As consumers increasingly seek functional foods to support active and healthy lifestyles, dairy’s nutrient-rich profile presents a major opportunity. The competition encourages students to tap into current industry and consumer insights, aiming to bring fresh dairy-based concepts to market.

Products should target one or more of the following benefits:

• Bone Health
• Muscle Health
• Weight Management

"This competition is about more than innovation – it's about preparing the next generation of food and dairy leaders to respond to evolving consumer needs with dairy at the center," said Dr. Rohit Kapoor (pictured), vice president of product research at DMI.

Finalists will have their entries evaluated by a panel of industry experts and will be recognized at the 2026 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, June 21-24 in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Cash prizes will be awarded, including:

• Platinum Dairy Innovator Award – $10,000 (1st place)
• Gold Dairy Innovator Award – $7,000 (2nd place)
• Silver Dairy Innovator Award – $4,000 (3rd place)
• Dairy Innovator Awards – $2,000 each (for three additional teams completing Phase 2)

To learn more about product criteria and marketplace insights, view the “2026 Challenge: Consumer and Marketplace Insights” at USDairy.com.

 For contest rules and entry details, visit www.usdairy.com/research-resources/new-product-competition and for questions, contact Kapoor at rohit.kapoor@dairy.org