Winners are selected by a judging panel of representatives from USApple based on the following criteria:

• Creativity
  • General creativity
  • Promotes healthy eating habits in a new context that resonates with students
• Longevity
  • Details a plan for sustaining the initiative over multiple years with the allotted budget and existing budget and/or community resources
• Student Impact
  • Includes the number of students impacted or the number of students depending on school for nutritional assistance
  • Identifies research findings that show suggested outcomes for the proposed plan
  • Identifies learning outcomes for students that they are not getting from other areas of curriculum, or other learning outcomes this plan would supplement
  • Demonstrates regularity or frequency with which students will learn from or benefit from the plan
  • Indicates nutrition quality students are likely to derive from this program (fresh produce ranked highest, with processed or less nutrient-dense snacks ranked lowest)
• Community Involvement
  • Demonstrate community involvement that creates long-term viability.
  • Explain how initiative leads to a healthier community by promoting healthy food choices inside and outside the school
• Logistics
  • Explains how grant dollars will be budgeted
  • Explains the implementation plan and identify responsible parties
  • Explains program success measurements