the drinks association is pleased to announce some changes to the judging process for the 2017 Australian drinks Awards.  The changes will help better determine the best entries and allow us to present the awards to the most deserving brands and products. 

The individual entry cost for this year’s show will be $495 plus GST.  Entries will open on April 10 and conclude on June 9, 2017.  

Unlike previous years, the shortlisting process for each award will be removed.  Each entry, regardless of category, will go straight to a consumer panel.  Each entry will receive one overall score and the winner will be the brand/product with the highest score.

Along with these changes are revised requirements to entry for some awards.

Entries for the Best Sales Achievement Award must now be signed by both the submitter and the Sales Director for the brand.  A representative of equal or higher position will also be accepted.  

All entries for Best Innovation must be a new brand/product/variant/pack format or packaging type that has been introduced into the market between the January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017.  Entries that have showed innovation during this time, but were released before or after aforementioned dates, will not be granted entry.

Another large change this year comes with the determining information for the Best Social Media Presence Award.  On top of last year’s information, there will also now be a consumer survey to evaluate the content of the social media presence. Categories in the survey will include: Impact, Empathy, Communication and Persuasion.  

Facebook impressions for each entry will also play an important role in determining the winner for the Best Social Media Presence Award.

“the drinks association believes these changes will build a better Australian drinks Awards”, says CEO Sandra Przibilla.  We would like to thank our members for their continued support and participation in making our awards show the most spectacular event in the industry.