Milds, Stouts and Porters, Lagers etc – Beer with a colour of > 40 EBC Class 4 (5.8%-6.9%)
Registrations close on 31st January 2026
Rules and Schedules
COMPETITION RULES & SCHEDULES
STRUCTURE IN BRIEF
An entry is defined as a branded product, in commercial production, from a commercial brewery or cider house and offered for sale to the public at local or national retail establishments licensed for this purpose at the time of entry and not later than 31st January 2026. Trial ciders cannot be accepted. The standard entry fee is £187 (plus UK VAT) for each beer entry and £170 (plus UK VAT) for cider entry.
Entrants are responsible to pay any bank charges and must ensure the full GBP amount is received. No sample will be presented for judging unless the entry fee has been received in full. Full payment is required by no later than 31st January 2026.
The latest date for receipt of completed entry forms is 31st January 2026.
Cider entries must arrive at the warehouse in Burton upon Trent on or before 31st January 2026.
Late withdrawal will be accepted up to 31st January 2026. Any withdrawal after this date, or non arrival of samples, the entry fee will not be refunded.
DEFINITION OF AN ENTRY & STRUCTURE OF FEES
An entry is defined as a branded product, in commercial production, from a commercial brewery or cider house and offered for sale to the public at local or national retail establishments licensed for this purpose at the time of entry and not later than 31st January 2026. Trial ciders cannot be accepted. The standard entry fee is £187 (plus UK VAT) for each beer entry and £170 (plus UK VAT) for cider entry. UK VAT is payable on all entries unless outside of EU or EU VAT number given.
Entrants are responsible to pay any bank charges and must ensure the full GBP amount is received. No sample will be presented for judging unless the entry fee has been received in full. Full payment is required by no later 31st January 2026.
We recommend the following deadlines for registration to ensure you receive timely entry information.
Rest of the World – 31st January 2026.
Europe – 31st January 2026.
UK – 31st January 2026.
The latest date for receipt of completed entry forms is 31st January 2026.
Cider entries must arrive at the warehouse in Burton upon Trent on or before 31st January 2026.
Late withdrawal will be accepted up to 31st January 2026. Any withdrawal after this date, or non-arrival of samples, the entry fee will not be refunded.
ORIGIN
Multiple entry registrations of the same beer/cider in the same pack category from a single production site are not permitted. More than one entry of the same brand from a single production site may be entered only if the sample is presented in different pack categories.
E.g. one entry quantity of smallpack, one keg and one cask of the same brand would be permissible. (Bottle and can variants of the same cider from a site are both considered as smallpack and only one would be permitted). The same brand in the same pack from different production sites may be entered. e.g. a licensed brand, multisite brewed brand. For the purpose of judging the Awards, three pack categories are deemed acceptable.
1.Smallpack of any type (bottle, can, PET etc )
2.Keg
3.Cask
Production site means the site producing the cider liquid.
If an agent/distributor etc is entering cider on behalf of a producer, the agent must ensure that registration and entry details are approved by the brand owner, whose products are being submitted.
ENTRY DETAILS
Full delivery details and despatch labels will be forwarded to the competitor on receipt of completed entry forms and clearance of entry funds. Entrants will receive confirmation via via email.
All entries must be sent at the competitor’s risk with carriage paid.
Full delivery details will be sent to entrants.
Molson Coors has kindly agreed to assemble all entries in Burton upon Trent. Freight must arrive on or before 31st January 2026. Full address details will be forwarded to confirmed entrants.
Beers/ciders entered in the competition will be showcased and sold at the judging venue in the ensuing International Beer & Cider Festival, organised by the National Brewery Centre.
COMPLIANCE
Organisers reserve the right to challenge any entry which is deemed not to meet the type/style qualification of the class being entered. They may either advise a move to an appropriate category and/or class or may arrange a refund of the entry fee. Any entries which fail to comply with the Competition conditions will be disqualified.
Companies with a judge on the Competitions’ panel are not barred from entering as the judge will not be involved in tasting ciders direct from the container from their own company/affiliation, nor in the elimination rounds of judging. The Organisers reserve the right to analyse any entry for % ABV as appropriate. All entries must fall within the specified ranges. Notwithstanding legal tolerance of different geographies, in the awards, an ABV tolerance of 0.5 % will be used. The Chairman of Judges has the authority to alter, modify or add to conditions. In all cases during judging, the decision of the Chairman of Judges is final. The Competition is run in good faith and, by entering, the entrant agrees that no legal recourse is available.
FOR ENTRIES FROM OUTSIDE THE UK
Competitors must inform their forwarding agent of the total volume of their consignment and its %ABV strength. The Organisers cannot be held responsible for clearance by UK Revenue and Customs authorities. Shipping authorisations must make it clear that the entrant is responsible for the payment of any UK duty and VAT. The receiving agent in the UK will not be able to pay monies etc. owing on the entrant’s behalf. Failure to complete the instructions correctly will delay receipt of entry samples.
RECOVERY OF EMPTY LARGEPACK CONTAINERS UK
Kegstar are providing an empty keg to entrants wishing to use (country dependent). Those not using Kegstar containers must collect casks and kegs from Kegwatch in Burton upon Trent. Overseas competitors will be required to collect their containers from Burton warehouse within the time frame given. If the competitor does not wish to collect the container please inform the Organisers on the entry forms. The Competition Organisers cannot return any casks or kegs and accept no responsibility for loss or damage.
