NEXTY Awards at SupplySide West!
Recognizing supplement, food, beverage and branding innovation
New for 2019, the SupplySide West Editor’s Choice Awards have been re-branded as the NEXTY Awards at SupplySide West. This evolution recognizes the industry recognition of the NEXTY brand and further aligns the SupplySide and Natural Products Expo events.
The NEXTY Awards at SupplySide West recognize innovation, inspiration and integrity across a range of finished product categories—from condition-specific supplements and nutrient delivery innovation to functional food/beverage and brand storytelling. Entering your product for a NEXTY award offers unprecedented exposure to the SupplySide and Natural Products INSIDER content team and unique recognition at SupplySide West.
Have an innovation you think is #NEXTY worthy? Nominate it today and stand out among the 18,000+ attendees and exhibitors of SupplySide West. Awards will be presented to winners in Las Vegas at SupplySide West in October.
Who can apply?: Finished products must be submitted by the consumer packaged good brands or their representatives, not by ingredient or component suppliers, and must have been launched to the U.S. consumer market between summer 2018 and July 26, 2019. Product prototypes are not eligible.
Deadline: July 26, 2019
Cost: FREE for registered attendees and exhibitors of SupplySide West & Food ingredients North America. Must be registered by the July 26 submission deadline.
HOW TO WIN
The NEXTY Awards are the premiere recognition of excellence in the natural products industry. Winning products represent what’s NEXT … in wellness trends, in solving today’s health and sustainability problems, in ingredient innovation, in packaging, in condition management, in supply chain growth and transparency, and in health impact.
Above all else, the editors and judges use the following criteria to determine whether a product is worthy of a coveted NEXTY Award.
To stand out to the judges, give special attention to the fields on the nomination form where you’re given an opportunity to explain how this product meets the criteria of innovation, inspiration and integrity.
- Innovation: The product or company shows truly creative thinking and execution (not a "me too" approach); uses a newly discovered or rediscovered ingredient, flavor profile, technique or process; fills a legitimate (though perhaps not yet recognized) natural products market need or niche; and/or is predicted to have longer-term impact in the
industry. - Inspiration: The product or company adheres to an unusual or new mission targeting an issue or problem not yet widely addressed; its message/mission is clearly communicated, focused and effective, with real, wide-reaching potential or already proven positive social or environmental impact.
- Integrity: The product or company takes a creative, next-gen approach to clean ingredient(s), sustainability, transparency, traceability and safety/security.
NEXTY AWARD BENEFITS
- Recognition of excellence in the natural products industry
- A beautiful trophy presented to the winning company live on our SupplySide Central Stage on Friday, October 18
- Exclusive rights to winners to use the NEXTY logo in promotions and packaging
- Print feature in Sept/Oct 2019 edition issue of Natural Products INSIDER magazine that lists all finalists
- Inclusion in image galleries on naturalproductsinsider.com
- Invitation to award winner ceremony at SupplySide West Central Stage
- Product featured in the NEXTY showcase display at the NEXTY Award lounge next to the SupplySide Central Stage
- Marketing opportunity to demonstrate excellence to press and potential clients: promote your victory through media outreach and all brand promotions, including presentations, ads, website, catalogs and sales materials
- For finalists: Post-show judges feedback captured during the final round of judging
- For winners: Access to the NEXTY Award winners' toolkit: customizable press release, social media tools, winners' logo, and insider tips to maximize your award
Nominate your product for a NEXTY Award in any of these categories. Individual products may only be submitted in one category.
TIMELINE
1. Online Entries Open: May 15, 2019 - July 26, 2019
Nominate your product for a NEXTY Award by following the three-step process:
Step 1: Complete the online entry form
Step 2: Submit registration confirmation
Step 3: Send product samples
2. Product Samples Accepted: May 15, 2019 - July 30, 2019
To complete your entry, 2 product samples are required to be shipped to the Informa office in Phoenix (2020 N. Central Ave, Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85004) to arrive on or prior to Tuesday, July 30, 2019.
3. Preliminary Judging Round: Monday, August 12, 2019
All products are reviewed, tasted and tested by the Informa Health & Nutrition content team. Products are whittled down to a range of 2 to 5 finalists per category, depending on the total number of products submitted in each category.
