Retail Merchandising Contest

Audiences Retailers Retail Merchandising Contest

Submit Your Entry to the 18th Annual

Watermelon Retail Merchandising Contest and win $5,000!

The contest will start June 8 and run throughout the month of August. Last day to receive entries is September 14, 2026.

Official Rules | Entry Form | Enter Now!

Show us your merchandising talents, both those in store and in print/digital spaces! All entries should showcase watermelon’s benefits including health, happiness, value and versatility. Watermelon of any kind can be included in the promotion, including whole, fresh-cut, mini watermelon, yellow and red or any mix thereof.

Marketing efforts considered in judging will include category visibility, good visual merchandising, use of materials, messaging nutritional benefits, recipes and/or selection education and use of print, online and/or digital platforms.

This year’s contest introduces a partnership with Tajín®, encouraging retailers to incorporate the iconic chili-lime seasoning into their watermelon displays. To celebrate this collaboration, the first 100 qualifying entries that feature Tajín® in their merchandising will receive a $20 Amazon gift card. In addition, the first 25 entrants will receive a $20 digital gift card just for participating.

Prizes

1st Place

$5,000

2nd Place

$2,500

3rd Place

$1,000

3 Honorable Mentions

$500

The first 25 entrants will also receive a $20 digital gift card.

All entries must be submitted by midnight EST on September 14, 2026.

Contact NWPB at [email protected] with additional questions.

Past Winners!

collage of watermelon display at grocery store

“We continue to see exciting and award-winning displays that highlight everyone’s summer favorite of watermelon, and delight our guests.” – Joshua Hubert, Senior Manager, Produce Operations for Federated Co-operatives Limited – 2025 Winner

Watermelon display in grocery store

“We take great pride in creating impactful displays that excite our customers. Gelson’s La Canada is proud to have won the Grand Prize this year in [NWPB’s] Retail Merchandising Contest”. – Thot Phommasaysy, Produce Manager at Gelson’s Market #23 – 2024 Winner

Online Entry Form

Please fill out the form below to enter the 2026 National Watermelon Retail Merchandising Contest. Incomplete entry forms will be disqualified.

Store Information

Store Entry Coordinator(Required)

First Last

Email Address(Required)

Store Name(Required)

Store Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Store Phone Number(Required)

Number of Registers in Your Store(Required)

Is this a Commissary Store?

Enter Your Sales Band Number

Date(s) of Store Promotion

From Date(Required)

To Date(Required)

Promotion Details

At least one category must be selected for the entry to be valid.
Please provide supporting documentation/hyperlinks/images/screenshots.

Type(s) of Promotion(Required)

Comments(Required)

Please upload supporting files in the upload field below.

Promotion Details Supporting Files(Required)

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, zip, csv, Max. file size: 50 MB.

Promotion Results

Preferred but not required. This is for NWPB’s internal use only and will not be released to the public.

% Watermelon sales increases vs. same time increment in 2025.

Movement Results

This section optional to be completed for judging.

Number of bins of fresh watermelon sold

Number of boxes of mini watermelon sold

Number of pounds of fresh-cut watermelon sold

CAPTCHA

Email Entry Form

You can also email your entry form and supporting documentation to:
[email protected]
Please try to limit the size of each email to 8 MB. High-resolution images in JPG format preferred!
Hyperlinks and screenshots also acceptable.

All entries must be received by midnight EST September 14, 2026.

Download Entry Form

Let's Go