The food and drink industry in the Highlands and Islands generates in excess of £1 billion per annum and supports around 32,000 full time jobs across the region. There is a wide range of diverse products and an equally diverse profile of businesses, from world-renowned businesses to small innovative producers.
The Highlands and Islands Food & Drink Awards showcase and celebrate excellence and achievement in the food and drink industry in the Highlands and Islands.
The Awards Steering Group who help drive forward the Awards are:
If you're considering entering your business in this year’s Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards, but aren't sure if it's worth your time and effort, here are just some of the reasons why we think you shouldn’t put it off any longer:
Keep your copy as clear and simple as possible; think concise, relevant, easy to understand and factual whilst avoiding jargon and waffle!
Make it easy for the judges to spot what is key to your entry, e.g. innovation, creativity, major successes & achievements, fast growth, overcoming adversity, awards obtained, etc.
Provide solid evidence against what has been asked for in your answers. Back up your claims with facts and figures where relevant or include web links, tables, reviews, etc.
Proof read your entry and ideally get others to read it through too. Correcting spelling and grammatical errors will make your entry easier to read and demonstrate your attention to detail.
Supporting Products – if applicable to the category you are entering, ensure items are safely and securely packaged for transport and delivered on time, fresh and ready for tasting by the judges on the allotted date. Make sure they are relevant and there is sufficient to allow for up to 15 judges to sample.
Judging will take place in two stages. The first stage is based on written entries submitted by the deadline. The second stage will be a judging day where entries will be discussed and sampling will take place, where appropriate.
The judging panel is made up of industry experts from across the supply chain, including representatives from the sponsoring companies.
Key Dates
Coming soon...