FABI Awards Application

The FABI Award participation fee is $1,550 and includes the following:

• Prominent placement (company name and product information) in pre-Show promotional efforts
• Placement of the company logo, product name and 50-word description of the product on the official Show Website
• Inclusion in official press release announcing FABI recipients
• Recognition in the official online Show Planner and mobile app
• Opportunity to participate in FABI tasting event, advertised to attendees in Show Planner and mobile app
• Participating attendee list scans from onsite tastings, to include email address
• Extensive coverage via Show public relations efforts, including pre-Show pitches and at-Show inclusion in daily media alerts
• Award logo for marketing efforts for the life of your product
• Complimentary Silver Branding Package for The Show To Go Directory profile.
  • Includes your company logo, 4 collateral uploads, 3 online business cards, 3 scheduled event listings, 3 special offer uploads, plus all basic package benefits.
  • No refunds will be issued for a Silver or Gold Package upgrade that was already purchased at the time of the award.

Note: Products must be new to the U.S. from within 24 months of, and available for sale at the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show to qualify.

• Click here to view the full list of application questions and advice directly from the judges on how to specifically address them.
• Review question specific advice from the panel of judges on what makes a successful submission.
• “Before you Begin” highlights a few significant preparations to make before starting your application, ensuring all resources are in hand when you are ready to submit.
• In addition to written answers, the following resources are required:
• Nutritional Information.
• Operator references to verify information and benefits.
• Marketing materials including company logo and high resolution product images.
• If the judges elect to move the application into the sampling round, applicants are required to ship individual samples to each judge in February 2026. You will be contacted with addresses and additional instructions at that time.
• We highly recommend answering the application questions in a word doc so you can easily copy and paste your answers into the application page once ready to submit.
• Find a list of the application questions in a word doc here.
• If your product comes in multiple flavors, note the flavor you are submitting in the application, or submit one application per flavor.

Planning and logistics:

• If the product is selected, Awardees must submit the following requirements:
• You may be asked to provide a sample of your product to each of the judges in February 2026. Applicants unable to ship samples to the judges will be disqualified.
• Please note if your product is selected to sample there is a one-week turnaround and requires a minimized product/shipping size.
• Awardee to provide company logo and product picture or advertisement with application (both high resolution).
• Awardee to sample product at their booth during the Show.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

Questions or concerns on the information above can be directed to National Restaurant Association Show Management at RestaurantShowExhibitorServices@informa.com.

• January 21st - Application Deadline Date
• February – Sampling begins
  • Applicants will be contacted to ship samples to judges on an assigned delivery day. Do not ship off your assigned delivery day.
  • Please note if your product is selected to sample there is a one-week turnaround and requires a minimized product/shipping size.
• Early March – Notifications of application decisions will be sent to applicants.
• Mid-March – Final package fee and product details/images due to Show Management for awardees.
• Mid/Late March – FABI Awardees press release goes out
• Late April – onsite awardee details shared

• All applicants must be current exhibitors at the National Restaurant Association Show 2026 in order to be considered for a FABI Award.
• The product must be introduced into the U.S. market within 24 months of the 2026 Show (May 2024)
• The product must be available to order at the Show in order to qualify.
• Applications are one per flavor. Indicate the flavor you submit in your application or submit multiple applications per flavor.

Applicants may be asked to submit product samples for further judging. All applicants must be willing and able to ship samples to each judge in February 2026. Please note if your product is selected to sample there is a one-week turnaround and requires a minimized product/shipping size.

The FABI Award participation fee is $1,250, which includes the benefits listed below. A non-refundable application fee of $300 FABI participation is due with each application.

If the application is awarded for FABI, $1,250 will be due for applications selected by the expert panel of judges. The application fee plus award participation fee equals $1,550 as the total award cost.

In the event of cancellation of exhibit space/participation in the Show 2026, FABI application and participation fees are non-refundable. Furthermore, the FABI award designation will be revoked.

No refunds will be issued for a Silver or Gold Package upgrade that was already purchased at the time of the award.

Contact your Sales Representative or email RestaurantShowSales@informa.com with any questions.