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How to Enter

How to Enter

This page has all the information you may need for entering, with specific delivery information, entry requirements, terms and conditions, and other necessary information on other pages. Please remember to contact [email protected] with any questions 

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Basic Requirements

  • All products entered in the Awards must be available for retail.
  • Please make sure you read this section carefully even if you have entered the awards in the past, as we have made some major changes to the process. You can find the Terms & Conditions of the awards here.

Please only enter your information in English. The new Judgify system will show your details to judges and if they cannot read it, it will make judging extremely difficult.

STAGE 1: REGISTERING YOUR ENTRY

  • Before you can send in any products, you must first register your entries online – we are using a NEW SYSTEM called Judgify to manage this process, and we have created a step-by-step guide on how to use this portal to register your organisation and entries.
  • As this system is new, you will need to set up your business again for the new Judgify platform. Apologies for this but it is a much better system for entering and judging.
  • We will be judging all Chocolate Bars categories (including Bean-To-Bar (Plain and Flavoured, Flavoured couverture bars) remotely in October and November 2023. Filled/Enrobed Chocolates, Chocolate Drinks, Spreads and Brand Experience categories will be judged in person only from late October to early December.
  • Please register your entries online when registration opens 1 September 2023 , and note the different closing dates for the different product categories:
    • Chocolate Bars (Bean-To-Bar (Plain and Flavoured) and Flavoured Couverture Bars): Registration online closes on 29 September 2023 and delivery to judging venue by 29 September 2023.
    • Filled/Enrobed Chocolates, Chocolate Drinks, Spreads and Brand Experience: Registration online closes on 18 October 2023 and delivery to judging venue by 20 October 2023.
  • Multiple entries may be made in each category but note that you will need to complete the detail for each product entered before starting afresh with the next product, whether in the same or a different category.
  • The fee for entering the awards is £50 for each entry.
    • For every 5 (five) products you enter, you can enter another product for free. This means 6 (six) entries costs £250.
    • All fees must be paid at the time of entry, via Stripe (this permits the use of most major credit cards) or Bank Transfer (which can take a week or more to complete). Please select the appropriate option at checkout and please remember that any samples received without payment received cannot be checked into the storage area and may not be held. Do not send products before confirmation of payment.
      • Note that if you pay by bank/telegraphic transfer, please make sure you include any fees (including but not limited to foreign exchange fees, bank transfer fees, currency fees, etc) charged by your bank. The Academy of Chocolate is not responsible for paying these fees, and any payment that does not cover these fees risks disqualification of your submission(s).
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STAGE 2: SUBMITTING YOUR PRODUCT

Below is an overview on how to submit your products to the judging venue.

  • For the quantity of each product you need to send in for judging, please refer to the relevant category in the Awards Categories. With the exception of Brand Experience, your products can be sent in for judging using the original packaging or in plain packaging or a packaging that’s best suited for shipping/transportation.
  • Please read the Packing and Delivery Instructions for more details on how to label your products and send in your products. IMPORTANT FOR ENTRANTS OUTSIDE THE UK: If you are sending in your products from outside the UK, please make sure you read the information towards the bottom of Packaging and Delivery Instructions page on the customs procedures, in order to minimise any delays caused by your package being held up by customs due to incorrect documentation. Check with your courier / shipping agent on your customs declaration documentation.

Please do not send products until you have an ID and have received confirmation of payment. The storage at WKC uses a list generated from the system after payment is received. Bank transfer payments can take a week to be received.

All products must be labelled with the submission code (ID) issued to you via the Judgify system – the code for each product  entry is in the form of 3 letters, a dash and then 4 digits ( e.g. ABC-1234). Ensure the labels adhere completely to each bar/box and are at no risk of becoming detached/separated. Each bar or box must be separately labeled and not as a group.

If you have not received the submission code(s) within 72 hours of payment/entry confirmation via email, please check your spam folder first before contacting [email protected]

The final dates for receiving the samples for judging are:

  • All Chocolate Bar categories: 29 September 2023.
  • Filled/Enrobed Chocolates, Chocolate Drinks, Spreads, and Brand Experience: October 20, 2023.

For bars, submissions need to be at least 4 bars totalling at least 400g. If your bars are 50g, please send 8. If your bars are 200g, please send 4.

For filled enrobed, please ensure a minimum of 30 pieces per sample are received.

For drinks, 2 x 125g (minimum) for each entry (powdered or pieces requiring preparation as a hot drink); 4 x 125ml (minimum) for each ready-to-drink entry.

For spreads, please send 2 jars (minimum 100g for each jar) for each entry.

All products must be delivered to the judging venue by the final date for your chosen category. Delivery can be by courier, mail, or in-person during office hours and  Saturday mornings.  We strongly recommend choosing a delivery method that permits tracking and confirmation of delivery.

    • If you are based outside the UK please bear in mind shipping times and possible delays when deciding whether to enter and how to ship your products.  Please note also the advice to state on all paperwork that the products have no commercial value, as the Academy is unable to meet customs charges levied on the recipient.
    • Please take great care with packaging and posting – damaged entries cannot be judged fairly.  If submitting samples from overseas, we strongly recommend sound insulation; any chill gel packs should be guaranteed leakproof to avoid moisture damage.
    • The sender is responsible for all delivery charges including tax and duty.  Where charges are levied to the receiver, the Academy reserves the right to reject the consignment, while making all reasonable attempts to identify and contact the sender and secure payment from them before doing so.

By participating in the Academy of Chocolate (AoC) Awards you agree to be bound by the specific rules of the awards as written below:

Entrants must follow the entry instructions as stipulated by the AoC. An entry will be deemed void if the entry has been made by an ineligible person (any judges/suppliers or their employees entering the awards are not allowed to judge any categories that they themselves enter)

Personal Data: In entering the AoC awards entrants’ consent to provide the AoC with certain personal data in order that it may administer the Awards. Any personal data used will be for the administration of the awards only.

Liability: The AoC excludes all liability for any loss or damage of all entered products (entries lost in post, delayed by customs etc.). The AoC cannot be held liable for entries received before payment has been received and acknowledged.

Award winners’ names may be published on the Academy of Chocolate social media platforms and/or on the AoC website and on any other media (including by the AoC on third party websites, television and/or radio).

The AoC reserves the right to use the names and business contact details of award winners, any photographs, or recordings of them in any PR communications to print or on visual media.

The decision of the AoC Awards Committee is final and binding in all respects and in all matters related to the Awards and no correspondence will be entered into.