Sports and active nutrition is no longer just for elite athletes — it’s now a lifestyle category serving both performance-driven individuals and everyday active consumers. This award celebrates the most innovative branded or own-label supplements, functional foods, and beverages designed to support energy, endurance, recovery, hydration, muscle health, and joint support.

Today’s products reflect cutting-edge developments in personalized nutrition, clean label formulations, and multi-functional formats — from protein gummies and hydration powders to creatine RTDs and nootropic-enhanced blends. Ingredients like beta-alanine, tart cherry extract, magnesium, L-theanine, adaptogens, and functional mushrooms are being used to support both physical and cognitive performance. With growing interest in bioactive compounds, gut-brain axis support, and holistic wellness, this category honours those redefining sports nutrition through science-led innovation, format creativity, and consumer relevance.

Our judging panel will base their decision on the following criteria:

• 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 to download

Entries for The NutraIngredients Awards, Product of the Year categories are required to have the finished product commercially available in Europe.

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.

JUDGING PROCESS: 

• Entries will be received and reviewed by the NutraIngredients Europe Awards Judging Panel made up of independent judges from the industry.
• Our 2026 finalists will be confirmed and notified in end of March 2026.
• Our 2026 winners will be announced during an awards' presentation in Barcelona on Wednesday May 6, 2026.