Terms & conditions
Introduction
The World Kombucha Awards (hereinafter WKA) are organized by Kombucha Events, S.L. with the aim of spreading the Kombucha culture.
This set of regulations, as well as additional information regarding the WKA, is available at any time on the contest’s website: https://www.worldkombuchaawards.com
You are also welcome to contact the organizers to answer any questions you may have at the following email address info@worldkombuchaawards.com
Aims
The WKA competition has, among others, the following aims:
To promote quality in the Kombucha sector, by awarding a prestigious prize to those Kombuchas that meet high standards.
To give visibility to the diverse range of Kombucha types and reflect market trends.
To generate a context in which any international Kombucha brewer could compete an equal chance of winning.
To create a quality seal for Kombuchas worthy of it, which will in turn serve as a guide to consumers.
Who is eligible to participate?
Any commercially operated brewery, which is properly registered according to the respective national laws.
Brands that produce Kombucha in a brewery with the appropriate permissions to produce and market Kombucha.
Under no circumstances may a producer present a Kombucha brewed for another brand in their own name.
Experimental breweries in universities or schools may not participate.
Anyone can win
The judging is not only based on scores but also on consensus. This enables innovative Kombuchas and unusual interpretations of categories to have an equal chance of winning an award. The focus is on commercial value and recognizing excellence in Kombucha from a market-oriented perspective.
These awards provide an opportunity for all entries to compete on an equal basis.
Registration
To register, complete the form on the KWA website www.worldkombuchaawards.com
Samples needed for participation
Kombucha samples must be supplied as they are commercially sold, including packaging (bottles/cans) and labels. To this end, participants must submit a minimum of 1,5 liters of each registered Kombucha in at least 3 sample bottles/cans.
A Kombucha cannot be judged if there are too few samples available due to breakage during shipment. In such cases, the organizer is entitled to request further Kombucha samples. The participants will bear the costs and risks of dispatch. The organizer cannot be held liable for acts of minor negligence.
For Kombucha design categories, only 1 sample of the commercial bottle/can is requested.
Delivery information
Participants will be informed of the delivery address after registration is completed.
The delivery of the Kombucha submitted to the WKA competition will be the responsibility of the participant.
It is recommended that the packaging of the submitted Kombuchas is suitable for transport and guarantees delivery without incident. For breweries within the EU, we do not recommend using the public postal service.
Customs duty, taxes and other costs
The entry fee does not include delivery costs for the sample bottles or any customs duty, taxes or other costs. Entrants are responsible for covering these costs. Possible additional custom charges or penalties (non-EU Kombucha) will be charged to the brewery.
The shipment must be accompanied by a proforma invoice stating: “Samples without commercial value”.
The organization will not be responsible for any theft, loss, damage, or delays arising in the process of delivering samples to the organization.
Samples sent in damaged or partially damaged containers will not be admitted.
Please ensure everything is in order before shipping. The WKA organizers are not responsible for tracking shipments. Should any incidents arise, the organization will notify participants in an effort to resolve them, which may require participants to send new samples by urgent courier if the time frame allows.
Kombucha samples which arrive after the deadline or which have not been correctly registered or do not correspond to the registered product, will not be presented for the competition. The samples will not be returned and refunds will not be issued.
Control and storage of samples received
The organizer guarantees the optimal storage of the samples received. To conserve the Kombuchas, they will be stored in a safe place and refrigerated at a suitable temperature in the correct atmospheric conditions.
Upon receipt of samples, the organization will check that the labelling regulations stipulated in the country of production have been followed. WKA reserves the right to refuse samples which do not meet the outlined specifications.
Preliminary checks
When the organization has ensured that the participants have strictly complied with the deadlines for registration, payment and the delivery of any registered Kombucha, it will proceed to evaluate the Kombucha within the relevant category of competition, in accordance with the indications given by each participant on registration.
It is recommended that participants carefully review the stylistic descriptions of the Kombuchas they are presenting and assign the most precise category and subcategory to the submitted kombucha.
