Global Food Tech Awards APAC Heat Opens
The Global Food Tech Awards APAC heat is open for early-stage startups to showcase transformative food technology.
Applications are now open for the APAC heat of the Global Food Tech Awards. Early-stage startups have until September 11 to submit their entries for free.
The awards aim to spotlight startups that are shaping the future of food. Winners and finalists from the Asia Pacific region will be announced during the Asia Pacific Agri-Food Summit in Singapore, which runs from October 26 to 29, 2026.
What the judges seek
A panel of industry experts, investors, and FoodNavigator editors will judge the entries. They are focused on innovation, impact, and scalability.
Key themes include breakthrough innovation that solves a real industry challenge. Judges will also look for tangible benefits to sustainability, nutrition, or supply chains. Commercial viability and a credible path to scale are crucial. Technical strength and a clear market understanding round out the criteria.
Judges are ultimately asking if a startup can meaningfully reshape the future of food.
Lessons from past winners
Previous winners highlight the types of innovations that succeed. Last year's APAC winner was CropSto Packaging. The company produces multi-layered, hermetically sealed packaging for coffee, cocoa, tea, sugar, rice, spices, maize, and other grains. Its storage bags and liners create an oxygen-tight barrier to preserve food during transport.
In 2025, the EMEA winner was Scottish biotech firm BioMara. It won for Seafibrex, a seaweed-based ingredient. The ingredient combined nutrition, functionality, taste, and affordability while delivering strong environmental and commercial impact.
The 2026 Americas heat was won by biotech startup Michroma. It won for a fungi-based fermentation platform that creates natural colors. The platform addresses cost, supply, and performance hurdles in natural color production, aiding the removal of synthetic dyes from the US food supply.
The benefits of entering
Finalists and winners gain more than just a trophy. They receive editorial coverage on FoodNavigator. They get exposure to investors and global food companies. Opportunities for partnerships and scale-up follow. Industry validation from the expert panel is another key benefit.
For early-stage companies, this visibility can be transformative. It can turn emerging innovation into commercial reality.
Eligibility and how to apply
The awards are open to early-stage startups under five years old. Companies must be headquartered in the APAC region. They can be working on any part of the food and beverage value chain. This includes ingredients, processing, digital technologies, packaging, and supply chain solutions.
Applications for the APAC heat are free for qualifying startups. The deadline is September 11.
