Dairy Management Inc. opens 2027 product competition
Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) has opened its annual competition for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States. Entrants are being asked to create dairy products for consumers seeking steady energy throughout the day rather than a short-lived boost.
The brief reflects a broader definition of energy set out for the 2027 contest. Proposed products may address maintaining energy, reducing tiredness, improving stamina or supporting better sleep. The competition is intended to give students experience in developing products in response to consumer and market requirements.
Entries must show product originality, consumer value and an effective role for dairy ingredients. Dairy must account for more than 51% of a product’s weight, and each submission must provide at least a good source of dairy protein.
Students must be enrolled during the 2026-27 academic year. Those scheduled to graduate in May or August 2027 are also eligible. Entrants may compete alone or in teams, provided that a faculty adviser supervises the work. Submissions must be received by February 1, 2027.
The competition will distribute $27,000 in prizes. The first-place Platinum Dairy Innovator Award is worth $10,000, while the second-place Gold award carries $7,000 and the third-place Silver award carries $4,000. Three other finalist teams will receive Dairy Innovator Awards of $2,000 each.
Six teams will move to the second phase. They will provide their products for assessment and explain their concepts to a panel comprising dairy-industry and DMI experts. The three highest-ranked teams will be invited to the American Dairy Science Association’s annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, from June 27 to June 30, 2027, where they will be recognised.
“This competition is about more than innovation—it is about preparing the next generation of food and dairy leaders to respond to evolving consumer needs with dairy at the centre,” said Rohit Kapoor, DMI’s vice-president of product research. He said the sustained-energy theme would allow students to examine new ways of applying dairy to a consumer need.
DMI is financed by more than 24,000 dairy farmers and dairy importers. It administers the national dairy checkoff programme and works with state and regional checkoff organisations on research, education and marketing intended to increase domestic and international dairy sales. The organisation also manages the National Dairy Council and founded the US Dairy Export Council, the Innovation Center for US Dairy and Newtrient.
