The National Grocers Association (NGA) is accepting entries for its 2025 Creative Choice Awards, recognizing the leading marketing and merchandising programs of independent grocery retailers from the past year.
NGA’s Creative Choice Awards are sponsored by Kellanova and Unilever. Entries are being accepted online here.
The following are the categories for the 2025 awards (category details can be found here):
Marketing
- Digital connections;
- Traditional media: TV Radio and Print;
- Innovations in integrated marketing;
- Community engagement;
- Grand opening or remodel;
- Multicultural marketing;
- Shopper experience; and
- Top pick for talent.
Merchandising
- Local, specialty or emerging products;
- Fresh Departments:
- Dairy;
- Bakery/deli/prepared foods/foodservice;
- Meat/seafood; and
- Produce/floral.
- Center store/frozen;
- GM/HBC; and
- Private label/store brands.
There are several new and revised categories for the 2025 awards. New to the marketing awards are multicultural marketing, which recognizes efforts to engage community diversity; shopper experience, which recognizes efforts to unify in-store visits with e-commerce; and top pick for talent, which honors outreach efforts to attract talent and position grocery as a career option for the emerging workforce. Also, the community engagement category now includes seasonal events, which were formerly in a separate category.
On the merchandising side, there are now separate divisions within fresh departments for entries concerning dairy; bakery, deli, prepared foods and foodservice; meat and seafood; and produce and floral. Additionally, the center store/frozen category is now separate from general merchandise and health and beauty care. There is also a new category recognizing private label and store brand product initiatives.
“The increasing diversity of the shopping experience and the ever-widening variety available from independent grocers compelled us to broaden the entry categories for the Creative Choice Awards,” said Laura Strange, NGA’s chief communications and engagement officer. “This provides additional opportunities for independent retailers to be recognized for their creativity and innovation.”
In addition to the main categories, two special-recognition categories highlight prominent industry initiatives, with each holding significance for their respective sponsor:
- Kellanova’s ESG Excellence Award, recognizing campaigns that focus on wellbeing, people, community and sustainability
- Unilever’s People Positive Award, honoring initiatives that promote workplace diversity and inclusion.
Retailers, wholesalers, suppliers, manufacturers and advertising agencies that create marketing and merchandising programs for independent grocery stores may submit entries; however, the NGA Creative Choice Awards contest is a retailer competition and the retailer that implements the campaign will be awarded. Events, campaigns or promotions held between Dec. 1, 2023, and Dec. 1 are eligible. Entries may be entered in multiple categories as appropriate, up to a maximum of three.
All completed entries are due by Dec. 20.
Entries will be judged based on creativity, clarity and effectiveness. From the category winners, one “Outstanding Marketer” and one “Outstanding Merchandiser” winner will be selected by the public through online voting. These winners will be announced during the 2025 NGA Show and recognized yearlong.
More information about the award categories and how to enter can be found at NGACreativeChoice.com.
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