Writers, journalists, bloggers, broadcasters, photographers and others who communicate about beer and pubs are urged to enter the Guild of Beer Writers’ Annual Awards, which close in three weeks, on 7 September.
This year’s awards come with a total prize fund of £11,000 to be shared between the winners and runners up in the competition, which aims to reward the best communication about beer and pubs in national, regional, trade and online media as well as books. A new category has been added this year for writing specifically about pubs.
Judges this year are: Amy Bryant, food editor at The Telegraph; James Cuthbertson, MD of Dark Star Brewery and founder of the Beer & Cider Marketing Awards; Stu McKinlay, co-founder of Yeastie Boys; Jenn Merrick, founder of Earth Station Brewery; Zoe Smith, retail correspondent at The Guardian and Mark Taylor, Bristol-based food and drink writer. The current Beer Writer of the Year, Adrian Tierney-Jones, chairs the panel.
Work must have been published between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018 to be eligible.
The Guild publishes a shortlist for all nine categories in November, while the winner and runner up for each will be unveiled at the Guild of Beer Writers annual awards dinner, held at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel on 22 November. One overall Beer Writer of the Year will receive the Michael Jackson Gold Tankard Award.
Full details of all nine categories in the Awards, and advice on how to submit entries, can be found here: https://www.beerguild.co.uk/awards/
The Guild is grateful to the following sponsors, whose support makes possible our annual awards and dinner:
The Guild is grateful to the following sponsors, whose support makes possible our annual awards and dinner:
Adnams
Established in 1872, Adnams combines innovation with tradition. Behind the walls of its Victorian-looking building, it has some of the most advanced and energy-efficient brewing equipment in Europe and constantly experiments with new, innovative techniques. Adnams brews a range of beers which reflect its heritage but also challenge conventions. They use locally-grown East Anglian grains of malted barley, rye, wheat and oats wherever possible and deploy a number of different hop varieties from Britain as well as across the world – all of which contribute to their beers’ individual characters.
Fuller’s London Pride
For Fuller’s, brewing beer is not just our business – it’s our passion. We bring everything to it, committing all our energy and creativity to make Fuller’s beers more special than the rest. It’s that dedication that keeps London Pride as fresh and popular as ever – exhibiting the characteristic longevity of the flower it is named after.
Greene King
Brewing in Bury St Edmunds, the home of Greene King, dates back 1000 years to day of the Doomsday book and in 2019 our two historic breweries, Westgate in Bury St Edmunds and Belhaven in Dunbar will be celebrating a combined brewing heritage of 520 years. With a diverse range in our beer portfolio, from pale ales to craft beers and from bitters to stout one thing is for sure, our passion for brewing top quality, delicious beer is as strong today as all those years ago.
We are proud to sponsor the Guild of Beer Writers Awards, a wonderful celebration of our national passion for great quality British beer, the writers who challenge the brewers and the brewing industry who continue to drive innovation in beer.
Heineken
With over 2,000 passionate people, some of the nation’s most loved beers and ciders, nearly 3,000 pubs, thousands of acres of orchards and three UK breweries, there’s more to HEINEKEN than the name above the door. Our portfolio of brands includes Foster’s, Heineken®, Strongbow, Desperados, Kronenbourg1664, John Smith’s, Bulmers, Amstel, Birra Moretti and Old Mout backed by a full range of niche and speciality brands.
As long term supporters of the British Guild of Beer Writers, we truly believe in the power of storytelling – whether that be through the written word, a podcast, or a photograph. And we are proud to be sponsoring once again.
Love Your Local
A campaign, launched in 2018 by Britain’s Beer Alliance, to celebrate the important role local pubs play in Britain’s community, culture and national identity. It also calls for a cut in the devastatingly high beer duty, which the Government has plans to increase further through RPI linked rises for at least the next three years.
St Austell Brewery
Founded in 1851 by Cornishman Walter Hicks, St Austell Brewery is an independent and family-owned brewer and pub operator. Its brewery in St Austell produces many of the region’s most popular beers for sale in pubs, bars and supermarkets in the south west, across the UK and overseas. Led with brands including Tribute and Proper Job IPA, St Austell brews beer with individuality, character and spirit which is true to its vision of what good beer ought to be. Fellow west country brewer and pub company, Bath Ales, joined the St Austell Brewery family in summer 2016.
