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Expo West NEXTY Awards nominations open Monday
The NEXTY Award nominations open earlier this year: Monday, Sept. 16. Here’s everything you need to know to nominate a product for a Natural Products Expo West 2025 NEXTY Award.
September 10, 2024
3 Min Read
New Hope Network has announced the opening of nominations for its NEXTY Awards, an annual program that has been recognizing the most innovative, inspirational and integrity-driven products in the natural products industry for more than a decade.
The current edition of this prestigious awards program will kick off Sept. 16 and culminate with the announcement of the winners at Natural Products Expo West this March 4-7, 2025, in Anaheim, California. Brands need not be an exhibitor at Expo West to apply for a NEXTY Award and take advantage of the multiple benefits of being declared a finalist or winner.
The early bird catches the discounted nomination
This edition of the NEXTY Awards will have a much longer nomination period, one that not only opens in September, but that also offers an “early-bird discount” for brands that nominate between Sept. 16 and Oct. 16. Companies can send in their non-perishable samples at any time, but perishable samples may only be received from Dec. 2–Dec. 5. Finalists will be announced on Feb. 12 on newhope.com and winners will be selected in a second round of judging by a panel of retailers and other industry experts.
The 2024 edition of the NEXTY awards was record-breaking, with nearly 1,500 nominations and 154 finalists. It also saw the debut of numerous new categories, including packaged produce, certified regenerative product, beauty product, alcoholic and adult non-alcoholic beverage, vegan product and more. A full list of all 35 NEXTY award categories can be found here.
How to nominate a product
The nomination form will open on Monday, Sept. 16. The link to the nomination form will be here on expowest.com.
GoodSam won the 2024 NEXTY for Packaged Produce
What are the judging criteria?
The editors and judges use these criteria to determine whether a product is worthy of a coveted NEXTY Award:
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.
Additionally, all products must meet New Hope Network's Ingredient Standards & Guidelines, which are the same standards and guidelines in place for all exhibitors at Natural Products Expo West and Newtopia Now.
Arya Roti displayed its NEXTY Award trophies at its Newtopia Now booth. Credit: Victoria A.F. Camron
What are the benefits of winning a NEXTY Award?
NEXTY Award finalists and winners receive considerable industry recognition before and after Natural Products Expo West.
All finalists will be featured in a special showcase at Expo West, as well as on each trade show's virtual platforms. They will also be included in a print feature in the retail-facing Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine and a number of special features on newhope.com.
The NEXTY winners receive all the benefits of the finalists as well as a NEXTY trophy, exclusive rights to use the NEXTY Awards winner logo in promotions and packaging, access to the winner’s toolkit to maximize their award and more. Find a selection of articles about previous winners and finalists here.
Where can I learn more about the NEXTY Awards?
The Expo West NEXTY Awards website is your go-to resource for all NEXTY Awards details, including the nomination form, the categories, associated fees, past winners, the benefits of winning, the rotating industry judging panel and more! The NEXTY Awards Nomination Guide (which will be available for download on Sept. 16) will equip you with the information you need to successfully nominate your product.
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