This award recognizes outstanding print journalism (magazine, newspaper, online media) that features bars, bartenders, cocktails, spirit reviews, trends, and drinks culture.

Considerations include:

• Beverage-related content
• Innovative, engaging, and notable writing
• Distinguished and dynamic collection of writers
• Exciting and impressive photography and design
• For print magazines, a sample of a single issue published during the date range specified below must be submitted with the nomination. Digital issues are preferred, but hard copy samples are also acceptable (please email spiritedawards@talesofthecocktail.org regarding mailing hard copies).
• For newspapers and online publications, samples of specific, relevant articles published within the date range specified below must be submitted with the nomination.
• For hard copy samples, the cost of submitting and shipping the sample is the responsibility of the publisher, publicist, or editor.
• Please contact us at spiritedawards@talesofthecocktail.org to arrange coordination and shipping of hard copy samples (as applicable). Samples must be shipped after the close of the submission period (June 2, 2021).
• Samples must have been published between February 27, 2020 and April 1, 2021.

Disclaimer: English is the shared language for the judging committee. For the most thorough consideration by the judges, samples should either be published in English or translated into English. Samples in non-English languages are welcome, but the judges’ abilities to read and score such samples may be limited.

Great journalism is one of the best ways to communicate the value and significance of great bars, bartenders, cocktails, and drinks culture. This award recognizes the writing and publication of a single piece of outstanding work (magazine, newspaper, online media) that highlights bars, bartenders, cocktails, spirits, trends, and drinks culture.

Considerations include:

• Innovative, engaging, and notable reporting, research, and writing
• This award recognizes a single, exceptional piece of work—candidates must upload or provide a link to the published writing piece (one writing piece per nomination)
• Must have been published between February 27, 2020 and April 1, 2021.

Disclaimer: English is the shared language for the judging committee. For the most thorough consideration by the judges, samples should either be published in English or translated into English. Samples in non-English languages are welcome, but the judges’ abilities to read and score such samples may be limited.

This award recognizes the best book published in the designated date range regarding cocktails, bars, bar design, or bartending in general.

Considerations include:

• Bartending or cocktail-related content (this includes books focusing on low- or no-alcohol cocktails)
• Innovative, engaging, and compelling writing
• Book must have an initial designated publication date between February 27, 2020 and April 1, 2021.
  • New editions of previously published books may be nominated.
• Books must be readily available for retail purchase; works prepared and distributed as menus, marketing material, or that are only available to limited audiences are not eligible for consideration.
• A sample of the final, finished book must be submitted with the nomination form; nominations without judging samples cannot be considered.
  • Digital samples (sent as PDFs, or as links to online editions) are required for initial consideration by the judging committee to confirm that the book meets submission guidelines.
  • For books determined to meet the qualification guidelines, samples of final hard copies will be required by the judging committee. The committee will require a total of seven copies of the nominated work.
  • For hard copy samples, the cost of submitting and shipping the sample is the responsibility of the publisher, publicist, or author.
  • A TOTCF team member will be in contact to arrange coordination and shipping of hard copy samples (as applicable). Samples must be shipped after the close of the submission period (June 2, 2021).
  • For hard copy samples, the submission may only include a standard version of the published work, and a cover letter or copy of the submission form. Samples that are signed by the author, or that include promotional material, personal notes, gifts, or other items will be disqualified.

Note: A book can only be nominated in one of these two categories: “Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book” or “Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History or Spirits”. In case of ambiguity, the judging panel reserves the right to decide which category is the most appropriate.

Disclaimer: English is the shared language for the judging committee. For the most thorough consideration by the judges, samples should either be published in English or translated into English. Samples in non-English languages are welcome, but the judges’ abilities to read and score such samples may be limited.

This award recognizes the best long-form nonfiction published in the designated date range, including works on drinks culture, cocktail history, drinks-related personal memoir, spirits, and distillation, or other aspects of the drinks world as it relates to spirits and cocktails.