IF YOU WIN AN AWARD
Award winners in each class (Gold, Silver and Bronze) will be announced at the National Brewery Centre on the afternoon of 20th May 2026.
Subsequently, the Championship winner will be announced on 20th May 2026. Medal winners will receive one free ticket per medal win to attend the Luncheon and may purchase further tickets direct from BFBi. Medals, certificates and Championship trophies will be presented at Mayfield Depot, Manchester, UK, 20th May 2026.
Medal winners may be asked to supply fully badged samples of their winning entries for tasting by guests at the event. All entrants are advised that it is the Organiser’s policy not to publish a complete list of entries. Statistical information will be issued, but only the Award-winning brands/company will be publicised.
USE OF THE AWARDS LOGO
There is an approved form of wording to describe the class and status of each Award. Companies whose entries receive an Award will be advised how that Award maybe described in that brand’s publicity, promotional and packaging material. Should you win the Championship trophy, this will be presented at Guildhall. Championship winners will receive a commemorative trophy to retain.
Submission of a beer/cider for entry implies full acceptance by the entrant company and their advertising agents of the rules governing the fair and correct description of any Award.
ANY QUERIES ?
If entrants have any queries relating to the above rules, they may contact the Organisers.
Email organisation@brewingawards.org
Tel + 44 (0)1902 422303
Need Help?
Need help?
Step 1 - Login / Registration
To begin submitting entries you will need an account. If you already have an account please enter your login details in the login box provided and you will be taken to the My Account page. If you don’t have an account enter your email address and a password of your choice in the registration box. Registering will automatically log in and an email of your registration will be sent to you.
Step 2 - Submitting Entries
Now you’re logged in you are ready to start submitting your entries. You can do this by going to the ‘Submit Entries’ button and selecting either ‘Beer Registration’ or ‘Cider Registration’.
Step 3 - Selecting a Class
You will be presented with a choice of classes. Simply select the class for your entry and click it and you will be presented with all the information you need and a form to complete. You will need to enter your entries one by one, selecting the appropriate class for each. Don’t forget to read the rules and regulations for your class. You can find the rules by clicking on the ‘Competition Rules and Schedules’ button.
Step 4 - Submit your Entries
Once you have completed the form and agreed that you have read the rules by clicking the check box at the bottom of the form, click the ‘Submit Entry’ button. Repeat this step for each of your entries. Note that this does not submit your entries into the competition, this process submits them for final review and payment, your pending entries can be viewed by going to the ‘My Account’ tab and clicking ‘ View Entries’.
Step 5 - View your Entries
Now you are on the ‘View Entries’ page you can see all the entry forms you have completed and are ready to be submitted. You can click the X found at the right of the entry summary to delete that entry, however doing this will mean you will have to submit the entry again by repeating step 3, if you wish to re-enter it. If you need to modify an entry you will need to remove it and add it again. Once you have finalised your entry list and you are ready to pay, click ‘Proceed to checkout’.
Step 6 - Payment and details
Now you are on the ‘View Entries’ page you can see all the entry forms you have completed and are ready to be submitted. You can click the X found at the right of the entry summary to delete that entry, however doing this will mean you will have to submit the entry again by repeating step 3, if you wish to re-enter it. If you need to modify an entry you will need to remove it and add it again. Once you have finalised your entry list and you are ready to pay, click ‘Proceed to checkout’.
Need Help?
Need help?
Step 1 - Login / Registration
To begin submitting entries you will need an account. If you already have an account please enter your login details in the login box provided and you will be taken to the My Account page. If you don’t have an account enter your email address and a password of your choice in the registration box. Registering will automatically log in and an email of your registration will be sent to you.
Step 2 - Submitting Entries
Now you’re logged in you are ready to start submitting your entries. You can do this by going to the ‘Submit Entries’ button and selecting either ‘Beer Registration’ or ‘Cider Registration’.
Step 3 - Selecting a Class
You will be presented with a choice of classes. Simply select the class for your entry and click it and you will be presented with all the information you need and a form to complete. You will need to enter your entries one by one, selecting the appropriate class for each. Don’t forget to read the rules and regulations for your class. You can find the rules by clicking on the ‘Competition Rules and Schedules’ button.
Step 4 - Submit your Entries
Once you have completed the form and agreed that you have read the rules by clicking the check box at the bottom of the form, click the ‘Submit Entry’ button. Repeat this step for each of your entries. Note that this does not submit your entries into the competition, this process submits them for final review and payment, your pending entries can be viewed by going to the ‘My Account’ tab and clicking ‘ View Entries’.
Step 5 - View your Entries
Now you are on the ‘View Entries’ page you can see all the entry forms you have completed and are ready to be submitted. You can click the X found at the right of the entry summary to delete that entry, however doing this will mean you will have to submit the entry again by repeating step 3, if you wish to re-enter it. If you need to modify an entry you will need to remove it and add it again. Once you have finalised your entry list and you are ready to pay, click ‘Proceed to checkout’.
Step 6 - Payment and details
Now you are on the ‘View Entries’ page you can see all the entry forms you have completed and are ready to be submitted. You can click the X found at the right of the entry summary to delete that entry, however doing this will mean you will have to submit the entry again by repeating step 3, if you wish to re-enter it. If you need to modify an entry you will need to remove it and add it again. Once you have finalised your entry list and you are ready to pay, click ‘Proceed to checkout’.
Milds, Stouts and Porters, Lagers etc – Beer with a colour of > 40 EBC