Golden Penguin Awards Competition
This national awards program recognizes the best marketing and merchandising efforts in support of March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month and Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties. The Golden Penguin Awards competition features a variety of categories to suit your promotion efforts.
Calling all retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents and local associations: Did you know you can enter any marketing efforts, big or small? There’s a category to fit YOUR promotion! Submitting your Golden Penguin entry is easy with a complete online entry form where you can provide a summary of your program and upload all documents and photos supporting your efforts. This online system streamlines all entries, making it more efficient for you to submit your entry and for the panel of judges to determine winners.
Jump to: What Can Be Entered | Who Can Enter | Submitting Your Entry | Judging
What Can Be Entered?
Marketing campaigns and merchandising events held in direct support of either the March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month or June/July Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties promotions including up to 30 days before and after the given month(s).
Who Can Enter?
Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents and local associations of any size can enter any and all categories that are applicable to your business. Entries will be judged on their own merit taking into consideration organization size and/or program budget.
NFRA Members can submit an unlimited number of entries for free. The fee is $25 per entry for non-members.
Overall Marketing Campaign – A sustained marketing campaign utilizing at least four forms of advertising, digital communication, print communication or in-store execution. Submission should include examples of ads, display photos, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
Submissions must fall into one of the following subcategories:
– Retailer
– Wholesaler
– Manufacturer
– Sales Agent
– Local Association
Top Marketer Awards – A special group of awards recognizing the Best of the Best! The highest scoring entry in each of the Overall Marketing Campaign sub-categories will be named the Top Marketer. Top Marketers will be announced at the Tuesday Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
In-Store Display
Creative and effective use of signage, visuals, props, etc., in support of the specific promotion month. Displays may use NFRA POS, but are not required to. Retailers/Wholesalers can name an assisting company or the sales agent/manufacturer may enter on their own.
In-Store Event
Events in support of the specific promotion month that may include demos, shopping sprees, celebrity appearances, remote radio/TV broadcasts, etc. Submission should include event photos and any advertising, signage or publicity around the event.
Community Involvement
In-store or out-of-store event supporting a community/public service or charitable cause (food drive, fundraising, volunteer service, etc.). Submission should include photos and supporting media and clearly demonstrate a tie-in with the corresponding promotion.
Social Media Campaign
A sustained campaign utilizing at least two forms of social/digital marketing including: website, blog, emails, apps, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram or other social platforms. Submission should include examples of ads, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
Retail Dietitian Wellness Program
A 30-60 day sustained wellness campaign created by a Retail Dietitian in support of a promotion month using at least two forms of digital communication, print communication and/or in-store or online execution. Submission should include a summary of your objectives, tactics and results and examples of consumer communications, event photos, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
Private Brand Campaign
A sustained campaign promoting a private brand(s) during the promotion period utilizing at least two forms of digital or print communications or in-store execution. Submission should include examples of ads, display photos, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
Submitting Your Entry
- Go to the entry site.
- Create an Account so you can return and edit your entry later.
- Choose a Category from the drop down menu.
- Fill out the four required questions regarding your goals, plan, results and the size of your company.
- Upload files related to your entry. We recommend organizing your photos, screenshots, etc. in a PowerPoint or PDF file.
- To enter another category, use the Submit Another Entry button after completing your first entry.
Judging
Judging will be done by a panel of marketing professionals who will determine the category winners based on creativity, clarity and the effectiveness of each program/promotion entered. Entries will be judged on their own merit taking into consideration organization size and/or program budget. The Top Marketer Awards will be determined by the highest scoring entry in each of the Overall Marketing Campaign subcategories.
What the Judges Are Looking For
- Were the program’s sales goals clearly stated? (When applicable, a measurable number such as expected dollar amount, unit sales or percentage of sales increase will score higher.)
- Were elements and implementation of the program clearly described?
- Were program sales results clearly stated? (When applicable, a measurable number such as actual dollar amount, unit sales or percentage of sales increase will score higher.)
- How well do program examples reflect the goals, description and a good use of budget?
- How well does the program tie into the promotion, including use of the promotion logo?
- Does the program show a creative approach?
- Are the sales results achieved reasonable based on the information and examples provided?
Timeline
- Entries are judged shortly after the submission deadline.
- Judges have two weeks to complete their review.
- March Frozen Food Month winners will be announced in early June.
- June Dairy Month and Summer Favorites winners will be announced in early September.
- Gold Winners will receive a phone call from NFRA notifying you of your winning entry/entries. Gold awards can be collected at the Golden Penguin Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 9, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. To make alternate arrangements, please contact NFRA directly.
- Silver Winners will be posted on nfraweb.org. Silver awards will be mailed to you.
- Top Marketers will be announced at the Golden Penguin Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 9, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. View photos from the 2023 Awards Luncheon here
Questions
Contact Sarah Thompson at 717-657-8601 or [email protected] for any questions regarding judging criteria or preparing your entry.
Criteria subject to changes.
