Women in Agribusiness expands leadership awards program

NEW ORLEANS — For years, Women in Agribusiness has led the industry in recognizing women’s contributions to the ag sector with the prestigious WIA Demeter Award of Excellence.

The company announced an expansion of its award program to include six new leadership awards.

“While the Demeter Award recipients will remain at the pinnacle of the award categories, we are adding additional specific leadership awards to extend the reach of recognition for women across the ag value chain,” said Svitlana Synkovska, WIA portfolio director.

“For years, we have recognized three exceptional women annually, but this means we leave out dozens who also have exhibited outstanding achievements worth celebrating. These additional leadership awards allow more high achievers to receive the public accolades among their peers that is duly earned.”

The program will continue to select three women for the traditional WIA Demeter Award of Excellence, which calls for nominations for those who have dedicated more than 10 years of service in the ag sector with significant professional achievements.

These recipients are notable for actively dismantling barriers, fostering opportunities and acting as a valuable resource for other women in the food and ag industry.

This year, the Demeter Awards include a fourth award for a Female Farmer in recognition of the International Year of the Woman Farmer. The deadline to submit nominations for these awards has closed.

The six new leadership awards include:

• Executive Leadership Award — Honors women in C-suite or equivalent executive roles with a minimum five years of service who demonstrate measurable impact in agriculture and agribusiness through strategic vision, decision-making and organizational results.

• Rising Leadership Award — Celebrates women 40 years old and under who are building momentum and driving the next generation of agribusiness leaders. This category is defined by trajectory, not title. Open to candidates in any ag role or sector; candidates must be under the age of 40 as of Sept. 22.

• Investment & Capital Leadership Award — Honors women deploying capital across agriculture and food systems, spanning venture capital, private equity, institutional investment, agricultural lending and impact investing, who demonstrate strategic investment acumen and are working to advance agriculture’s financial infrastructure and future.

• Advisory & Consulting Leadership Award — Honors women delivering exceptional advisory and consulting value across the agriculture and food sectors. Candidates will be recognized for expert counsel, depth of industry knowledge and demonstrated ability to help organizations navigate complex challenges and build lasting capability.

• Talent & Workforce Leadership Award — Recognizes women transforming how agriculture and agribusiness organizations attract, develop and retain talent. Recognizes those who build cultures and systems that drive organizational growth and adaptation in the effort to strengthen the sector’s long-term talent pipeline.

• Innovation & AI Leadership Award — Honors women leading or advancing the integration of innovation, artificial intelligence and digital technology across agriculture and food. A defining qualification is a clear track record of bringing new capabilities to the sector and driving meaningful, real-world adoption.

Nominations for these awards will be accepted through Aug. 1, with winners being notified on Aug. 17.

All award recipients will be recognized onstage at the 2026 Women in Agribusiness Summit, which will be held Sept. 22-24 in New Orleans.

For more details about each category and nomination guidelines, deadlines and Q&As, visit womeninag.com/initiatives.