Next year’s SIBA Business Awards will include two new categories recognising the extraordinary resilience shown by the beer and brewing industry in the face of covid.
The new categories — covid brewery initiative and covid supplier initiative — seek to highlight those businesses making the best of a very tough situation for independent breweries, pubs, bars and bottle shops, and the communities they support.
The SIBA Business Awards seek to recognise excellence in the brewing industry across a variety of categories, from pumpclip, can and bottle design, to efforts taken by brewers to make their business more eco-friendly, innovative or successful, as well as naming the UK’s best bars, restaurants and retailers of craft beer from independent breweries.
The award for UK’s best independent craft beer taproom will also return in 2021, following its introduction last year.
Neil Walker, chair of judges for the SIBA Business Awards, said: “2020 has been an incredibly tough year for independent breweries, but what has been hugely impressive has been the ability of businesses to adapt and overcome the pressures of covid, and the many obstacles that have been thrown at them.
“We are acknowledging this changing environment with the introduction of two new categories specifically relating to coronavirus, but I equally look forward to seeing the entries across our other categories, as lots of amazing work has flown under the radar this year.
“The independent brewing industry may be under attack on many fronts, but so many breweries are proving they can meet any challenge put in their way, and these awards seek to highlight and reward those businesses.”
The SIBA Business Awards are unique in being both free to enter and judged by a panel of independent beer industry experts, managed by not-for-profit trade association the Society of Independent Brewers. To find out more, visit siba.co.uk/business-awards/.
Award categories
- Covid brewery initiative award
- Covid supplier initiative award
- Marketing implementation
- Green business
- Best individual design
- Best concept design
- Business innovation
- Commercial achievement
- UK’s best independent craft beer retailer — multiple
- UK’s best independent craft beer retailer — single
- UK’s best independent craft beer restaurant
- UK’s best independent craft brewery taproom
- UK’s best independent craft beer bar or pub — city
- UK’s best independent craft beer bar or pub — rural
- Supplier associate of the year (brewer nominated)
- SIBA brewery business of the year (judge awarded)
