2019 Shield of Excellence Supplement Awards

The 2019 Fitness Informant Shield of Excellence Supplement Awards recognize the industry's best from the year 2019. Each nomination was selected by a board of sports nutrition experts from Fitness Informant. The criteria for each award will be described below. For the first time ever, the public will get a chance to vote in this year's awards. The brand/product that receives the most votes from the public will receive a total of (1) vote in the overall voting. The nominees are voted on by a board of supplement experts that span across the industry.

The 2019 Fitness Informant Shield of Excellence Supplement Awards consist of five categories: Brand of the Year, Breakout Brand of the Year, Product of the Year, Protein of the Year and Pre-Workout of the Year.

Brand of the Year Nominees

RedCon1

RedCon1 is the reigning, defending 2018 Brand of the Year Champion. They are back in the running for the 2019 Brand of the Year Award. Their 2019 highlights include:

• Notable Product Launches
  • Total War RTD
  • B.A.R. protein bar
  • Green Beret vegan protein
  • 11 Bravo
  • Multiple limited edition Total War flavors 
• Distribution Growth
  • H.E.B.
  • Dick's Sporting Goods
  • Academy of Sports
  • Gold's Gym
  • Crunch Fitness
  • Europa
  • 24 Hour Fitness
  • Multiple other fitness centers
• Dollar Volume Growth
  • Potentially breaking $100 million in sales
• Other
  • RedCon1 Gym
  • New 80,000 sq ft warehouse

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GHOST

GHOST made a push in 2018 but fell short to RedCon1. Some may argue that 2019 was their most productive year in the brand's history. Their 2019 highlights include:

• Notable Product Launches
  • Sonic Drive-In® Cherry Limeade Legend
  • Welch's® Grape Legend and Amino V2
  • Chips Ahoy!® Ghost Whey
  • Christian Guzman V3 Legend
  • GHOST Burn
  • GHOST Amino V2
  • Seasonal launches in GHOST Whey
  • Pancake Batter GHOST Vegan Protein
• Distribution Growth
  • Expanded distribution/partnership to all US military bases around the world
  • Launched UK based European website to service the EU quicker
  • Launched Sydney based Australian website to service Australia quicker

MuscleSport

MuscleSport has always been known for quality products but mostly distributed in the traditional brick and mortar chain. Their 2019 was bigger and better than ever. Their 2019 highlights include:

• Notable Product Launches
  • Special Edition Lean Whey (Unicorn Cookie Shake, Fluffernutter and Coconut Caramel)
  • RHINO Black Limited Edition Pre-Workout (King's Ransom and Forbidden Fruit)
• Distribution Growth
  • Vitamin Shoppe
  • International expansion (125 countries)
  • US growth (3,800 stores)

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NutraBio

NutraBio won our 2017 Brand of the Year Award. We all know about their transparency and quality. In 2019 the brand really pushed out new products. Their 2019 highlights include:

• Notable Product Launches
  • Alpha EAA
  • Pure EAA
  • EAA Energy
  • Breakfast Series Whey Protein Isolate
  • Limited edition protein flavors (Banana Bourbon Nut, Rootbeer Float, Ice Cream Cookie Dream)
  • Upsorb
  • Flavor expansion on PRE, PRE Stim Free, PRE Extreme, Intra Blast and Reload
  • Expanded flavors on natural line
  • Commodity items (KSM66 Ashwagandha, Choline Bitartrate, Alpha-GPC, Yohimbe, Caff Plus)
• Other
  • Updated manufacturing facility to B-GMP (Beyond Good Manufacturing Processes)

The Genius Brand

The Genius Brand had a big 2019 breaking out from Amazon only to new distributors and expanded their family with product launches. Their 2019 highlights include:

• Notable Product Launches
  • Genius Burn
  • Genius Gamer
  • Genius Mindfulness
  • Genius Digestion Optimizer
  • Keto Genis
• Distribution Growth
  • Bodybuilding.com
  • Vitamin Shoppe
  • Distribution with Europa

Breakout Brand of the Year

Many brands stepped up to the plate in 2019 and really made an impact in the industry. The Breakout Brand of the Year nominees are typically brands that have been around for more than a year, but really made a push to be in the minds of consumers. To be considered for 2019 Breakout Brand of the Year, the brand had to showcase the following in 2019:

• New product launches
• Distribution growth
• Sales

A product may have showcased one, several or all of these above to be considered for Product of the Year. Voting for Product of the Year should keep this criteria in mind.

Breakout Brand of the Year Nominees

Product of the Year

The year 2019 was a great year for sports nutrition products. We saw a lot of innovation across multiple categories. To be considered for the 2019 Product of the Year, the product had to showcase the following in 2019:

• Launched in 2019
• Featured unique ingredients/approach to category
• Sales

A product may have showcased one, several or all of these above to be considered for Product of the Year. Voting for Product of the Year should keep this criteria in mind.

Product of the Year Nominees

Pre-Workout of the Year

The pre-workout category in 2019 saw a lot of new brands, formulations and flavors. Besides protein, it is the #1 shopped category in sports nutrition. To be considered for 2019 Pre-Workout of the Year, the pre-workout had to showcase the following in 2019:

• Launched in 2019
• Effective product/quality
• Featured unique ingredients/approach to category
• Sales

A product may have showcased one, several or all of these above to be considered for Pre-Workout of the Year. Voting for Pre-Workout of the Year should keep this criteria in mind.

Pre-Workout of the Year Nominees

Protein of the Year

Trying to compete in the protein powder category now takes a special attention to flavor, unique offerings or going away from the crowded whey category. Protein is the #1 purchased dietary supplement. In 2019 we saw some new approaches to protein, a lot of which we liked. To be considered for 2019 Protein of the Year, the protein had to showcase the following in 2019:

• Launched in 2019
• Featured unique ingredients/approach to category
• Unique flavors/offerings
• Up and coming sub-category
• Sales

A product may have showcased one, several or all of these above to be considered for Protein of the Year. Voting for Protein of the Year should keep this criteria in mind.

Protein of the Year Nominees