Entrant Information

The Good Food Awards empower craft food producers as leaders in their food community by providing concrete business opportunities and national visibility. The Awards bring the products and stories of the best food crafters from every region of the United States in front of specialty food buyers, national food media and sustainable food movement leaders. By recognizing food producers for taste and sustainability, we hope to move each industry forward.

We are proud to announce that the entry period for the third annual Good Food Awards officially closed on August 31st 2012 with over 1,350 entries from 49 states.

Good Food Awards 2013 Rules and Regulations

Thank you for entering your products to the 2013 Good Food Awards.  Information on how to ship your product will be sent to all entrants in an email in late-September, and the shipping information is also included below.  Please add connect@goodfoodawards.org to your email inbox so that you receive all further updates about your entry status.

Categories:
The third annual Good Food Awards will honor food and drink from nine different categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, preserves, and spirits.

Entering your Product for the Blind Tasting:
The next step of the entry process is mailing in a sample of your product for the Blind Tasting. All submissions that meet the criteria for entry as outlined on the entry form will be judged at a Blind Tasting on October 14, 2012 in San Francisco. Each category has its own panel of judges with special expertise in the industry, whose names can be found on the webpage for each category. In all categories, Awards are given to the top scorers in the blind tasting from each region provided they pass the vetting process and meet the minimum tasting scores put in place to ensure that consistent exceptional taste quality is found in all winners across categories and regions.

Shipping Samples:
All shipping costs are to be covered by the entrant and the quantity required varies according to category and follows industry standards.

Shipment Date:
Products must arrive on October 9, 10 or 11

Please note that products must arrive to the warehouse in San Francisco by Thursday October 11 at 5pm PST in order to be sorted and included in the blind tasting on October 14. They will be stored in optimum conditions through the care of our partners at Veritable Vegetable and GreenLeaf (cheese). Note that unfortunately we are not able to accept samples before October 9 because we do not have use of warehouse space before that date.  Entrants will receive an email with the shipping label and appropriate mailing address in late September.

Sample Quantities:
Beer: Please send a minimum of 4 containers of beer per entry product, and no less than 72 oz total per entry product (no less than one six-pack of 12 oz bottles, or no less than 422 oz bottles)

Charcuterie: Please send a minimum of 16 oz or 1 unit of charcuterie per submission.

Cheese: For fresh and small format cheeses, please send 16 oz or two 4-8 oz whole pieces.  For semi-soft, semi-hard, and hard cheeses, whole wheels are preferred. If whole wheels pose an issue, please send a minimum of 1 lb wrapped in a way which protects the integrity of the cheese.

Chocolate: Please send a minimum of 120g of chocolate per submission.  If you can send more (200g maximum), please do so.  This is in case some pieces become marred in shipping, and we want to make sure the judges try your product at its best!

Coffee: Please send a minimum of 1lb (recommended 2lbs) of coffee per submission.

Confections: Please send a minimum of 18 “tastes” per entry.  A “taste” will vary depending on the type of sample, but some examples of minimum entry quantities are: 1 bon bon, 1 caramel, 1/4 candy bar, or 1 8oz. jar of cajeta.

Contact us with any questions about sample quantities (415.447.3268 or info@goodfoodawards.org)

Pickles: Please send a minimum of 24 oz per submission. To aid with the blind tasting, please either:
1. Use jars without labels or
2. Cover the label with tape so that it is not visible.

Additionally, please label the bottom of the jar with a sticker containing the following information:
1. Company name
2. Product name

Preserves: Please send a minimum of 16 oz per submission. To aid with the blind tasting, please either:
1. Use jars without labels or
2. Cover the label with tape so that it is not visible.

Additionally, please label the bottom of the jar with a sticker containing the following information:
1. Company name
2. Product name

Spirits: Please send a minimum of 1000 mL per entry product.

Carrier:
You may use your preferred mail carrier.  We highly recommend you ship with a tracking number.  Due to the quantity of samples we receive, it is unlikely that the Good Food Awards team will be able to personally confirm the arrival of each entry.

Cost:
There is an entry fee for each product submitted. This fee goes to offset the cost of processing entries and the blind tasting. The fee is payable with a credit card or Paypal account upon completion of the entry form. If you do not have a credit card, you may pay by check (contact us for mailing information at info@goodfoodawards). Due to the high volume of entries, all entry fees are non-refundable, so please ensure the products you enter fit the guidelines outlined on the entry form.

Vetting:
Entrants are eligible for winning a Good Food Awards if they satisfy each of the category-specific authenticity and responsible production criteria to which all must certify to on the entry form. All those determined to be Finalists and Winners by the blind tasting will be vetted through interviews by the Good Food Awards team and its committees of experts before being awarded those honors.

Ceremony and Marketplace:
All Good Food Award winners will be invited to be honored at an invitation-only Ceremony on January 18, 2013 and to sell at a special public Good Food Awards Marketplace on January 19, 2013, both at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Rules:
1. Up to 3 entries are allowed per producer in all categories except for coffee. Up to 2 entries are allowed per coffee producer.
2. Each product entered requires a processing entry fee, payable by credit card through PayPal via the entry form.*
3. All entry fees are non-refundable to due to the high volume of entries.
3. Shipping and product costs for entries to be covered by entrant.
4. Products must be made in a licensed kitchen and be ready for sale.
5. Entrants may be called prior to or after the blind tasting to confirm they meet the eligibility details listed in the Entry Form and disqualified if any statements are found to be false.

*Contact connect@seedlingprojects.org if you would prefer to pay with a check.

The Good Food Awards are thrilled to acknowledge our generous sponsors from 2012.