HARRISBURG, Pa. (September 30, 2026) — The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has announced the winners of its 2026 June Dairy Month and Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties Golden Penguin Awards, recognizing innovative marketing programs that elevated consumer awareness, strengthened shopper engagement, and showcased the value of dairy foods, ice cream, and frozen novelties.
Each year, NFRA honors retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, sales agents, and industry partners whose promotions demonstrate creativity, execution, and measurable impact. This year’s winning entries reflected a strong focus on consumer engagement, seasonal relevance, omnichannel marketing, and efforts to connect shoppers with products that fit today’s lifestyles and preferences.
A total of 33 Gold Awards and 20 Silver Awards were presented across multiple categories. The complete list of winners for June Dairy Month Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties is available via nfraweb.org.
“Dairy foods, ice cream, and frozen novelties continue to play an important role in consumers’ lives, whether they’re supporting everyday meals and snacks or creating small moments of enjoyment with family and friends,” said Tricia Greyshock, President and CEO of NFRA. “The programs recognized through this year’s Golden Penguin Awards demonstrate how our members are finding creative ways to connect consumers with products they trust, while reinforcing the quality, convenience, value, and enjoyment these categories bring to everyday life.”
The Golden Penguin Awards celebrate marketing excellence across categories that reflect today’s evolving retail landscape, including:
- In-Store Display
- In-Store Event
- Community Involvement
- Social Media Campaign
- Retail Dietitian Wellness Program
- Private Brand Campaign
- Overall Marketing Campaign
Winning programs highlighted several key trends shaping consumer engagement today, including experiential marketing, digital and social activation, health and wellness messaging, seasonal storytelling, and strong retailer-manufacturer collaboration. Together, these efforts helped inspire consumers to discover new dairy foods, ice cream, and novelty products while reinforcing the categories’ ongoing relevance in households across the country.
Gold Award recipients will be recognized during the Golden Penguin Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 20 at 12:00 p.m. at the 2026 NFRA Convention in National Harbor, Md., where the association will also reveal its prestigious Top Marketer Awards. These honors are reserved for the highest-scoring entries in the Overall Marketing Campaign categories and recognize the industry’s most exceptional promotional efforts. To attend the Golden Penguin Awards Luncheon and other Convention events, register for the 2026 NFRA Convention at nfraconvention.org/register.
About National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA)
NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. NFRA sponsors national promotions ReDiscover Dairy & Frozen (January), March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, and Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties (June/July); and provides consumer information such as lifestyle content, meal preparation tips, recipes and sweepstakes opportunities through its Easy Home Meals consumer website and social media properties. To learn more, visit nfraweb.org and easyhomemeals.com.
