LOS ANGELES, Sept. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wonderful Halos, one of America’s most-loved healthy snack brands, is kicking off the back-to-school season on a sweet note with a nationwide contest to support teachers and help fund classrooms. According to the National Education Association, over 90% of teachers spend their own money on school supplies every year. With inflation driving school supply prices up nearly 24%, Wonderful Halos wanted to ease the financial burden of the new school year for some of the everyday heroes who make a difference in students’ lives.
Now through September 26, educators and families across the country are encouraged to nominate a “sweet teacher” for a chance to win a $10,000 cash prize and a year’s supply of Wonderful Halos. Five runners-up will also receive a $1,500 Amazon eGift card to fulfill their classroom wish list.
“The impact of one deserving teacher can forever change the life of a student. With our Sweetest Teacher contest, we are shining a necessary light on the incredible dedication teachers bring every day as the heart and soul of our schools,” said Jennifer Hirano, vice president of marketing, The Wonderful Company. “Both through this initiative and with Wonderful Halos as a healthy, sweet snack, we are committed to fueling and inspiring healthy learning all year long.”
Nominations are open to all public and private school teachers, including subject specialists who work with students from pre-K through 12th grade. Each nomination must include a brief statement (350 words or fewer) explaining how the prize would benefit their classroom. Entries will be evaluated based on the nominee’s impact, classroom needs, emotional resonance, and originality. The grand prize winner and runners-up will be selected on September 30 and announced by October 3.
To further celebrate the start of the school year, Wonderful Halos will hit the road with family-friendly pop-up events at select East Coast grocery stores, featuring on-site sampling, giveaways, an inflatable bounce house, and coloring stations. The road tour reminds parents that Halos are convenient, nutritious, and kid-approved – perfect for packing in everyday lunch boxes. Timed for the busy back-to-school season, Halos also provide 50 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C per serving and are a natural source of energy to help kids and parents alike power through their day.
The road tour will visit the following locations:
- Sept. 6:
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Stop & Shop, 125 Church St., Pembroke, MA 02359
- Sept. 7:
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Stop & Shop, 400 Lincoln St., Hingham, MA 02043
- Sept. 13:
- 9 a.m. to Noon, ACME Markets, 1305 W. Chester Pike, Havertown, Philadelphia, PA 19083
- 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., ACME Markets, 2101-41 Cottman Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19149
- Sept. 14:
- 9 a.m. to Noon, ShopRite, 4990-5005 State Rd., Drexel Hill, PA 19026
- 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., ShopRite, 2301 W. Oregon Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19145
To make it easier to find Wonderful Halos, shoppers can look for the vibrant new point-of-sale (POS) displays featuring a cheerful, school-ready child, promoting Halos as “The Backpack Snack Hack.” Naturally sweet, seedless, and easy-to-peel, Halos help take the stress out of lunchbox prep – making it easy for families to “snack to school” with confidence.
The world’s sweetest mandarins are available year-round in 2-, 3- and 5-pound bags at grocery, mass, and club stores nationwide. To learn more about the contest and for official rules, please visit https://www.halosfun.com/sweetestteachercontest. For recipe inspiration, craft ideas, and more information about Wonderful Halos, visit halosfun.com.
About Wonderful Halos
Wonderful Halos are sweet, seedless, and easy-to-peel California-grown mandarins that both kids and parents love. The palm-sized fruit are Non-GMO Project Verified and available at produce aisles nationwide at grocery, mass, and club retailers during California mandarin season (November–May).
Wonderful Halos is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held company with a portfolio that includes other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful Pistachios, POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, JUSTIN wines, and Teleflora. To discover more about the fun, delicious world of Halos, visit halosfun.com, or follow Halos on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. To learn more about The Wonderful Company’s corporate social responsibility impact, visit csr.wonderful.com.
About Wonderful Citrus
Wonderful Citrus is America’s largest integrated grower, shipper, and packer of fresh citrus, including clementine/mandarin, navel, and Valencia oranges; lemons; limes; grapefruits; and other citrus varieties. Wonderful Citrus owns, cultivates, and harvests over 60,000 acres of fresh citrus and ships it around the world each year to ensure a year-round supply. Its citrus can be found in the produce department of grocery stores across America under the flagship consumer brands of Wonderful Halos mandarins and Wonderful Seedless Lemons.
Wonderful Citrus is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $6 billion global company, which also has other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful Pistachios, FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, JUSTIN wines, and Teleflora. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, its products, and its core values, please visit wonderful.com, or follow The Wonderful Company on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. To learn more about The Wonderful Company’s corporate social responsibility impact, visit csr.wonderful.com.
Contact:
Lauren Berle
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2f1670e9-a49d-43a3-80e4-7258a65bb820