All nominated products are considered and judges give a special nod to those that display the qualities of Innovation, Inspiration and Integrity.
4. Final Judging Round: Wednesday, August 21, 2019
The Informa Health & Nutrition content team plus a panel of industry judges review, taste and test the finalists in each category and determine the single winning product per category.
5. The NEXTY Finalists Announced: Wednesday, August 21, 2019
The list of NEXTY Award finalists is announced on naturalproductsinsider.com and circulated to all show attendees and the natural products industry via Natural Products INSIDER & SupplySide newsletters.
6. 2019 NEXTY Winners Announced: 12:30-1pm, Friday, October 18, 2019
The winning product in each NEXTY category is announced and awarded live at our SupplySide Central Stage, Booth# 5759, during the expo, creating a lot of buzz and benefits that extend far after the show is over.
CATEGORIES
Best Allergen-Free Product
Food allergies are increasingly common; fortunately, the market is full of foods, beverages and supplements developed and marketed without common allergens. Whether it’s gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, milk-free, peanut-free … you name it … we’re looking for the top products that meet the desires of consumers to avoid certain ingredients, while still delivering a delicious, healthy experience.
Best Brand Storytelling on New Product
We want to hear about your passion. The motivations and origin stories of new products and their parent brands engage consumers and help show the enthusiasm that drives leading brand. Tell us about the family background, the farm-to-finished product story, the “individual one” you wanted to help, how the brand continues to give back to the communities that help it thrive, and how you communicate that story to consumers through a new product launch or repositioned product.
Best Clean Label Food/Beverage
How did your brand take a traditionally unhealthy, preservative-filled, artificial food and turn it on its head to provide a product that is healthy, natural and transparent? We’re looking for products that are proud of the high-quality, whole-food and natural ingredients they use and that communicate those selections to consumers in open, honest and squeaky-clean ways.
Best Condition-Specific Supplement
We’re looking for products that address consumers’ specific needs—joint, brain, heart, bone, eye, immune health and more. Winning products are backed by science, fill a niche in the market and use creative and respectful ways to connect with their target audience. Brands that practice philanthropy to benefit their target audience also appeal to judges, so don’t forget to include that story.
Best Digestive Health Product
Interest in digestive health continues to climb. Successful products in this key category will include legal label claims and may boast a synergistic blend of successful ingredients such as probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, enzymes, fiber and more. Scientific substantiation is a must, and the product will be appealing enough for consumers who may need to soothe an upset stomach.
Best Functional Food/Beverage
Busy consumers are looking for more from their foods and beverages. They want great-tasting foods and beverages that deliver efficacious doses of health-promoting ingredients with transparent processing methods and substantiated claims. Products in this category deliver tasty, healthy products that are sustainable and easy to incorporate into everyday diets.
Best Life Stage-Specific Supplement
Nutrient needs—and taste buds—adapt as we move from one life stage to the next. Judges are looking for products that help consumers best manage the different stages of life, such as children’s health, fertility, pregnancy, maternal health, menopause, “manopause” and more. Product claims should be backed by science and marketed creatively.
Best Multivitamin
As a mainstay in the supplement cabinet, multivitamins are of utmost importance. However, product offerings can be stale in multivitamin selections. Winning products in this category will offer innovative positioning including new delivery forms, targeted audiences and new research backing. Wow us with a hip way to get RDAs.
Best Nutrient Delivery Innovation
Tried and true ways to get nutrients have their place, but this category honors products that find clever ways for people to consume functional ingredients—bars, shots, stick packs, gummies and more. Products will be reviewed on the science behind the delivery, new ways to consume traditional ingredients, and formulation considerations, such as taste, clean label and natural.
Best Product for Pet/Animal Health
Pets are established family members, and their owners/companions are interested in providing enhanced nutritional options. Many prominent trends run parallel to human nutrition, from organic to transparency, and formulations with no artificial colors, allergens, flavors and preservatives. Noteworthy offerings in animal nutrition may target a specific life stage or condition, or provide specific health benefits.
