Awards
2023 AUSTRALIAN CIDER AWARDS
DOWNLOAD THE 2023 RESULTS HERE
The winners of the 12th Australian Cider Awards were announced on 26 October 2023. Cider Australia congratulates the winners!
Full details on Award classes and rules can be found in the 2023 Style Guide and the 2023 Conditions of Entry and Regulations below.
2023 Conditions of Entry and Regulations
Key Dates
| Entries open | 25 July |
| Entries close | 22 Sep 2023 |
| Delivery window | Mon 25 Sep – Fri 6 Oct |
| Judging (closed to public) | Mon 16 & Tue 17 Oct |
| Awards Presentation | Thu 26 Oct (Melbourne) |
Why enter?
- Compare your product against industry benchmarks
- Receive feedback from independent industry experts
- Market your product with a recognised stamp of quality
How to enter?
- Read these 2023 Conditions of Entry and Regulations and the 2023 Style Guide in full to confirm eligibility and determine the appropriate class to enter.
- Register your entries through the online entry system and pay the entry fee via https://wineshowpro.azurewebsites.net/views/auth/login
- Deliver entries between 25 September and 6 October 2023. Labels and delivery information will be emailed to entrants from early September.
Rules
General
1) Entrants must comply with the requirements set out in the 2023 Conditions of Entry and Regulations and the 2023 Style Guide. Entries must be received via the online entry system. Entries that do not comply may not be accepted or judged.
2) The competition is open to commercial cider producers and agents authorised, licensed or registered in their country of origin.
3) Entries must be commercially available (ie. on sale in one or more licensed outlets) in their country of origin at the time of judging. International ‘guest’ entries that are not commercially available in Australia will be accepted as part of a 3-year trial commencing in 2023. Guest entries will be eligible for medals and the Best International Cider or Perry Trophy.
4) A product in a particular format (ie. a 330mL bottle) may only be entered into the show once, however other formats of that product (ie. a 355mL can) may also be entered into the show. An entrant may enter more than one product into each class.
5) It is the responsibility of the entrant to enter the correct class. Note: In previous years the judges commented that entrants have a better chance of scoring well if ciders are entered in the correct class.
6) At the time of entry, the entrant must have a minimum amount of packaged product in stock per its entered class.
(a) For Classes 1-36, a minimum of 225 litres.
(b) For Classes 41-44, a minimum of 50 litres.
7) Entries in glass, can or plastic/PET containers must be submitted in the commercial package, including labels, used for sale. If the primary language of the country of origin is not English, the exhibitor is required to provide a formal English translation of the information on the label. Flip-top (or swing-top) bottles will not be accepted unless sealed with a commercial tamper evident label. Products packaged especially for the competition that are not ordinarily available in packaged form will not be accepted. Samples without commercial labels will be judged but medals and prizes will not be awarded. Should commercial labels not be available at the time of submitting samples, a copy of the commercial label must be manually affixed or an electronic copy provided to organisers by email (awards@cideraustralia.org.au).
8) Entries in kegs will not be accepted in 2023 unless the organisers advise otherwise. There has been insufficient demand for this entry format in recent years. Samples drawn from kegs or other packages will not be accepted.
9) Entrants must specify the residual sugar, ABV and carbonation level of each entry, along with any other information requested in the 2023 Conditions of Entry and Regulations and the 2023 Style Guide (see Appendix A). Entrants are advised to pay particular attention to sweetness levels when entering as entries may be disqualified or the judging score downgraded if entered incorrectly. A small leeway on sweetness of up to ± 2 grams per litre (g/L) is allowed for products at the intersection of classes.
10) Entrants must pay all customs, duty, and transportation costs to the delivery address in Victoria.
11) Entries become the property of Cider Australia.
Fees
12) Entry charges for 2023 are $70 (early-bird)/$80 per entry (plus merchant fees) for 2023-24 financial members of Cider Australia and $105 (early-bird)/$115 per entry (plus merchant fees) for non-members. Early-bird pricing ends at midnight on 4 August 2023 or other such time as advised by the organisers.
