Consider Corn Challenge Winners Announced

Consider Corn Challenge Winners Announced

At the Bio Innovations Midwest Event in Omaha, three winners were announced in the Consider Corn Challenge V, a contest that drives innovation and creates new markets for U.S. corn (organized by National Corn Growers Association - NCGA). With IL Corn among the supporters of this effort, the $300,000 prize pool encourages innovators to use corn as a sustainable feedstock for biobased products.

“The Consider Corn Challenge fosters innovative collaborations between corn farmers and both the public and private sectors, which paves the way for new products, chemicals and applications. This year’s winners have continued to demonstrate corn’s adaptability,” said NCGA Director of Research & Market Development Sarah McKay. “Corn’s versatile applications as an industrial feedstock can be witnessed in the diverse approaches and applications of each of the three winners. This contest continues to highlight the fact that U.S. corn is an extremely flexible feedstock suited for biobased products and crucial to advancing the biobased economy.” 

The three winners—Aerterra, Terragia, and Arizona State University—showcase the adaptability of corn and its potential to improve everyday products and industries:

• Aerterra developed the first bio-based, renewable air filters made from U.S.-grown corn, reducing reliance on petroleum-based materials and providing sustainable solutions for cleaner air.
• Terragia is advancing technology that boosts corn ethanol production and creates higher-value co-products, translating into more opportunities for farmers and ethanol producers.
• Arizona State University created a new corn-derived corrosion inhibitor for crude oil pipelines, offering a safer, environmentally friendly solution that could strengthen U.S. energy infrastructure while opening another market for corn.

For Illinois farmers, these innovations are more than just ideas, they are pathways to stronger demand for the state’s number one crop. By supporting contests like the Consider Corn Challenge, IL Corn is helping open doors to new markets, ensuring that corn remains at the center of a sustainable and growing bioeconomy.