The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) Blueberry Boost Accelerator Program is a competition open to any persons who, as of the date of entry, (i) are legal residents of one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, (ii) are at least eighteen (18) years of age or older (or the age of majority in their state of residence if greater than eighteen (18), whichever age is older), and (iii) have a promising blueberry product. Eligible participants include startups, Small to Medium Enterprises, or a combination of these.
Employees of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council, their Board Members, and members of the immediate family of any such persons, are not eligible to participate and win through any entity or otherwise. The term “immediate family” includes spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren, whether as “in-laws,” or by current or past marriage(s), remarriage(s), adoption, co-habitation, or other family extension, and any other persons residing at the same household, whether or not related.
To be eligible, an applicant must meet the following criteria for the product being submitted by the applicant or organization:
The applicant must have an innovative product featuring blueberries as a prominent ingredient. These innovations may include, but are not limited to:
A commitment to sourcing and using highbush blueberries (all forms will be considered, and both conventional and organic will be accepted) in the product will be required if the applicant wins one of the prizes.
An internal selection panel will evaluate applicants based on the following selection criteria:
Decisions made by the judging panel are final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The composition of the panel may vary, and judges will select up to four (4) companies to participate in the program.
Applicants will be eligible to compete for the following prizes:
| Event | Start | End |
| Entry Submission Period | April 29th |
Jun 12th |
| Cohort Onboarding | June 29th | July 10th |
| Live Accelerator Program | July 13th | September 18th |
| Final Pitch Event at USHBC 2026 Blueberry Convention (Monterey, Calif.) | September 22nd | September 25th |
At the end of the program, companies in the cohort will appoint a spokesperson from their team to pitch their business and plans to a live audience and panel of industry expert judges during the final in-person pitch event at the USHBC 2026 Blueberry Convention in Monterey, Calif. Safe product samples will be required for each company as part of the judging criteria and expo booth. Each pitch will be followed by a brief Q&A session with the judges. After all pitches are completed, the judges will determine and announce the grand prize winner and runner-up.
Each cohort company will also operate an expo booth for promotion and networking for the duration of the USHBC 2026 Blueberry Convention.
Participants must be willing to work with USHBC throughout the accelerator period to refine their product and business strategy.
The grand prize and runner-up recipients must provide updates on their progress for at least one year post-program to share the impact of their participation.
Progress KPIs include but are not limited to:
