Give your New Products & Services the Spotlight
Take center stage in front of all of North America
Are you doing all you can to effectively launch your new products and services in the North American market? With all of the market’s buyers in one place, make sure you get their attention. You have already taken the first step of bringing your company to the expo, now make sure you take advantage of the valuable programs!
The benefits of participating in the New Product Showcase include the following:
- High visibility at North America’s largest seafood event!
- Cost-effective marketing solution for reaching thousands of seafood professionals
- New product listing on the expo’s website and expo map
Products submitted into the New Product Showcase are automatically entered into the prestigious Seafood Excellence Awards competition.
Deadline to enter the Seafood Excellence Competition: Thursday, January 13, 2022
Competition Guidelines – Overview
The Seafood Excellence Awards competition is designed to recognize the BEST NEW seafood products represented at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America each year. Three selected seafood Key Buyers and experts will judge the selected finalists’ entries on eating experience, innovation, health and nutrition and market potential. Winning products will be announced on the first day of the event at the Demo Theater, receive a special Awards, be displayed prominently in the New Product Showcase in the exhibit hall, and be promoted in a press release distributed to the media, through social media and on the event’s website.
Award Categories
- Best New Retail Product
- Best New Foodservice Product
Entry Process
Finalist Process
Winners Selection Process
- All applicants must be exhibitors of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America.
- All interested companies must complete an online entry application for each product they wish to enter in the competition. Please READ carefully the application. Each question must be answered. Incomplete entry forms will not be considered.
- New Product applicants are automatically entered into the Seafood Excellence Awards competition.
- All entries will be reviewed by the screening committee to ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements for the competition.
- The best 10-12 products will be chosen as Finalists in the competition.
- Finalists are required to display the product in both raw and prepared states as well as display product packaging.
- Once Finalists has been selected, instructions will be sent on how and where to bring products for the tasting day at the event. The tasting and judging will take place on the first day of the Expo in the exhibit hall.
- Finalists will be judged by a panel of distinguished judges on the first day. This panel of three experts may include foodservice and retail buyers, executive chefs, marketing experts, nutritionists, and consumer advocates.
- All finalists will be asked to provide samples and packaging of their product for the judges to evaluate.
- Awards will be given for the Best New Retail Product and Best New Foodservice Product.
- The winning awards will be announced at the demonstration theater in the exhibit hall on Sunday, March 13 at 3:30 pm.
Judging Criteria
Criteria % of total
Taste profile
(flavor, texture, aroma, cooked appearance) 30%
Packaging
(label information, environmental factors, food safety) 15%
Market potential
(potential for commercial success, correct pricing
and profile for target market, value [quality/price ratio]) 15%
Convenience
(for the end user and consumer) 15%
Nutritional value
(appropriate for product and meal occasion) 10%
Originality 15%
Total 100%
The New Product Showcase and Seafood Excellence Awards are open only to exhibitors.
Deadline to enter the Seafood Excellence Competition: Thursday, January 13, 2022
