The National Corn Growers Association is launching its fifth iteration of the Consider Corn Challenge, a contest in which participants can submit proposals for new uses of field corn that have quantifiable market demand.

“Biobased products are a win-win for everyone,” Chad Epler, the association’s Research and New Uses Chair and Kansas farmer, said in a news release. “NCGA is investing in these biobased solutions and positioning corn as the feedstock of choice.”

One to three winners will be selected for the Consider Corn Challenge V, with a total prize pool of $300,000, split equally between the winners. The submission deadline is June 30 at 5 p.m., and winners will be announced at the Bio Innovations Midwest event in Omaha on Sept. 15-16.

Previous winners of the contests have scaled up to the next phase of development, received additional grant funding, entered into joint agreements and obtained registration for state bio-based production incentives. Previous winners also received additional investment from state corn associations and have won the Radicle Challenge, which invests a minimum of $1.5 million in individuals and companies developing new uses for field corn.

“This contest is critical in identifying and accelerating new technologies for novel uses of corn, leading to more corn grind for growers, better products for consumers and overall economic development here in the U.S,” Epler said in a news release.

An informational webinar on the challenge will be held April 24 at 2 p.m. To register, click here.