York Region Recipe Challenge – Hosted by DiabetesHaven
In a moment of economic difficulty for many families, our goal is to help financially burdened families in York Region create healthy, convenient, and affordable meals.
DiabetesHaven is hosting the York Region Recipe Challenge. The contest will take place in two parts: a virtual submission phase and an in-person taste test.
Eligibility
Everyone is welcome to participate in the challenge; however, it is meant to benefit the residents of York Region.
Contest Timeline
Phase 1: Online Recipe Submission (March 1st, 2025 – May 11th, 2025)
Participants must submit their recipe at diabeteshaven.net/contest via Google Form. Only one recipe per person is allowed. Recipes must be full meals and will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Cost
- Full points (10 points) if the cost is $15 or less per serving. For every dollar over $15, 1 point is deducted.
- Quickness of Preparation
- Full points (10 points) if the preparation time is 15 minutes or less. For every minute over 15 minutes, 0.5 points are deducted.
- Healthiness
- Recipes are scored on a scale from 1 to 100, and the score is added directly to the total.
- Dietary Restrictions
- Earn 5 extra points for each dietary restriction met from the following list:
- Lactose-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Kosher
- Halal
- Keto
- Diabetes-friendly
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
- Wheat-free
- Fish and shellfish-free
- Egg-free
- Soy-free
- Pescetarian
- Paleo
Phase 2: Taste Test (May 25th, 2025)
The top five scoring recipes from Phase 1 will advance to Phase 2, where they will be evaluated based on taste to determine the final winner.
The top five recipes will be prepared by the DiabetesHaven team where we'll be joined by local judges to determine a winner. The judging will be recorded for all contestants to watch.
To ensure a level playing field, the use of certain equipment is not permitted during the contest, including:
- Pressure cookers
- Slow cookers
- Vacuum sealers
Prizes
- 1st Place: $100
- 2nd Place: $50
- 3rd Place: $25
The top five recipes will be featured in the York Region Recipe Challenge Guide which will be shared and disseminated with our community partners
Join us in promoting healthier food choices while competing for a chance to win!
Submit Your Recipe
Please submit your recipe with the form below
When submitting your recipe you will be prompted for:
- Your name
- Your email
- The title of your recipe
- The price per serving
- The time of preparation
- The directions (Either as a file or you can choose to copy and paste as well)
- You will be asked to include steps with the time that each will take
By submitting your recipe you agree that if chosen your name and recipe will be published in the York Region Recipe Guide. All decisions are final, there is no process to contest the decision of the judges.
Please note that the recipe must be submitted in English
Clicke here to view an example recipe submission
For any inquiries please email officialdiabeteshaven@gmail.com