World Food Prize Foundation Launches Statewide Campaign Celebrating Iowa’s One-Of-A-Kind People and Places

The World Food Prize Foundation is launching a statewide campaign celebrating what makes Iowa truly one of a kind, much like the World Food Prize, the only global award of its kind, rooted in Iowa and presented annually in Des Moines.

The campaign coincides with the World Food Prize's 40th anniversary, using the milestone year to spotlight Iowa's uniquely one-of-a-kind people and places, from global agricultural pioneers to cultural icons, innovators and institutions whose influence extends far beyond the state's borders.

Through a series of community visits and storytelling moments throughout 2026, the campaign will highlight how Iowa continues to shape global progress in ways found nowhere else.

"Iowa has always been a place where practical ideas change the world," said Tom Vilsack, CEO, World Food Prize Foundation. "This campaign is about recognizing the uniquely Iowa people and locations that embody the same spirit of innovation and global impact as the World Food Prize."

To mark the anniversary year, the Foundation invites supporters to participate in its "40 for 40" campaign, encouraging donations of $40 in honor of 40 years of the Prize. The initiative celebrates four decades of impact while inviting Iowans and hunger fighters worldwide to invest in the next generation of food security solutions.

The campaign launches in January with a focus on Ames, highlighting the legacy of Dr. George Washington Carver and Iowa State University. Carver's pioneering work in agricultural science and sustainability exemplifies the kind of Iowa-rooted, globally relevant impact the campaign celebrates.

Founded by Iowa native and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, whose agricultural innovations saved more than a billion lives, the $500,000 World Food Prize is singular in both purpose and place: honoring those who improve the quality, quantity or availability of food worldwide. The new campaign draws a parallel between that distinction and Iowa itself, home to ideas, institutions and individuals found nowhere else in the world.

Additional campaign stops throughout 2026 will spotlight other Iowa communities and legacies that reflect the state's enduring role as a place where local ingenuity continues to drive global progress.