (product line or individual SKU)
Best New Product - Foodservice / Front of the House (Item Addressing Consumer Trends): Most interesting, unique new prepared offering addressing restaurant patrons’ taste trends and other food preferences.
Best New Product - Foodservice / Back of the House (Item Addressing Customer-Operator Needs): Most interesting, unique new prepared offering – addressing taste trends – but also helping operators reduce cost, labor, time, etc.
Best New Product - Alternative Channel: Best new food / beverage developed specifically for in-store bakery, in-store deli or convenience store channel operators.
Most Disruptive / Interesting New Product (Retail or Foodservice): Editor’s choice of the most “disruptive” and new-to-category product (food or beverage / retail or foodservice).
JUDGING & CRITERIA DETAILS
Product Eligibility: To be eligible, product(s) must have been introduced between January 2018 and March 2019.
Success Story / Teamwork: Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation awards are unique in that they honor product R&D teams’ multi-functional collaboration to identify market opportunities and do work together in product development. Please tell us how and why this product addresses a market need as well as how team members worked together to address and solve internal challenges.
Success Story / Sales: Can you demonstrate positive market sales results? Please do…
Packaging: Packaging innovation is a judging consideration but not weighted as highly as overall formulation and product development. Please note new-to-category packaging innovation (as appropriate)
Submissions: Products may be nominated directly by manufacturer-processor representatives, public relations firms or industry suppliers (ingredients, packaging, etc.)
Judging / How: Each product will be evaluated on an initial 10-point grading scale according to its originality, demonstrated teamwork, demonstrated sales success
Judging / Who: Prepared Foods staff will evaluate all submissions and seek additional input from Chief Editors of sister BNP Media titles: Beverage Industry, Dairy Foods, The National Provisioner (meat/poultry/seafood), Snack & Wholesale Bakery, Candy Industry, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods and Industria Alimenticia. Related titles include Brand Packaging, Flexible Packaging and Packaging Strategies.
Second-round Taste Test: Prepared Foods will ask manufacturers to submit samples of top-scoring new products for additional taste testing / evaluation.
Timing: Spirit of Innovation award nominations will be accepted January 2nd until April 30, 2019. The top 10 in each category will be notified by May 11th and the taste evaluation will take place May 29th.
Winners will be notified by June 1, 2019.
Winners: Prepared Foods will honor six manufacturers during the annual Prepared Foods New Products Conference, September 30 - October 2, 2019 at Swissotel in Chicago, IL. Winners must be willing to attend and send product(s) to be sampled during an awards ceremony and reception. The Award Ceremony and Reception will be held October 1, 2019.
- On-site: While at the conference, the winners will have the opportunity to discuss the strategies involved in creating the winning product, the teams’ major accomplishments as well as the challenges the product development team had to overcome.
- Prepared Foods' Feature Article: Winners are recognized with a feature article in Prepared Foods, appearing in the October issue of the magazine.
2017 SOI AWARDS PHOTO GALLERY
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Taco Bell & Tyson
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Bona Fide Craft Draft
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International Delight
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Jennie-O Turkey Store
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Johnsonville Sausage LLC
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Nestlé
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Pinnacle Foods
PAST SOI AWARDS WINNERS
Foodservice Category Archives
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Retail Category Archives
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
NEW PRODUCTS CONFERENCE
September 30 – October 2, 2019
Swissotel
Chicago, IL
www.NewProductsConference.com
BRINGING INNOVATORS FACE TO FACE WITH THE FUTURE OF FOOD
Prepared Foods’ 37th annual New Products Conference will focus its efforts on how companies in the Food and Beverage industry can re-think their business efforts to help them obtain an edge on their competition. With the latest information and trends presented by the industry's top experts, this powerful 3-day event will allow companies to do just that.
As a result, attendees will not only be able to develop new business relationships that can help catapult their company to new heights, but they’ll also be able to learn how they can cultivate products that can not only appeal to their customers, but also change the way people perceive food.
