Kick Off the School Year with IGA’s Back to School Shopper Sweepstakes!

As summer winds down and families gear up for a new school year, the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) is giving shoppers an exciting reason to stock up on essentials with the Back to School Shopper Sweepstakes, running July 15 through August 11, 2026.

What Back-to-School Really Brings

Back-to-school season means new routines: early alarms, packed lunches, after-school activities, and trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of family time before homework starts. It's a season of fresh starts — new teachers, new friends, new supplies — but it also means busy weeknights and a lot of mouths to feed on the go.

That's where a little planning (and a few crowd-pleasing recipes) can make all the difference. Share these ideas with shoppers to help them prepare for Back to School:

• Pack a Happy Lunchbox with watermelon three ways for a lunch that keeps kids hydrated and smiling through the school day,
• Whip up a batch of Blueberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Ice Cream for a cool-down treat
• Build a Kids Charcuterie Snack Board together as a fun way to reconnect over an after-school snack.

These small moments of ease are exactly what this season is all about — and exactly what our sponsors are here to help with.

The Back to School Shopper Sweepstakes is sponsored by U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s Grab a Boost of Blue, Ziploc, Honey Bunches of Oats, Watermelon Board, Wonderful Halos, and Wonderful Pistachios. This sweepstakes offers shoppers the chance to win big while preparing for the busy back-to-school season.

Click here to download the above Reel to share on social media.

Prizes Include:

🛒 One Grand Prize: A $1,000 shopping spree to get everything your family needs for a successful school year — from snacks and lunchbox staples to school supplies (awarded as a $1,000 prepaid Visa® gift card).

💳 Four Winners: Each will receive a $500 Visa gift card — perfect for stocking up or treating yourself.

💵 Ten Winners: Each will receive a $100 Visa gift card to help ease those back-to-school expenses.

Shoppers can enter at participating IGA stores or online, making it easy to get in on the action while picking up groceries and school must-haves.

Whether your shoppers are filling lunchboxes, planning dinners, or refreshing their pantries, IGA and our generous sponsors are here to help them head into the school year with confidence — and maybe even some extra cash in their pockets.

How to Promote

The shopper sweepstakes will be promoted on IGA.com, on our shopper-facing social media, and through the National Digital Ad. You can promote using the below assets on social media, email, and on your website, and by posting the shelf tags in store.

Use the above graphic to promote the sweepstakes on your social media pages.

Resources include:

• Shopper blog with helpful back to school tips from our sponsors as well as access to entry
• Social media assets, including a Facebook graphic and reel, to spread the word and grow your online following
• National digital ad offers from our sponsors:
  • July 15 - Aug 11:
    • Ziploc | $2.00 Off (2) Ziploc Brand Bags Includes Snack, Pint, Sandwich, Quart, Gallon, Freezer, Storage, EZZipper, Slider (10 - 280 ct.) Limit 1 offer per transaction
    • Wonderful Halos | $0.50 OFF (1) Wonderful Halos® Mandarins 2 and 3 lb bag.
    • Wonderful Pistachios | $0.50 OFF (1) Wonderful Pistachios® Select in-shell varieties (8–16 oz)