Applications are Open for the 2026 USA Rice Sustainability Award

By Dr. Steve Linscombe

USA Rice

USA Rice's Sustainability Award, launched in 2018, is back this year to recognize the women and men who work to improve rice's sustainability every day, and applications are open now.

The USA Rice Sustainability Award is open to individuals or entities with significant involvement in the U.S. rice industry and with a history of promoting and advancing sustainability through innovative practices and demonstrated leadership in the sustainability community. 

“We are looking for men and women and companies who embody sustainability by their actions and who are willing to share their vision of the future and commitment to the environment with others and help others follow in their footsteps” said Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of the USA Rice Sustainability Committee Mark Isbell. “While sustainability is at the forefront of most industries, it has been at the mindset of the U.S. rice industry for decades.” 

Last year’s USA Rice Sustainability Award went to Supreme Rice, a large rice milling company with two mills in Louisiana and one in Arkansas. The company operates a custom farming division that focuses on facilitating the production and harvest operations of their rice farmers.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, October 9, 2026, and the award will be presented at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Nashville on December 14, 2026. 

The application form can be found here.