Microbiome innovation is entering a new era, expanding beyond probiotics and prebiotics to include synbiotics, postbiotics, HMOs, and even bacteriophages. This award celebrates the most forward-thinking branded or own-label supplements, functional foods, and beverages designed to support numerous health functions, and overall well-being through targeted microbiome modulation.

Today’s products are increasingly focused on feeding the full microbial ecosystem, not just isolated strains — using upcycled and novel fibers, metabolite-rich formulations, and multi-strain synergies to promote microbiome diversity and resilience. With growing interest in the gut-brain-skin axis, and technologies that enable precision delivery, this category recognizes excellence in science-led innovation, format creativity, and consumer relevance in the microbiome space.

This award celebrates the best branded or own-label supplements, functional foods and beverages for modulating the microbiome to improve health.

Our Judges will look at how your finished product meets specific needs and will base their scores on your evidence to demonstrate:

• Whether your product meets a genuine consumer demand, and how relevant the core ingredient is in meeting this demand
• Evidence that the product works for its specified use, including peer reviewed data to back up any performance or health claims made
• Brand recognition and the commercial success of your product, including evidence of strong retail and consumer interest or listings of your product
• Packaging ease of use and design, including appeal and ease of use, novelty
• Evidence that your product and its delivery system(s) has no, or beneficial, impact on bioavailability (especially if citing single ingredient data)
• What gives your product the ‘X factor’ – something that makes it stand out from the crowd and edge out the competition (including evidence to back up claims)

To view the requirements for this category,  click here to download.

• Entries for The NutraIngredients USA Awards, Product of the Year categories are required to have the finished product commercially available in the United States.
• Entry holders for this category are also required to submit 4 samples of their finished product for judging . More details & instructions will be shared when an entry is submitted.

SUMBIT YOUR ENTRY FOR 2026. The price to submit an entry for this category is $369.

Take advantage of our early bird discount: Save $50 on each entry submission if you submit before January 9, 2026.

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

Entries close on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11.55pm CT, Chicago.

• All entries need to abide to our Entry Terms & Conditions
• Once all entries have been received they will be reviewed by the NutraIngredients USA Awards Judging Panel made up of independent judges from the industry.
• The 2026 finalists will be confirmed and notified in May 2026.
• The 2026 winners will be announced during an awards’ presentation in Chicago on Monday, July 13, 2026