sofi Awards Benefits How To Enter Contact Us My Account Enter Now Home How To Enter FAQs Frequently Asked Questions HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ENTER? Each entry costs $95. WHEN CAN I ENTER THE SOFI AWARDS? The entry period is March 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021. WHEN DO I SEND THE PRODUCT SAMPLES? Ship samples to arrive between March 1, 2021 – April 8, 2021. If your product is perishable: Clearly mark the exterior of the box: "PERISHABLE.". We recommend you send your products so they arrive between Tuesday-Thursday. The Rutgers Food Innovation Center is closed on weekends and will not be open to receive shipments or drop-offs on Saturdays or Sundays. Please send products with an expiration date no earlier than May 24, 2021. DO I HAVE TO EXHIBIT AT THE FANCY FOOD SHOW TO ENTER? No. The sofi Awards are open to all Specialty Food Association members in good standing. If you are interested in becoming a member please click here WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY? Entries in the New Product category must have been introduced to the U.S. market after March 1, 2020 and before October 1, 2020. HOW MANY ENTRIES MAY I SUBMIT? Products must be selling in the U.S. market no later than October 1, 2020. There is no limit to the number of products/SKUs you can submit; each can only compete in one category. You may enter multiple products/SKUs in the same category. The one exception to this is that the same product can compete in the New Product category plus one other category. Please note that a product that is entered in different packaging sizes or forms does not qualify the product as ‘NEW’ nor allows the product to be entered in multiple categories. MY PRODUCT IS NOT QUITE READY FOR SALE. MAY I SUBMIT IT? No. All entries must be ready for sale. Mock-ups are not accepted. MAY I ENTER MULTIPLE PRODUCTS FOR THE SAME CATEGORY? Yes, as long as they are different products/flavors. IF I HAVE A FOODSERVICE PRODUCT, WHICH CATEGORY SHOULD I ENTER IT IN? Enter your product in the category it fits best. Due to of blind judging, packaging and pricing will not be taken into consideration. Foodservice entries should NOT be sent without their original packaging and all nutritional information must be included. DO I NEED TO SEND PRODUCT SAMPLES? Yes, enough for 15 small tasting samples. Two packages/jars/boxes are usually enough. A new set of samples must be sent for each category in which the product is entered. Please do not send excess product. Due to safety concerns, shipping box MUST be labeled as PERISHABLE, keep FROZEN or keep REFRIGERATED on the package. Products must have an expiration date of no earlier than May 24, 2021. WHERE ARE THE ENTRY FORMS? Enter online at sofiawards.com. IF MY PRODUCT NEEDS TO BE PREPARED OR COOKED (E.G. CAKE MIX), SHOULD I SEND PREPARED PRODUCT? No. The Specialty Food Association hires professional chefs to prepare products according to package instructions. MAY I SEND FROZEN OR REFRIGERATED PRODUCTS? Yes. Make sure to clearly mark the exterior of the box “PERISHABLE. Keep FROZEN or REFRIGERATED.” MAY I SEND PAYMENT SEPARATELY? No, you must pay online when you submit your entry. DO JUDGES TASTE THE PRODUCTS? Yes, judges taste all the products. PLEASE NOTE PRODUCT FEEDBACK IS NOT PROVIDED AT THE END OF THE AWARDS. IF I HAVE QUESTIONS WHO CAN I CONTACT? Contact the sofi Awards hotline at sofiawards@specialtyfood.com Follow Us Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Share PRESENTED BY QUESTIONS? CONTACT sofiawards@specialtyfood.com