With the recently announced extended deadline of Feb. 2, 2026, the awards are calling on innovators who know that great products do not succeed on science alone. The ‘Marketing Initiative of the Year’ award puts storytelling front and center—recognizing that in today’s crowded marketplace, how a product is communicated can be just as critical as how its made.
As Ewa Hudson, chair of the NutraIngredients Awards, explains: Creative, strategic marketing doesn’t just support innovation—it brings it to life.
“The category recognizes that bringing a branded ingredient or product to market is just the beginning—success also hinges on how it’s sold,” Hudson said.
“In an increasingly competitive landscape, this celebrates the entire team, the strategic roadmap and the creative marketing that together build the foundation for a product’s success.
“It honors the innovators not just behind the ingredients but also behind the stories that bring them to life.”
Turning perimenopause insight into an award-winning marketing campaign
The winning entry last year positioned perimenopause as a lived paradox rather than a medical problem and used that insight to spark visibility, recognition and conversation.
Perimenopause support supplement brand Valerie identified a cultural silence around perimenopause and deliberately challenged it, reframing symptoms as contradictions—hot yet cold, exhausted yet wired, furious yet forgetful—and turned those tensions into the creative backbone of the campaign, ‘Peri-Paradox’.
The brand translated this insight into guerrilla-style faux billboards and fly posters, placing them in real-world locations frequented by women in their late 30s to mid-50s. Each execution visually captured the clash of emotions and physical states that define perimenopause, making women feel seen rather than medicalized.
“Raising awareness about perimenopause and menopause is crucial for women’s well-being,” the judges said.
“We commend Valerie for its innovative marketing initiative, Peri-Paradox, which creatively challenges societal norms, breaks taboos and encourages more open discussions about menopause. Campaigns like Peri-Paradox are essential in helping women thrive at any age.”
Inside a winning Marketing Initiative of the Year
For brands and individuals applying to the Marketing Initiative of the Year Award, the key is to start with the story. Applicants should explain the challenge they set out to solve and why it mattered, whether that was improving consumer understanding, shifting behavior or addressing a specific nutritional or physical activity need. Strong entries clearly articulate the insight behind the campaign and how creativity was used strategically to bring it to life.
Finally, the awards committee likes to see collaboration and originality, and in fact, many of the most compelling applications have highlighted cross-functional teamwork, fresh thinking and a clear strategic roadmap. This category rewards those who did not follow the formula but instead used creativity to cut through complexity and connect meaningfully with consumers.
So whether you or your company delivered a standout digital campaign, partnered with a sports team or high-profile personality, launched a bold guerrilla activation, created an immersive pop-up or staged a live event, make it clear how your chosen format amplified your message, engaged your audience and drove measurable impact.
With just one week left to apply, don’t miss the chance to showcase your marketing campaign and be recognized at the NutraIngredients Awards 2026: Apply here!
