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Nominations open for the 2023 Expo West NEXTY Awards
All natural product CPG brands are invited to nominate for the latest edition of these coveted industry awards.
New Hope Network staff
December 7, 2022
4 Min Read
The nomination period for the Natural Products Expo West NEXTY Awards opens on Dec. 7 and will close on Jan. 6.
As with other, recent editions of these prestigious awards, nominations for the Natural Products Expo West 2023 NEXTYs will be open to all natural products industry CPG brands—regardless of whether the brand will be exhibiting in person at Natural Products Expo West this March in Anaheim, California.
Spotlighting mission-driven brands
With 19 categories to choose from, the NEXTY Awards program continues to strive to elevate purpose-driven brands.
Many of the most popular purpose-led categories, including Best New People-Forward Product and Best New Planet-Forward Product, launched last year, and will continue to offer brands the opportunity to share their commitments to using business as a force for good and supporting people and the planet.
At the same time, other NEXTY Awards categories have shifted slightly, in order to best represent the changing values and trends driving innovation in this industry.
Some of the changes of note this year include the following:
Best New Sweet or Dessert is now Best New Dessert, to help differentiate it from Best New Sweet Snack. This category will highlight truly indulgent products that can be frozen or non-frozen.
Best New Product Supporting a Plant-Based Lifestyle is now Best New Plant-Forward Product. This category was created in response to consumer’s growing interest in incorporating more plants—in addition to a diversity of plants—into their diets. Nominated brands should be those that help promote and educate consumers about the benefits of putting plants at the forefront, and answer a growing consumer demand for plant-focused products that support climate, health and/or animal welfare issues. It is important to note that products do not need to be strictly 100% plant-based, but rather celebrate plants at center stage.
The Best New Organic or Regenerative Certified Organic Product category is now Best New Certified Organic or Regenerative Product. Open to foods, beverages, supplements or other types of products, this category is for brands that are doing more by engaging in policy to strengthen Organic or Regenerative Organic standards, converting or expanding acreage or showcasing a deep understanding of the ecological journey to their organic or regenerative efforts. Nominating brands must be Certified Organic (USDA NOP standards or equivalent) or Certified Regenerative (Regenerative Organic Certified, Land to Market Verified or Certified Regenerative by AGW).
How to nominate
To be nominated for a NEXTY award, a product must be a finished CPG in the natural products industry that will launch by May 2023. Brands may submit multiple nominations and nominate a product to multiple categories.
Judges look forward to seeing the newest products that are recently or soon-to-be launched. However, older products yet to be discovered nationwide or gain industry recognition can be equally exciting to the judges.
Most importantly, when nominating a product, brands should be prepared to speak to its “three I’s”: innovation, inspiration and integrity—qualities that form the basis of the NEXTY judging criteria.
The three I’s
Innovation: Describe how this product is a result of truly creative thinking and execution. Does it rely on a certain processing technique or production process? Does it use a newly discovered or rediscovered ingredient, or introduce a new flavor profile? Does it fill 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.
Important links
Before nominating a product for an award, brands should download the nomination guide here to review all categories and processes.
Read Everything you need to know about the Nexty Awards, and also check out Natural Products Business School: An insider’s look at the NEXTY Awards.
Nominate a product for a NEXTY Award here.
Finalists will be announced on newhope.com on Jan. 27.
To learn more about the NEXTY Awards, including a complete list of categories, how to nominate, judging criteria, the benefits of winning and more, please visit nextyawards.com.
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