In celebration of innovation and creativity in promoting chicken consumption, nominations are now open for the 2026 Chicken Marketer of the Year award. Nominations will be accepted until May 1, 2026. The award will be presented during the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit, scheduled for July 27-29 at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
The Chicken Marketer of the Year award highlights efforts by retail, foodservice, direct-to-consumer, producer/integrator organizations, and companies that have demonstrated exceptional marketing creativity and strategies to promote chicken consumption. The award recognizes the marketers helping drive chicken’s continued growth during what industry leaders are calling “the protein moment.”
“2026 is the year of protein. And what better way to celebrate than to honor those who are setting the standard for chicken marketing,” said Elizabeth Doughman, editor of WATT PoultryUSA and Poultry Future. “The Chicken Marketer of the Year award gives us the unique opportunity to recognize companies that position chicken as the protein of choice for healthy and affordable meals and demonstrate how innovative marketing connects today’s protein-focused consumers with the versatility and value of chicken.”
The 2026 winner will join the ranks of past winners, including Chick-fil-A, Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Farmer Focus and Perdue Farms.
Organizations may self-nominate or nominate another group or company. Participants are encouraged to share their stories as to why the nominee deserves to be named Chicken Marketer of the Year. Entries should describe and demonstrate how the nominated company or organization uniquely excelled as a chicken marketer during the 2025 calendar year. Examples of specific marketing or public relations campaigns — whether print, digital, video, audio, social, grassroots, in-store or integrated across multiple channels — are strongly encouraged.
The winning organization will be recognized during a trophy presentation at the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit. A representative from the winning organization must be present at the conference and will receive a complimentary conference registration, a two-night stay at the Innisbrook Resort and reimbursement for coach airfare or for mileage driving to the event.
Chicken Marketing Summit is the essential networking and educational conference for poultry business leaders. Serving a unique cross-section of the chicken supply chain, the conference explores issues and trends in food marketing and consumer purchasing behavior. A series of educational sessions will focus on this year’s theme, “The Protein Moment.”
For more information or to nominate an organization or company visit, ChickenMarketingSummit.com.
The annual Chicken Marketing Summit is produced in collaboration with the National Chicken Council and with support from the National Protein and Food Distributors Association.
