Connecticut State Department of Education

Teacher of the Year Ceremony
Due to inclement weather, the Teacher of the Year Ceremony has been postponed to December 16, 2025 from 5-7pm. Doors will open at 4pm. The Ceremony will take place at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, and the order of events will remain the same.

CT Great Plates Contest

A statewide photo contest for schools and early childcare centers celebrating CT grown minimally processed ingredients in delicious, balanced meals.

In celebration of CT Grown for CT Kids Week, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) invites National School Lunch Program (NSLP) sponsors and early childhood education (ECE) providers to enter the CT Great Plates Contest. Submit a photo of a lunch currently served to students/children that features at least one CT grown minimally processed food, in addition to milk.

Note: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods include fruits and vegetables (including 100 percent juices); grain products such as pastas and rice; meats (whole, pieces, or food items such as ground meats); meat alternates such as beans and legumes, and dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt. Allowable foods also include foods in a wide variety of minimal processing states (e.g., whole, cut, pureed) and/or forms (e.g., fresh, frozen, canned, and dried).

Award Details

K-12 Great Plate Awards – For any K-12 school/district participating in the NSLP. Two categories are available for sponsors based on their experience purchasing CT Grown ingredients:

  • Less than 2 years of purchasing of CT Grown ingredients: This category includes schools/districts that are new to school nutrition or new to purchasing local foods, or that buy local occasionally but want to do more.
  • 2 or more years of purchasing of CT Grown ingredients: This category includes schools/districts that regularly purchase local foods for school menus.

ECE Great Plate Award – For ECE providers. 

Submission Details

Submissions are accepted from September 8, 2025, through October 20, 2025. To submit a photo for the CT Fresh Great Plates contest, send an email to CSDEChildNutritionPrograms@ct.gov with the subject line “CT Great Plates Contest” and include the information below.

  • Name and title of submitter
  • District/organization name
  • Award category (K-12 or ECE)
  • Number of years the district/organization has been purchasing CT grown minimally processed ingredients
  • Caption describing the meal, the CT grown foods used, and what makes this a “Great Plate” for the school/ECE community
  • List of items sourced outside of CT but in New England or New York
  • Names of farms where food was sourced
  • All social media handles (district/organization and farms)
  • Attach a high-quality photo of the plate/tray
  • Optional – attach a recipe (preferably standardized) for the featured local item

By submitting an entry, applicants agree to allow the CSDE to use the submitted photo and information for marketing purposes.

Plate Requirements

  • K-12: Must depict a reimbursable lunch with all five USDA meal components (fruits, vegetables, grains, meats/meat alternates, and milk) with at least one CT grown minimally processed ingredient in addition to milk.
  • ECE: Must depict a balanced age-appropriate lunch with these five meal components (fruits, vegetables, grains, meats/meat alternates, and milk) with at least one CT grown minimally processed ingredient in addition to milk.

All submissions will be judged on the criteria below.

  • Creativity
  • Presentation
  • Photo quality
  • Number of CT grown items
  • Number of regional items (grown outside of CT but in New England or New York)
  • Scratch cooking
  • Recipe included (bonus if standardized recipe)

Resources

Tips on Food Photography