2012 Submission Guidelines

Entry Deadline:  June 15, 2012
Entry fee:  None
Eligibility Requirements: 

1. Product or service must have been commercially introduced since January 1, 2011.
2. All entries must be submitted online using the official 2012 NFDA Innovation Award form no later than June 15, 2012. Entries received after June 15, 2012, will not be considered.
3. Company must be a current exhibitor at the 2012 NFDA International Convention & Expo, October 7-10, 2012, in Charlotte. Booth must be paid in full at time of entry.
4. The competition is not open to Innovation Award Sponsors.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Entries that do not meet all eligibility requirements or do not include supporting documentation and materials will be automatically disqualified.
2. All entries and supporting documentation, including brochures, promotional materials, video or Web link, photographs and/or diagrams of the product or service must be submitted online using the official 2012 NFDA Innovation Award form no later than June 15, 2012.
3. Entrants are eligible to submit up to three original but separate products or services that have been commercially introduced since January 1, 2011.
4. All entry materials must be in English.
5. Entries should not contain confidential information, as confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
6. The descriptions of the innovative product or service must be 1,000 characters or less (including spaces) for each category (view the Judging Criteria for full category descriptions): 
   • Originality & Uniqueness
   • Quality & Design
   • Practicality & Sustainability
   • Benefit & Value
7. Once an entry is submitted, the form cannot be revised or resubmitted.
8. The decision of the judges is final.
9. The judges reserve the right to defer the award if there is not a suitable entry.Winners may be asked to submit a short article about their product or service for inclusion on the NFDABizExchange.org website and/or in The Director magazine.
10. Applicants should be aware that the award may lead to further media interest.

If you experience technical difficulties or have questions about the submission process, contact Andrew Werner at 262-814-1550 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Click here to view all the Exhibitor Submissions for the 2011 NFDA Innovation Awards.