Considerations include:

• Content must be related in some way to spirits, cocktail history, bar culture, or similar themes
• Well-researched, innovative, and compelling writing
• Book must have been published between February 27, 2020 and April 1, 2021.
  • New editions of previously published books may be nominated.
• A sample of the final, finished book must be submitted with the nomination form; nominations without judging samples cannot be considered.
  • Digital samples (sent as PDFs, or as links to online editions) are required for initial consideration by the judging committee to confirm that the book meets submission guidelines.
  • For books determined to meet the qualification guidelines, samples of final hard copies will be required by the judging committee. The committee will require a total of seven copies of the nominated work.
  • For hard copy samples, the cost of submitting and shipping the sample is the responsibility of the publisher, publicist or author.
  • A TOTCF team member will be in contact to arrange coordination and shipping of hard copy samples (as applicable). Samples must be shipped after the close of the submission period (June 2, 2021).
  • For hard copy samples, the package may only include a standard version of the published work, and a cover letter or copy of the submission form. Samples that are signed by the author, or that include promotional material, personal notes, gifts, or other items will be disqualified.

Note: A book can only be nominated in one of these two categories: “Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book” or “Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History or Spirits”. In case of ambiguity, the judging panel reserves the right to decide which category is the most appropriate.

Disclaimer: English is the shared language for the judging committee. For the most thorough consideration by the judges, samples should either be published in English or translated into English. Samples in non-English languages are welcome, but the judges’ abilities to read and score such samples may be limited.

This award recognizes the best broadcast, podcast, or online video series regarding bars, bartenders, cocktails, spirits, drinks culture, and bartending in general.

Considerations include:

• Beverage-related content
• Influence and following within the industry
• Innovative, engaging, and notable media pieces
• Judges will consider a single episode first broadcast or posted online during the date range specified below. A sample file of a single, eligible episode, or a link to a single, eligible episode, must be included with the nomination form.
• The selected samples must have been broadcast or posted online between February 27, 2020 and April 1, 2021.

The Pioneer Award Winner will be celebrated at the Spirited Awards Ceremony as well as being inducted into the Dame Hall of Fame.

Top
This award recognizes an individual who has encouraged mentorship and contributed to making the hospitality industry equitable and inclusive by working to remove barriers as it pertains to gender identity, race, religion, and socioeconomic status.

The Pioneer Award Winner is an individual who has:

• Made unique and lasting contributions to the accessibility and intersectionality of the global drinks community
• Shaped the beverage landscape and provide visible models of achievement for tomorrow’s leaders
• Served as a leader and mentor

This award recognizes the achievement of an individual, whom over the course of their career, has made significant contributions and lasting impact in the hospitality industry. 

The award recipient of the Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award is selected by a committee composed of luminaries from the drinks industry, and has representation from prior winners of both the Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award and Pioneer Award.

This award recognizes an American bar that is a pillar in its community, has built a strong reputation for being an important space within its local and regional community, and one that has provided a benchmark for the industry there. The American Classic is a bar that is both welcoming and familiar but also respected as an institution that has encouraged the culture and growth of other establishments and has been a staple for locals and visitors alike. Eligible recipients should embody the culture and warmth of the city or location in which it resides, offer quality cocktails, consistent customer service and a certain compelling quality that makes it truly resonate within its community.

This award recognizes an International bar that is a pillar in its community, has built a strong reputation for being an important space within its local and regional community, and one that has provided a benchmark for the industry there. The International Classic is a bar that is both welcoming and familiar but also respected as an institution that has encouraged the culture and growth of other establishments and has been a staple for locals and visitors alike. Eligible recipients should embody the culture and warmth of the city or location in which it resides, offer quality cocktails, consistent customer service and a certain compelling quality that makes it truly resonate within its community.

DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV, FL

AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY, AZ, CO, NM, UT, CA, HI, NV

IL, IN, MI, OH, AL, AR, LA, MS, TX, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD, WI

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho,  Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,  Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe      

Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, East Timor, Easter Island, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, North Korea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Pakistan, Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Russian Far East, Samoa, Singapore Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna 

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico,  Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago,  Uruguay,  and Venezuela  

All Provinces