Trader Joe’s has introduced a new private brand promotion designed to encourage shoppers to engage with the retailer and its private brand range.

The retailer invites shoppers to “Mix up a memorable “milk” shake. Photograph your unique blended beverage. Post it to Instagram along with the hashtag #TJsMilkshakeContest for the chance to win a TJ’s gift card!”

The TJ’s site describes it this way:

It’s summertime, and that means it’s time to shake it! By “it” we mean milk. And by “milk,” we mean pretty much any dairy or non-dairy beverage in our stores that you’d like to mix with other yummy Trader Joe’s stuff into a drinkable treat!

THE CONTEST

Using five or fewer Trader Joe’s products (anything we currently sell in our store), mix up a memorable “milk” shake. Photograph your unique blended beverage, then post it to Instagram along with the hashtag #TJsMilkshakeContest for the chance to win a Trader Joe’s gift card. NOTE: All entries must include a dairy beverage (milk, chocolate milk, kefir, etc.), or a non-dairy milk alternative (coconut beverage, almond beverage, oat beverage, etc.) as an ingredient to be considered.

THE PRIZES

One winner will be selected by our panel to receive a $200 Trader Joe’s gift card and have their milkshake recipe featured on the Trader Joe’s website. Two runners-up will also be selected to each receive a $100 Trader Joe’s gift card. All winning entries will be featured on the official @traderjoes Instagram account when contest results are announced.

WHO CAN ENTER?

You must be a least 18 years old to enter. Trader Joe’s Crew Members and their family members are NOT eligible to participate.

HOW TO ENTER:

• BLEND IT: Combine your ingredients in a blender (or shake by hand) and present with toppings, if you like. Here are some additional guidelines: Recipe must include a dairy beverage (milk, chocolate milk, kefir, etc.), or a non-dairy beverage (coconut beverage, almond beverage, oat beverage, etc.).
  • Recipes must not include more than five ingredients total, including toppings.
  • All ingredients must be purchased at Trader Joe’s.
  • All products currently sold in our stores are eligible for use.
• SNAP IT: Take an original photo of your dairy or dairy-ish drink. Submission of copyrighted material is, of course, strictly prohibited. Videos will not be considered eligible.
• TAG IT: Include the hashtag #TJsMilkshakeContest somewhere in your caption. If you don’t include this hashtag, your entry cannot be considered.
• CAPTION IT: You must also include a complete ingredients list & recipe instruction in your caption—we want to be able to recreate it in our test kitchen!
• POST IT: Post your photo to your own Instagram account between Monday, July 12 at 3:00 p.m. PDT and Sunday, July 18 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Your Instagram account must be set to “public” in order to participate in this contest; if your account is set to “private,” we won’t be able to see your entry.

For full details regarding submission guidelines, see Official Rules.

JUDGING

An official panel of lactose tolerant, nut-allergy free, Certified Milkshake Experts (aka Trader Joe’s representatives) will select one (1) Winner and two (2) Runners-up from among all eligible entries based on the following criteria:

• Taste (50%) — Above all else, it’s gotta be delicious! We’ll be trying out our favorite submissions in our test kitchen.
• Creativity (25%) — Points for originality, interesting ingredients, unexpected flavor combos, etc. If you’re taking a classic route, impress us with your thoughtfulness.
• Photo (25%) — Points for appealing presentation, styling, lighting, proper focus, etc. It is an Instagram contest, after all!

Failure to follow the Contest Rules (e.g., using more than five ingredients; using copyrighted material; failure to include the contest hashtag in caption; failure to include full ingredients list & recipe in the caption) will result in disqualification. Videos will not be considered. In addition, content deemed inappropriate by our official panel will not be considered.

For full details regarding judging criteria, see Official Rules.

IMPORTANT CONTEST DATES

Submission Deadline: The Contest officially begins at 3 p.m. PDT on Monday, July 12, 2021. You may submit your photo beginning then and until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, July 18, 2021, when the Contest closes. No entries posted after this date & time will be eligible to win.

Notification & Announcement of Winners: One winner & two runners-up will be announced publicly on Monday, July 26, 2021, via an @traderjoes Instagram post. Winners will be notified prior to this public announcement via an Instagram Direct Message (DM) from @traderjoes.

IMPORTANT:

• Notification will be sent to winners on or about Friday, July 23.
• Some winners may be asked to email a digital file of their winning image to Trader Joe’s. Winners & runners-up who receive this request will have 48 hours from time of notification to submit their digital asset(s).
• If requested assets are not sent within the designated 48-hour timeframe, entry may be disqualified.

Good luck! We can’t wait to see what you’ve got shaking!