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A new 3-A SSI award, the HyGEN Excellence Awards, will give the industry an opportunity to celebrate rising stars under 40.
The award is meant to provide career-defining recognition for young professionals who advance food safety through innovative hygienic design practices worldwide. These awards spotlight talented individuals whose work is already ensuring safer food systems globally. Recipients will be pioneering new approaches, implementing breakthrough solutions, and mentoring the next generation.
“The 2026 inaugural award recipients will make history as the first class to enter what is sure to become an elite network of food safety innovators and leaders,” says Meri Beth Wojtaszek, 3-A SSI Executive Director.
As many as 40 awards will be given annually across six professional categories:
3-A SSI will honor the 2026 class of HyGEN Excellence Awards recipients at the 3-A SSI Summit on Hygienic Design, May 4 to 7, 2026, at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare.
Do you know someone who deserves recognition? This is yourchance to nominate the innovators and leaders who will shape the future of our industry. (Yes, you can even nominate yourself!)
Nominations are open to professionals under 40 working across all sectors of food safety and hygienic design worldwide. The nomination process is open now. It closes February 27, 2026.
We’re looking for the under-40 disruptors, problem-solvers, and visionaries who look at a production line and ask, "How can we make this safer, smarter, and faster to clean?" The 3-A SSI HyGEN Excellence Awards aren't just another award. They are a career-defining launchpad. We’re building a movement to spotlight rising stars under 40 who are rewriting the rulebook.
Register free for a first-of-its-kind 3-A SSI Open Forum on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.
3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-ASSI) has officially expanded its Replacement Parts and System Components Qualification Certificate (RPSCQC) program to include seals, seal components, and seal assemblies.
3-ASSI has launched an all-new Student Hygienic Design Competition. It gives students an opportunity to launch their careers while competing as part of an interdisciplinary team for bragging rights and a share of $10,000 in prize money.
