Excellence and Innovation in
Food Banking Awards 2026

The Global FoodBanking Network’s
Excellence and Innovation in Food Banking
2026 Awards Program

The Excellence and Innovation in Food Banking awards:

• Highlight and celebrate exceptional programs and partnerships from throughout the network.
• Provide a platform for food banks to demonstrate their expertise, share information and ideas, and evoke conversations around best practices, with their peers at the GFN Global Summit in November 2026.
• Elevate the vital role of food banking in alleviating hunger and reducing food loss and waste on the global stage.

Applications from GFN member food banks will be accepted through 24 September in two categories. These awards will be presented as part of our awards ceremony at the GFN Global Summit.

Innovation Award
Sponsored by H-E-B

The GFN Food Banking Innovation Award recognizes a food banking organization that exhibits exceptional innovation and creativity to increase the food bank’s ability to meet hunger needs and reduce food waste in its community. These programs enhance and improve the food bank’s service to its community through an innovative, replicable, and effective approach.

Process: Submissions accepted from GFN members. Finalists for the Innovation Award are selected by committee, and the winner is selected through a vote of food banking organizations.

Community Impact Award
Sponsored by General Mills

This award recognizes a GFN member that is working collaboratively across its community to create strong partnerships with local organizations that bring food banking and community services together to build healthier, more resilient communities. These specialized programs go beyond food distribution to provide social service programs and increase equity and opportunities across the community such as school feeding programs, senior citizen services, cooking or nutrition classes, or workforce development services.

Process: Submissions accepted from GFN members. Finalists and the winner selected by committee.

Submissions

The following criteria must be met for a submission to be considered:

• Submitting organization must be a food banking organization that is an active member of The Global FoodBanking Network.
• The featured project or program must have been active between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
• One application per submitting organization please.
• Note: Award recipients may be invited to present their winning program or initiative as part of the GFN Global Summit in November 2026, and therefore a representative from the winning organization must be present at the event. Please indicate in your application if a representative from your organization plans to attend the Summit.

Key Selection Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated anonymously by a committee of staff from The Global FoodBanking Network.

All applications will be scored against the following:

• Innovation: Is the featured project utilizing a new or improved method or model to address hunger and/or food loss and waste?
• Replicability: Can best practices from this project be easily shared or replicated to enhance knowledge sharing across the network?
• Effectiveness: Is the project providing a clear, measurable and effective solution to addressing hunger in your community and/or reducing food loss and waste?

NOTE: All finalists will be chosen by a selection committee made up of GFN staff. For the Community Impact award, each committee will select three finalists and the award recipient. For the Innovation award, the committee will select five finalists and the award recipient will be selected through a voting process open to all attendees at the GFN Global Summit in November.