All products / initiatives entered must have been implemented, launched, created or rebranded from January 2020 onwards.

Products/initiatives that are not yet in the market can still be entered as long as they are in their prototype/design stage by the closing date of this awards program.

To download the full awards guideline document, click here.

For any questions or queries around the awards, please contact awards@zenithglobal.com.

For each category entry, you are required to submit the following only:

• A 200-word description of why your product deserves to win
• Up to four high-resolution images

*For the category 'Best Brand Marketing' you are invited to send an additional 1-page document to include any video content or imagery relating to the entry.

Below are some ideas and recommendations for what you may wish to include in your 200-word description. For all categories, you may wish to consider including the following:

Why your development is the most innovative/exciting in this category and what makes it stand out

What is the vision and mission of your development

How is your product differentiated from others/market gap analysis

Where your development has reached geographically, financially and the contribution it has made


CROPS

Best Crop Innovation

We are looking to understand what crop you have added to your portfolio and how it has helped you to enter a specific market segment; why you focused on this crop innovation and rejected others; and what results you achieved, such as business success, customer satisfaction, operational efficiencies or financial return.

Best Crop Enhancement

We are seeking to understand how you have applied your competencies as a grower to enhance such aspects as shelf life, taste, flavour, colour or nutrition; what results you achieved in the market and what customer needs you addressed.

Best Yield Improvement

In this category, we are looking at how you improved the yield of a particular crop per m³ of growing space, how you balanced input sources such as nutrients, light, CO₂, temperature etc. and what profitability impact you realised.


TECHNOLOGY

Best Lighting Development

Here, we are looking at how you advanced your lighting to improve your produce. Please specify what and why produce attributes changed, and how far you reduced electricity consumption as a total and per kg of produce.

Best AI/Automation Development sponsored by Light Science Technologies

In this category, the judges will evaluate how you advanced your AI/automation concepts. What improvement did you achieve with which data, what bearing did automation have on labour and your overall cost structure, and was there an impact on your produce, such as longer shelf life?

Best Climate Control Innovation

We are looking to understand how you advanced your climate control management (e.g. temperature, humidity, CO₂), and the impact this innovation has had on produce, cost and other improvements, given the natural climate you operate in.

Best Farm Design Innovation

In this category, we are looking for a clear message about why your farm design is the most innovative/exciting, given the location/environment you operate in and the customer segment that you target.


SUSTAINABILITY

Best Energy Efficiency

This category will be judged based on your total energy footprint per area/volume and kg of produce. Furthermore, the judges will evaluate the energy sources you are using, what act they had on your costs and why you have made the choices to select your energy strategy.

Best Sustainability Initiative

We are looking for sustainability initiatives that have been realised across social contribution, environmental balance and economic growth. Please indicate what results you achieved against any of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Best Water Saving Initiative

In this category, we are looking at how you deal with water in your operations. How much water do you use per kg produce, what are the water sources you tap into, how do you recycle water, how is your water usage contributing the local environment and why did you make these choices?

Best Community Initiative

Here, we are looking how you have engaged with your community around you. What initiatives did you implement with and for your community and what were the positive outcomes?


FINANCIAL

Best Profitability Improvement

In this category, the judges will evaluate how much you have improved your bottom line and which initiatives have led to the improvement. Were you able to improve your topline, optimise operational parameters, achieve better financing terms or a combination of all three?

Best Return on Investment*

In this category, we are looking for investments you made that generated an exceptional return. What is the IOR, pay back and IRR you expected and what have you achieved so far? How did you realise these results?

*You can enter this award if your investment has generated a free cash flow and you have at least three months of cash generation from your investment.


COMMERCIAL

Best Brand Marketing*

In this category, the judges will evaluate how you have positioned your brand in its market segments. How do you differentiate yourself from the competition? What kind of branding campaigns have you run and why? How successful have they been?

*In this category, you are welcome to send a one-page document of additional video content and imagery to help illustrate your marketing message

Best Retail Innovation

Here, we are looking for an innovation that made it to the retail shelf. What was the offering, packaging, messaging and merchandising that made your product stand out? And what commercial, sales growth impact did it have?

Best at Home Innovation

In this category, the judges are looking for innovations dedicated to at-home use. Either you developed a home-scale vertical farm that can be used without expert knowhow or you are able to offer your products directly to homes (bypassing the retail channel). What makes your product the most innovative and attractive to customers, and what are the advantages compared to buying produce in-store?

Best New Business

This category is open to new companies or subsidiaries that have been founded since January 2020. We are looking for a clear message about why your business stands out – what makes it so innovative, what customer needs are you fulfilling and what success have you had so far?

Category sponsorship

• Company logo on all awards marketing material between now and the event.
  
• Company logo on the awards page of Zenith Global's website with a hyperlink to your company homepage.
• The sponsor will always be referenced in the category title e.g. Best Premium Drink sponsored by Company X.

Categories

• Best Crop Innovation
• Best Crop Enhancement
• Best Yield Improvement
• Best Lighting Development
• Best AI/Automation Development
• Best Climate Control Innovation
• Best Farm Design Innovation
• Best Energy Efficiency
• Best Sustainability Initiative
• Best Water Saving Initiative
• Best Community Initiative
• Best Profitability Improvement
• Best Return on Investment
• Best Brand Marketing
• Best Retail Innovation
• Best at Home Innovation
• Best New Business

What do sponsor packages include?

All packages can include discounted delegate registrations to the Vertical Farming World Congress 2021, as well as pre and post-event social media and marketing exposure.

We can also offer a bespoke package to suit your particular needs and budget.

Interested in sponsoring?

Click HERE to download the full list of sponsorship opportunities.

Tailored bespoke packages are also offered to better suit your needs and budget.

For more information, please contact Francesca Hall, Associate Director - Events

e fhall@zenithglobal.comhall@zenithglobal.com t +44 (0)1225 327900