Best Sports Nutrition Food/Beverage
Athletes want more than supplements to keep them in top performance, but they often are concerned with gastrointestinal (GI) issues. From chews to bars, protein drink mixes, electrolyte ready to drink (RTD) beverages and more, foods to fuel sports focus on all aspects of an athlete’s life, including energy, recovery and muscle building. In this category, we’re looking for innovative foods and beverages with research backing, safe ingredients and a high tolerability level.
Best Sports Nutrition Supplement
The demands of athletes and weekend warriors have expanded beyond just building muscle and boosting energy. The big deal here will be responsibility. This means: free from banned substances/adulterants, proof of meeting label claim, detailed labeling of contents (especially all sources of caffeine), healthy dosing, marketing that targets the appropriate consumers, and realistic claims. Beyond the watchdog stance, a focus will be on innovation of delivery, formulation (have a compelling reason for any "kitchen sink" combos) and user experience (flavors, etc.). And as always, research rules.
Best Supply Chain Partnership
It takes a village to raise a CPG brand. We want to hear about how brands are working with their farmers, ingredient suppliers, contract manufacturers, co-packers, packaging suppliers, contract labs and more. Tell us how everyone in the supply chain had a hand in crafting a glorious product, and how the partnerships helped create a safe, original, outstanding product.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you define if a product is new?
Products launched and available for purchase to the U.S. consumer market between summer 2018 and July 2019.
How much does it cost to nominate a product?
All companies entering must have at least one company member registered to attend SupplySide West. Agency representatives do not count toward this requirement.
Do I need to send a sample of the product for judging purposes?
Yes, send 2 product samples per product entry for judging analysis to arrive to our Phoenix office (2020 N. Central Ave, Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85004) before July 30, 2019.
What if my product is too large to mail (a full-size grill, for example)?
In the case that your product is extremely large and too difficult to mail for judging, please send any relevant product photos and/or product sheets that will assist the judges in making their decisions.
Do products need to be available at retail before they can be nominated for a NEXTY Award?
Products must be available for purchase by consumers by July 2019.
What if my final packaging isn’t complete?
We often have nominations for brand-new products that are still in temporary or final packaging stages. Please send the most finished product that you can along with any packaging mock-ups or notes that convey further attributes to the judges.
May I enter the same product in more than one category?
No, products may only be submitted in one category
Should I submit a product line or a single flavor/variety of a product for a NEXTY?
A single product line should be submitted, however, we ask that you send no more than 3 flavors for the judges to consider during judging. For example: A company has two product lines: a high-protein milk in 5 flavors AND organic high-protein milk in 5 flavors. If they wanted to enter both of these product lines for a NEXTY award, this would count as two separate nominations. The company can send up to 3 of the flavors in each product line for the judges to evaluate.
If we have multiple flavors/varieties in a single product line, should I send all flavors for the judges to evaluate?
You can send up to 3 flavors of the same product line. If you have more than 3 flavors, please select the three that best represent your product line and send only those.
Can my same product win a NEXTY Award if it has already won a NEXTY?
Your product cannot win a NEXTY Award in the same category that it has already won, however, it is eligible to be considered in different categories.
What are you looking for in the Best Supply Chain Partnership Represented category?
Products nominated in this category should highlight a strong partnership(s) between a brand and an ingredient producer(s)/supplier(s), as well as responsible and transparent sourcing of ingredients. In your nomination, explain how your partnership with a named supplier(s) have helped develop a healthier, better product and strengthens supply chain quality and transparency)
Do you have any ingredient guidelines?
Yes, your product will need to meet Informa Health & Nutrition Ingredient Standards & Guidelines, which are the same standards and guidelines in place at the SupplySide Expos. The Informa Health & Nutrition Standards team will evaluate product prior to the judging process and remove any products that do not meet our standards for ingredients and efficacy.
Do the NEXTY categories change every year?
The NEXTY categories are a reflection of the product categories that exhibit/attend at our SupplySide Expos. While some categories have remained consistent throughout the history of the NEXTY Awards, new product categories have been developed specific to the SupplySide audience in mind such as Best Condition-Specific Supplement.