13) Each entry must be accompanied by the correct entry fee and all fees must be received by close of entries, 22 September 2023. Entries will not be judged if fees are outstanding.
14) Entry fees are non-refundable except at the discretion of the organisers.
Delivery
15) Entries must be delivered to Kellybrook Winery (Fulford Rd, Wonga Park VIC 3115, Australia) between 25 September – 6 October 2023.
16) Samples delivered early or late will not be accepted.
17) Entries must have Cider Australia entry labels securely attached to each container and carton (ensure relevant product information on the commercial label such as brand name, product name and ABV remains visible). Labels will be emailed to entrants from early September once entry fees are received and entry information has been validated.
18) The following quantities must be submitted (glass, can or plastic/PET containers):
(a) Standard and Speciality classes – four (4) of each container if less than 650ml, or three (3) of each container if 650ml or larger.
(b) Ice Cider or Perry and Pommeau – three (3) of each container if package is less than 375ml, or two (2) of each container if 375ml or larger.
(c) Apple/Pear Spirit – the total volume must be at least 500ml.
Judging Protocol
19) Judging of the 2023 Australian Cider Awards will be held in Melbourne on 16 & 17 October 2023. Judging is closed to entrants and the public.
20) All judging will be conducted “blind” Each entry will be identified by a randomly-assigned registration number. Judges will see only the number of entries, style and for some classes the additional information provided by entrants.
21) Entries will be assessed and judged on flavour, aroma, appearance and overall impression. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be determined based on merit. More than one medal of each level may be awarded in each class.
22) Judges reserve the right not to award medals, prizes or certificates in any class if the quality of entries does not merit them.
23) Entries that the Chief Steward considers out of class may be moved to more appropriate classes when this is logistically possible:
(a) Where several examples present which may constitute a sub class or new class the Chief Steward may instigate an appropriate class in discussion with the Chief Judge.
(b) Ciders that the Chief Judge determines to be out of class may be pointed and feedback provided at the Judges’ discretion.
Audit
24) Cider Australia reserves the right to cancel wrongly completed or incomplete entry forms and to disqualify any entry that does not comply with the requirements in the 2023 Conditions of Entry and Regulations and the 2023 Style Guide.
25) Cider Australia reserves the right to have any of the winning entries analysed by an accredited laboratory and, subject to the results of the analysis, to take whatever action it considers necessary.
Disputes
26) Cider Australia is the only organisation authorised to settle any disputes.
Force Majeure and Modifications
27) Cider Australia will not be held responsible for any event occurrence beyond their control which disrupts the Australia Cider Awards. Cider Australia reserves the right to cancel, alter dates, and change the conditions and running order of the Awards. Responsibility will not be incurred by Cider Australia and therefore no compensation can be sought by participants.
28) Cider Australia cannot be held responsible for any theft, loss, delay or damage during the transport of entries.
Data Collection
29) Cider Australia gathers data on cider production to use for statistical purposes. This data will not be available to the judges. It will remain confidential and will not be released to any external organisation or individual. As part of the online entry process, entrants are required to declare:
(a) whether the apple or pear content of their product is 100% Australian grown and whether the packaging displays Cider Australia’s 100% Australian Grown trust mark and other mandatory and voluntary labelling elements.
(b) whether sugar, apple juice concentrate or other sugar substitutes are used during production processes specifically to increase alcohol percentage or to adjust sweetness. The use of sugar or substitutes where the sole function is to promote the secondary fermentation process for products entered into ‘MT - method traditional (disgorged)' classes does not need to be advised.
(c) whether more than 5% water (in volume) is used in the production processes of a cider or perry (e.g. to reconstitute concentrate or adjust alcohol percentage).
(d) Additional Information specified in the 2023 Style Guide (see Appendix A).
Awards
30) Medals may be awarded in all classes.
