This competition offers an exciting opportunity for students to apply their expertise in food science to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the food industry and food research.
Teams of up to four students are invited to submit an abstract outlining the AI topic or case study they plan to feature. Selected teams will advance to create a dynamic 5-minute video for a chance to win one of three cash prizes.
With the team’s permission, all video submissions will be showcased on the EEOD’s LinkedIn page, providing a platform for your work to educate and inspire a wide audience.
Student teams are tasked with selecting a specific example or application of AI related to food safety, food quality, product development, sustainability, or consumer research to highlight through their abstract and video submission.
Teams should aim to showcase how AI innovations are shaping the future of food—from predictive analytics and process optimization to sensory evaluation, ingredient discovery, or food fraud detection.
Up to 3 awards will be presented:
First Place: $1000 per team
Second Place: $750 per team
Third Place: $500 per team
All participants must be IFT student members prior to submitting their team’s abstract
Individuals or teams of up to 4 members
Multiple teams from the same university permitted
Teams may be undergraduate students, graduate students, or both together
Students must be enrolled in a food science or related program
Final video submission deadline: Monday, May 11, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CT
Please reach out to Competition Chair Patricia Hingston if you have any questions about the competition. Please reach out to Sydnie Nugent regarding submission form process.
