1. 2026 GABF Competition

Great American Beer Festival Awards Philosophy


The GABF awards medals for excellence in numerous categories and does not necessarily award medals to the top three finishers in a particular category. When judges decide a category contains three excellent examples of the style, they award gold, silver, and bronze medals for the first, second, and third place beers or ciders, respectively. If judges believe that no beer or cider in the category meets the quality and style accuracy criteria, they may elect not to award a medal. Judges may award a silver or a bronze medal and not award a gold medal in a category. The award criteria are as follows:

Gold, silver, and bronze Great American Beer Festival medals
GOLD A world-class beer or cider that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.
SILVER An excellent beer or cider that may vary slightly from 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 style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma or appearance.

*Updates to Brewery of the Year awards for 2026

  • No entry limit for breweries
  • Breweries compete in Brewery of the Year category according to total combined company production volume
  • Brewery Group category no longer exists
  • No need to designate individual locations (all entries may be registered under one company)

Brewery of the Year Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a Brewery of the Year award, a brewery must:

  • Enter three (3) or more beers. Breweries entering fewer entries still compete for medals, but aren’t eligible for the Brewery of the Year award.
  • Verify 2025 production information during registration. *New for 2026: 2025 production information is based on total combined company production (across all brewing locations/entities). Entering producers will be assigned to the correct Brewery of the Year category based on 2025 combined company production volume. Breweries who decline to provide production information are still eligible to win medals, but will not be eligible to win a Brewery of the Year award.
  • Because there is no entry limit, there is no need to register multiple locations. All entries can be registered under one entity.
  • Producers who make both beer and cider may enter both in the competition, but only beer entries are eligible to count toward Brewery of the Year awards and only ciders are eligible to count toward Cidermaker of the Year awards.

Cidermaker of the Year Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a Cidermaker of the Year award, a cidermaker must:

  • Enter two (2) or more ciders. Cidermakers submitting fewer entries may compete for individual medals, but are not eligible to compete for Cidermaker of the Year award.
  • Cidermakers are not required to provide barrelage as there is only one Cidermaker of the Year award.

Point Tabulation: Winners are determined by TOTAL POINTS awarded. See below for point value per medal type.

Criteria used for awarding points, and the tie-breaking system used to rank breweries or cidermakers:

  • Most Total Points: Breweries are awarded points based on the number of gold (6 points), silver (5 points) and bronze (4 points) medals won in the competition;
  • Most Total Entries in all Medaled Categories;
  • Most Total Entries in Gold Medaled Categories;

Brewery of the Year awards will be awarded in the following size categories.

Brewery of the Year Categories (by 2025 production volume)

0-250 barrels
>250-500 barrels
>500-1,000 barrels
>1,000-2,000 barrels
>2,000-5,000 barrels
>5,000-15,000 barrels
>15,000-100,000 barrels
>100,000 barrels

We allow a team concept for the Brewer/Cidermaker of the Year awards. There are two choices for this recognition: individual names (up to four people) or “Brewery/Cidermaker Team Name”. One trophy is presented in either case.

During first-round tastings, each table of judges will complete a tasting form for each entry, which will include comments from all judges who assess the entry.

In addition to this, entries advancing through additional rounds of judging will receive panel summary feedback from the judge group, assessing the entry(ies) performance within the category flight.

Judge feedback will be sent within 30 days of the end of the competition.

Judge feedback is provided as a courtesy to entering brewers and cidermakers. Judge feedback content does not represent official results of the Great American Beer Festival competition. Information provided in judge feedback may not be used in statements of quality or advertising in conjunction with the Great American Beer Festival trademark, name or logo. The ONLY official GABF results that are allowed to be promoted in conjunction with the GABF mark are gold, silver, bronze medals.

The GABF invites industry professionals to sit together in small groups and, without knowing the brand or brewery name, evaluate beer and cider in defined style categories. The ultimate goal of the GABF judge panel is to identify up to three world-class beers or ciders that best represent each style category as described and adopted by the GABF.

Brewers and cidermakers entering the GABF competition should carefully review the category and subcategory designations before registering their beverages. Each brand may be entered only once. If a brand is entered more than once in the GABF, it will be disqualified from the competition. It is imperative that beverages are entered into the proper category and subcategory since judges evaluate beverages on the basis of these category and subcategory descriptions.

Beverage and brand information is publicized exactly as it is provided on the entry forms by the entering brewery or cidery. Review your registered information carefully.

Awards are only given at the category level; awards are not given at the subcategory level. However, judges do evaluate beverages based on their adherence to the subcategory guidelines. It is the responsibility of each brewery or cidery to enter the appropriate category and subcategory. By rule, GABF and Brewers Association employees cannot aid breweries or cideries in this decision. Information regarding the number of entrants in each category is publicized during the awards ceremony, and on the winners list pdf available for download. If 12 or more beverages are entered into any one category, these beers are judged and are eligible to win an award. The GABF reserves the right to combine categories with fewer than 12 entries with similar categories prior to and during any given competition, and reserves the right to discontinue categories and subcategories in future years to reflect changing market conditions and brewing interest.

The Great American Beer Festival Competition Director selects judges from a list of internationally recognized brewers, cidermakers, sensory experts, suppliers, writers, and consultants.
These individuals have been selected on the basis of:

  1. Formal sensory training;
  2. Experience evaluating beer or cider on flavor panels and/or at competitions;
  3. Judging demeanor;
  4. Knowledge of beer or cider styles and the brewing process; and
  5. Industry and peer recognition.

Each year the GABF judge panel includes roughly 10% rookie judges to keep the panel fresh with new ideas and palates. Prospective judges must communicate in fluent written and verbal English, must have formal sensory training, and must participate in regular flavor panels or competitions. Interested new judge candidates should contact Great American Beer Festival Competition Director Chris Williams for more information. The current backlog of new judges is roughly 1-2 years.