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Real Food Awards:
Students choose the best in real food

The Facts

College food gets a bad rap.

But these days, there's also a lot to celebrate. 

The Real Food Awards shine a spotlight on the people who represent the best of college food.

These awards are about rethinking what's good.  "Good" isn't only about taste--it's also about doing good in our communities.  These awards are fun, but they're also serious. 

Dolores Huerta tells us to "honor the hands that harvest your crops." It's also important to honor all the hands that prepare our food.  These awards are a way to thank those who take care of us every day.
 

The Plan

There are 6 categories of Real Food Awards (5 will be selected through a nomination process, and 1 will be appointed to schools to recognize their use of the Real Food Calculator).

Nominations are closed. Check back here for our list of FINALISTS - coming soon!

***Winners will receive a lot of love and recognition from the Real Food Challenge's network of students and a broad range of allies. Winners of the Outstanding Worker Leader and the Student Group or Student Activist of the Year Awards will also receive a cash prize.***
 

Award Categories

NOMINATED AWARDS

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APPOINTED AWARDS

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Real Food Pioneers Description
 

Student Group or Student Activist of the Year

Awarded to a student group that is:

  1. Self-nominated (or nominated by others) for demonstrating a commitment to changing their campus food system through a real food campaign;
  2. Selected as the award winner by the RFC national team.


University of Iowa student farm

Worker Leader Award

Awarded to a staff person who is:

  1. Nominated by students at his/her institution for his/her demonstrated excellence in college food (this could range from speaking out for fair conditions, to outstanding job performance, to lots of positive interaction with students);
  2. Selected as the award winner by the RFC national team.


Dining workers from Yale present on their work and the Stir it Up Campaign at the Northeast Food and Justice Summit.

Producer Award

Awarded to someone who sells real food to institutions who is:

  1. Nominated by students for producing high quality real food that benefits the community and the earth, and for demonstrating an entrepreneurial approach to producing food;
  2. Selected as the award winner by the RFC national team.


Fowler Family Farms in Athens, GA.

 Food Service Administrator or Manager

Awarded to an administrator or faculty member who is:

  1. Nominated by students at his/her institution for his/her support of real food (this could range from advising a Calculator pilot, to improving the quality of food on campus to working with students to create or implement a real food purchasing policy):
  2. Selected as the award winner by the RFC national team.

Administrator or Faculty Member Award

Awarded to an administrator or faculty member who is:

  1. Nominated by students at his/her institution for his/her support of real food (this could range from advising an active student group, to advising a Calculator pilot, to working with students to create or implement a real food purchasing policy):
  2. Selected as the award winner by the RFC national team.


University of California, Riverside.

APPOINTED AWARDS

Real Food Pioneers

Awarded to schools that have:

  1. Successfully piloted the Real Food Calculator; and
  2. Allowed their results to be publicly reported; and/or
  3. Made an official commitment to purchasing real food.
     

Other details

The Real Food Challenge national team is actively reviewing nominations! We will announce finalists shortly.

If you wanted to nominate someone but didn't make our deadline, don't worry - we'll have another round of Awards next year!

Stay tuned!

Questions?  Want to get involved?  Email Nina - nina@realfoodchallenge.org.