Why enter L.A. Spirits Awards?

L.A. Spirits Awards is committed to giving our entrants the best possible competition experience, followed by winner benefits beyond what other spirits competitions offer.

In addition to a diverse team of expert spirits judges, our Directors offer competition management expertise other competitions simply can’t offer, and post-competition programs strategically designed to help our winners build their brands and gain customers.

In short, L.A. Spirits Awards provides a bigger bang for your entry fee bucks.

How are entries judged?

First, note that “competition” is a bit of a misnomer. Every L.A. Spirits Award entry is first evaluated solely on its own merits—not in competition with other entries—to determine its medal worthiness. It is only when a product advances to the finals round that it competes against others in its category for a coveted “Best in Show” award. For a complete description of our evaluation process, please visit our “How We Judge” page.

How do I enter?

That’s easy! During our entry season, click on one of the red ENTER NOW! buttons that appear throughout our website, or click the LOGIN/ENTER link in the site header on any page.

If you have not already registered on our site, you will be asked to do so.

After you register with your company and contact information, simply provide the information requested about each product you are entering and submit your entry fees.

We’ve completely retooled our entry system this year to make entering as easy as can be.

Here are just a few of our new features:

• Call up products you’ve entered before and re-enter them this year with just a few clicks. No need to re-enter all your product information.
• “Clone & Edit”: Entering several similar products? Just enter the information for one, and then use our new “Clone & Edit” feature to enter additional products. You’ll only need to enter information that differs from the first. (This makes quick work of entering a series of whiskies for which all information is the same except for age, or if you are entering a line of flavored vodkas and the only differences are the flavors.)

I have co-workers who are also entering products. Is there a way that I can see all the products that were entered from my company?

Yes there is! When you register on our site, you will be asked if you wish to link your account with others in your company. When your accounts are linked, you will be able to view entries and entry histories for products in all linked accounts.

If you do not link your accounts during the registration process, you can ask to have them linked by emailing L.A. Spirits Awards at cheers@LAspiritsawards.com.

What does it cost to enter?

Our standard entry fee is $475 per product.

What payment methods do you accept?

L.A. Spirits Awards accepts all major credit cards, checks (payable in U.S. dollars, drawn on U.S. banks), and bank wire or ACH transfers.

How can I get a receipt for my entry fees?

A detailed invoice will be automatically emailed to you when you complete your online entry. If you pay your fees by credit card, the invoice will reflect your payment and show a $0 balance.  This paid invoice serves as your receipt.

If you choose to pay by check or wire transfer, you will receive an invoice with payment instructions along with your order confirmation. 

If you require a receipt for your check or electronic transfer, or an additional copy of your paid invoice for your credit card payment, send your request to cecilia@laspiritsawards.com and we will assist you. 

How can I edit my entry information or add more entries?

After you’ve entered your product information, but before you submit the form and pay your fees, you can edit all information from the “Pending Entries” section of your Control Panel.

You may not edit information for entries you’ve already submitted. If you require changes, please email your request to cheers@laspiritsawards.com.

 You can always add more entries from your Entrant Control Panel by clicking on the ADD A NEW ENTRY button. 

Where do I ship my products to be judged?

Please download our Shipping Instructions sheet, which tells you how to properly label and address your shipment.
 

How many sample bottles do I need to send?

We request that you send two 750ml bottles (or the equivalent) of each product you are entering.

How do I know if my products have been received? 

Your Entrant Control Panel will indicate the current shipment and payment status of each of your entries.

I’m shipping my products from outside the U.S. and don’t have an importer. How can I get import help?

You must contact our import partner MHW without delay to obtain the import documents required to clear your entries through U.S. Customs.

Email MHW at: LAspiritsawards@MHWLTD.com

MHW’s processing fee of $60 per producer will be charged when you submit your entry. Any additional U.S. Customs duties or fees incurred will be billed back to you when determined.

How do I find out if I’ve won an award?

Your results are posted to your Entrant Control Panel. Full results will become available on our website and on VinePair.com shortly thereafter.

Please note: If your entry won a medal, you will be asked to confirm the accuracy of the product information we have on file before we print award certificates and make our winner lists publicly available.

What else can I find in my Entrant Control Panel?

All entrants have access to these Control Panel features: 

• Review current and prior year entry information.
• Download medallion artwork and copies of your printed certificates for prior-year winning entries. 

Winners have access to the following additional Control Panel features:

• Download free medallion artwork for use in your promotions (L.A. Spirits Awards never charges you extra to use our imagery to promote your hard-won awards.)
• Download convenient social media templates
• Download and print copies of your printed award certificates in both U.S. Letter and A4 formats.
• Take advantage of exclusive offers from L.A. Spirits Awards’ strategic partners

Can I get medallion artwork or a copy of my award certificate for products I entered last year?

You can!  Your Entrant Control Panel features are available for all your entries, past and present. You can download medallion artwork, certificates, and social media templates* for all products you’ve entered, regardless of what year you entered them.

*Social media templates are only available for 2021 and later winners.