31) Medals are based on a score out of a possible 100 points, assigned by the judging panel:
| Gold Medal | 92.5 – 100 points (Outstanding example) |
| Silver Medal | 85 – 92 points (Excellent example) |
| Bronze Medal | 77.5 – 84.5 points (Good example) |
| Note: In previous years the judges identified that to be a Gold medal winner a cider needed a certain “wow” factor, that caused it to shine above its peers. |
32) Gold Medal winning entries in all classes except Class 31 (Experimental Cider or Perry) that are commercially available in Australia are eligible for the following Trophies:
- Best Traditional Cider
- Best New World Cider
- Best Traditional Perry
- Best New World Perry
- Best Australian Cider or Perry (containing 100% Australian grown fruit)
- Best International Cider or Perry (see clause 33)
- Best Specialty Cider or Perry
- Best Intensified/Distilled Cider or Perry
- Most Successful Small Producer (0-49,999 litres per annum total branded cider sales – includes Nano and Micro producers per Cider Australia membership tiers)
- Most Successful Larger Producer (50,000 litres per annum or more total branded cider sales)
- Best in Show
33) Gold medal winning entries in all classes Except Class 31 (Experimental Cider or Perry) that are not commercially available in Australia are eligible for the Best International Cider or Perry Trophy.
34) A Best Packaging Award may be awarded, voted on by officials present at the Awards judging.
Use of Competition Awards in Marketing
35) Vintage cider and perry that earns a medal or trophy may only display the award on cider or perry of the same batch and vintage from which the winning entry was supplied. There is no time limit on use of medals provided they are applied to bottles from the same batch.
36) Brands may not advertise themselves as award winning in reference to this competition without referencing clearly the full competition name, the year, and the style category name in which the award was won. For example, a 2008 Gold Medal winner may advertise winning a 2008 Gold Medal in 2009, but not in a way that implies that the same product won a 2009 Gold Medal (unless it won a 2009 Gold Medal as well). Use of any award in a misleading way may result in that award being rescinded and the offending producer being barred from future competitions. Producers are responsible for ensuring that distributors, retailers, and restaurants use awards in advertising and marketing in accordance with competition rules. Failure to maintain proper control of the use of these awards may also result in the award being rescinded.
37) Feedback is supplied to aid producers in understanding how ciders were perceived by judges and what the relative strengths and weaknesses were perceived to be. Judges’ comments are not to be quoted for marketing purposes without the express prior approval of Cider Australia.
Awards Presentation
38) Winners of the 2023 Australian Cider Awards will be announced at the Australian Cider Awards Dinner to be held in Melbourne on Thursday 26 October 2023.
39) A selection of entry winning medals and/or best in class will be showcased at the Awards Presentation Dinner. The choices will be made by the organisers with chosen medal winners asked to contribute samples (2 x cartons/9 litres for classes 1-36 and 1.5 litres for classes 41-44). Additional samples, if required, must be made available for purchase at wholesale prices by Cider Australia from the producer to ensure there is sufficient stock for serving. We trust that you will agree with this move to publicise the top products and support the Australian Cider Awards.
40) Awards Presentation Dinner tickets will be available on Cider Australia’s website at www.cideraustralia.org.au. For more information please contact Cider Australia at awards@cideraustralia.org.au.
Questions?
If you have questions or need to make changes to your entry registration, please email awards@cideraustralia.org.au as soon as possible.
Best of luck to all entrants in the 2023 Australian Cider Awards!
BEST CIDER SELECTION OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Cider Australia launched the inaugural Best Cider Selection of the Year Awards in October 2021. The aim of this competition is to identify and acknowledge the efforts of venue owners, managers and sommeliers around Australia in curating thoughtful and enticing cider selections. The competition will be held biennially.
The 2021 winners were announced on 31 December 2021 (see media release here).
WINNERS – 2021 BEST CIDER SELECTION OF THE YEAR AWARDS
National Winner
Gurneys Cidery
Category Awards
Best Cidery: Gurneys Cidery
Best Cider + Food Venue: Willie Smith's Apple Shed
Highly Commended
Cidery Category (in alphabetical order):
Daylesford Cidery
Napoleone Orchard Bar & Cidery
Small Acres Cyder
Willie Smith’s Apple Shed
