Welcome to the 2026 sofi™ Awards!
Kicking off in June 2025 and culminating in a celebration at the Specialty Food Association's new Winter FancyFaire* show in January, the 2026 sofi Awards have been reimagined to better celebrate products of the highest quality, innovation, and relevance.
Submissions for 2026 are Open on June 16 - August 25, 2025
SFA will send notices via email and other channels when the submission period begins.
To view the full timeline for the 2026 sofi Awards, please click here.
All About Food's Most Coveted Prize
What are the sofi Awards?
Presented by the Specialty Food Association, the sofi Awards are among the most prestigious honors in the specialty food industry.
Established in 1972, the awards celebrate outstanding products across 25 categories, including snacks, beverages, cheese, and frozen. Winners are selected through a rigorous blind tasting process by a panel of top industry buyers, with evaluations based on taste, ingredient quality, and innovation.
What's New in 2026
The upcoming sofi Awards will introduce several changes:
- 75 Gold and 3 Packaging Finalists will be announced in advance of Winter FancyFaire*, and the Grand Honors winners will be announced live during the ceremony.
- 25 Gold Awards will be given to the top scoring product in each category, enhancing the level of competition.
- The awards ceremony will be held at Winter FancyFaire* in San Diego, January 11–13, 2026.
Award Categories
The 2026 sofi Awards will feature:
- Gold Awards: One Gold winner per category, representing the top product in each. The top 3 products in each category will be announced as sofi Finalists. The top 3 products in the Outstanding Packaging Design category will be announced as Finalists as well.
- Grand Honors Awards: Special recognitions presented live at Winter FancyFaire*.
- Product of the Year – Food
- Product of the Year – Beverage
- Outstanding New Product
- Timeless Taste
- Outstanding Packaging Design
Top Retail Buyers Select the sofi Winners
SFA works with the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University (FIC) to manage the sofi Awards judging. This year, awards will feature a superstar panel of buyers from top retailers, including Whole Foods, Wakefern, Giant Eagle, DeCicco & Sons, and more.
With an expanded and elevated judging process, these industry-leading buyers will evaluate product entries firsthand. All brands that submit to the sofi Awards receive feedback, including judges' scores, from these influential decision-makers!
Meet the Buyers
What You Receive When You Win a sofi
- Promotion at Specialty Food Association’s Winter FancyFaire* trade show
- Winter FancyFaire* takes place January 11-13, 2026 in San Diego, CA
- The show will include a dedicated event to celebrate sofi Award winners
- Inclusion in the SFA sofi Media Blitz:
- SFA Press Release promoting all winners distributed to 400+ members of the trade media
- Online galleries of winning products on specialtyfood.com (161k monthly users)
- Announcements across all SFA social media sites (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
- Dedicated mention in sofi Awards Collection on RangeMe
- sofi Branding Rights:
- Exclusive right to use the sofi™ logo in marketing promotion and on packaging
- sofi digital toolkit to help you promote your product
- sofi Trophy:
- A physical sofi trophy that you can display at your business and bring to food events where you exhibit—a recognized symbol of excellence and innovation.