The Buyer
10 reasons to enter London Wine, Beer & Spirits Competitions

10 reasons to enter London Wine, Beer & Spirits Competitions

With so many international drink competitions it can be hard to work out which ones are going to really make a difference to your brand, turn the head of all important trade buyers and the consumer wandering up and down the drinks aisle. So here’s the case for entering the three London Competitions for wine, beers and spirits which claim to judge and assess products in the same way that consumers do.

Richard Siddle
19th August 2023by Richard Siddle
posted in Awards,

Thinking of entering either the London Spirits Competition, London Wine Competition or London Beer Competition? Here are 10 reasons why you might.

1 Because it is a consumer-driven event with judging criteria that assess products in the same way that consumers do: What they taste like; the quality; their value for money; and what they look like on shelf.

2 The awards are run by the Beverage Trade Network that runs a number of consumer facing drinks, lifestyle and hospitality websites designed to help promote medal winning products in the three competitions including the London Drinks Guide with similar guides in major cities around the world (click here for the full list) giving brands the chance to be featured internationally too.

Some of the leading names in the bar world are judges in the London Spirits Competition

3 All judging is carried out by drinks professionals who have direct buying experience for either wines, beers or spirits and includes sommeliers, bartenders, importers, distributors, wine merchants and specialist drinks buyers.

4 Medal winning products feature in a Top 100 list for each of the three competitions to further promote and showcase the best products entered.

Relevant medal winners have the chance to be featured at the International Bulk Wine & Spirits Show in London in November

5 Medal winners then have the chance to be promoted at affiliated events organised or supported by the Beverage Trade Network including the International Bulk Wine & Spirits Show, London Wine Fair, ProWein.

6 The awards and medal winning producers, brand owners and distributors are promoted through two dedicated UK trade websites – one aimed at hospitality, The On-Trade, and the other for specialist retail, Drinks Merchants.

7 Producers, brand owners and distributors can buy Gold, Silver, Bronze and trophy winning stickers to put on products to promote them directly to consumers on shelf.

8 Use the specially created media and press templates to personalise press releases and publicise any medal winning products to key trade and consumer titles.

9 The London Competitions were only introduced in 2017 with the first awards announced in 2018 making it one of the newest and freshest competitions to be involved in.

10 Chance to have your say. The Beverage Trade Network and its founder Sid Patel actively seeks out the advice and support of drinks companies to find out how the awards can better serve their needs and is keen to work with those businesses and individuals willing to share their expertise and insights.

How to enter 2024 awards

Super early bird pricing

Brands looking to enter the 7th annual London Spirits Competition can save £70 on the standard entry fee if they enter their products by September 30, 2023.

Entry Fees

Fee Schedule for the 2024 London Spirits Competition:

£110 – Super Early Bird: Now to September 30, 2023
£140 – Early Bird: October 1, 2023 to December 20, 2023
£180 – Regular: December 21, 2023 to February 22, 2024

Some of the judging taking place for the London Wine Competition

Fee Schedule for 2024 London Wine Competition

£70 – Super Early Bird: Now to September 30, 2023
£90 – Early Bird: October 1, 2023 to December 20, 2023
£120 – Regular: December 21, 2023 to February 22, 2024

Fee Schedule for 2024 London Beer Competition

£70 – Super Early Bird: Now to September 30, 2023
£90 – Early Bird: October 1, 2023 to December 20, 2023
£120 – Regular: December 21, 2023 to February 22, 2024

Quantity Discount for London Wine and London Beer

4 to 9 entries: 10% discount
10 to 14 entries: 15% discount
15 or more entries: 20% discount

Quantity Discount for London Spirits

3 to 8 entries: 10% discount
9 to 13 entries: 15% discount
14 or more entries: 20% discount

Key Dates:

Super Early Bird: Now to September 30, 2023
Warehouse Closes: March 4, 2024
Registration Ends: February 22, 2024
Judging Date: March 18 and 19, 2024 for London Wine and London Beer and March 20-21 for London Spirits

Winners Announced: April 10, 2024

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