The organization reserves the right not to allow a Kombucha to compete if its registered category differs from how it is usually traded
Anonymity assured.
The entries remain entirely anonymous throughout the judging process.
The Competition
The Kombuchas will be judged in the categories stipulated by the organizer. The currently valid categories are appended to and form an integral part of these competition rules. Participants may only enter one Kombucha in each sub-category of the competition. The organizer reserves the right to form further categories or to withdraw certain categories. One and the same Kombucha can only participate in one category/subcategory of the competition.
Judging procedure
The submitted Kombuchas will be judged by means of blind tasting by an experienced and independent jury (a minimum of 3 judges) appointed by the organizer. The assessment is made solely based on the description of type prescribed for each category of Kombucha and by sensory criteria based on taste.
Categories
Initially, there are 17 taste categories + 4 design categories. Additional categories may be opened at the discretion of the organization, based on its knowledge of the sector and Kombucha’s current situation.
Any categories with more than 20 Kombuchas, will be divided into subcategories. These will be indicated on the same list as on registration.
WKA reserves the right to combine Kombucha categories, if circumstances require.
The competition system
Depending on the number of entries, each category will be organized into rounds.
All medals will be awarded in the final rounds.
Regardless of the number of rounds, the first time a registered Kombucha is evaluated by a panel of judges, it will be given a score, which is binding for the purpose of awarding medals or moving on to the next round.
After the first round, the judges will reach a consensus on which Kombuchas go on to the next rounds.
Evaluations and scores for each registered Kombucha will be treated as confidential information. Access will only be granted to the breweries that request individual information about its Kombuchas. These data will be sent to each brewery in the form of a summary.
Awards:
The contest foresees a series of individual awards for Kombuchas by category, and three overall prizes for the participating brewers. The best three Kombuchas in each category will be awarded the following medals:
- Gold medal
- Silver medal
- Bronze medal
Minimum Standard for Awards:
- GOLD A world class Kombucha that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.
- SILVER An excellent Kombucha that may vary slightly from the style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma, and appearance.
- BRONZE A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from the style parameters and/or have minor defects in taste, aroma, or appearance.
The winners will be decided by the judges of the corresponding final. In the event that the Kombuchas in a particular category do not meet the high standards of quality set, the jury reserves the right to declare the award null and void.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Award for the World’s Best Kombucha Brewer.
The winner will be awarded the set of Kombuchas presented by the company, which obtains the highest number of points: 2 points for a bronze medal, 3 for a silver medal and 5 for a gold medal.
Award for the World’s Best Kombucha Rookie Brewery.
This award recognizes the best Rookie Brewery and gives it visibilty. This prize will be awarded to the Rookie brewery that obtains the most points out of all the Kombuchas presented: 2 points per bronze medal achieved, 3 points per silver medal achieved, 5 points per gold medal achieved. The Rookie Brewery award is only open to companies that started the commercialization of their Kombucha after January 1, 2021.
Award for the World’s Best Kombucha.
This prize will be awarded to a Kombucha from any category, which has won a Gold medal and which has obtained the highest score.
Award for the World’s Best Organic Kombucha.
This prize will be awarded to an organic Kombucha from any category, which has won a Gold medal and which has obtained the highest score.
Award for the World’s Best Kombucha Innovation.
This award is a recognition of innovation in the creative process of Kombucha making and aims to promote innovation in the sector. Each participating brewery will choose one of their Kombuchas and describe how they have innovated in a text alongside the entry. The Steering Committee will select five finalists. The judges for this award will be familiar with innovation in the Kombucha sector .
The award ceremony of the World Kombucha Awards will be held in the majestic Casino Theatre in Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain.
Once the winners of each award have been determined, they will be supplied with the WKA artwork. Winners are welcome to use the WKA artwork on marketing materials related to the winning products with no restrictions if used for marketing material, presentations, website, press releases, trade shows and any other marketing purpose.
