The entry period for the 2020 Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Awards is open until August 31, 2020. The Blind Taste Test competition will then take place in September, 2020 (date/location TBD), with finalists then being announced on October 2020. The Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Award winner will be announced in Gluten Free Canada’s 2020 Winter issue, website, social media outlets, and external press releases. All approved entrants will be featured with a review of their submitted product via the myGlutenFreeCanada.ca/blog. Only one winner will be selected.
Entry Period:
The entry period for the Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Awards 2020 will be open until August 31st, 2020.
Entering your Product:
The entry process was designed to be as simple as possible, and involves filling out the online entry form, and then mailing 3 samples of your entry for judging. Finalists will be contacted for an interview about their production practices to verify what they submitted on their online entry form.
The entry form requires basic company information and a self-certification to the responsible production criteria outlined on each form. Please add [email protected] to your email inbox so that you receive all further updates about your entry status.
One winner will be selected from each of the following 8 categories:
- Beverages
- Baked Goods & Pastries, non-bread
- Breads
- Charcuterie Items (meats, meat alternatives, cheeses, or cheese alternatives).
- Health and Wellness
- Pantry Items (sauces, spreads, oils, spices, grains, or pastas)
- Prepared Foods (fresh or frozen)
- Snack Foods (bars, chips, popcorn, etc)
Shipping Samples:
Information on how to ship your product will be sent to all product entry upon completion of this application; Reminder will be send in July – August. All shipping costs are to be covered by the entrant, with 3 product samples are required per product entry. Alternatively, you may connect directly for advanced notice by emailing Tommy Liu directly via email at: [email protected].
Cost:
An entry fee of $299 for each product submitted is due in full at registration. The fee is payable with a credit card upon completion of the entry form. Entry fees are non-refundable, so please ensure the products you enter fit the guidelines outlined on the entry form.
Blind Tasting:
All submissions that meet the criteria for entry as outlined on the entry form will be judged at a Blind Tasting during the month of October 2019 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Vetting:
Entrants are eligible for winning the Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Award if they satisfy each of the category-specific criteria to which all must confirm on the entry form. Providing false information on the application form, or at any point of the entry process, is grounds for disqualification and penalty.
Expo Marketplace:
The winner of Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Award will be invited to exhibit their products at the Vancouver Gluten Free Expo, and are required to agree to and abide by all Exhibitor Rules & Regulations, as well as board of health, and venue requirements. The Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Award winner receives a prize package valued at $6,500 that consists of:
- Recognition as Gluten-Free Canada’s 2020 Product of the Year.
- 1-page feature article about the winning company and product within Gluten Free Canada’s 2020 Winter Issue
- Complimentary Booth at the 2021 Vancouver Gluten Free Expo
- Spotlighted Gluten Free Canada’s website, social media outlets, and external press releases.
- Physical awards will be presented to Winners at 2021 Vancouver Gluten Free Expo
Rules:
- An entry fee of $299, plus applicable taxes, for each product submitted is due in full at the time of registration.
- All entry fees are non-refundable.
- Shipping and product costs for entries are the responsibility of the entrant.
- Travel, accommodation, and all other costs associated with participation within the Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Award events are the sole responsibility of the entrant.
- The winner is eligible to sell at the 2021 Vancouver Gluten Free Expo and are required to agree to and abide by all Exhibitor Rules & Regulations, as well as board of health, and venue requirements
- Products must be made in a licensed commercial kitchen, be ready for sale, and meet all Canadian labeling and applicable government laws and regulations.
- Entrants must confirm they meet the eligibility details listed in the Entry Form and understand that they will be disqualified if any statements are found to be false. A penalty may also apply if they are found to have provided false information.
- GF Events Ltd. has the right to revoke any awards and titles granted should it be found that any information or statements provided during the process of evaluation are found to be false.
- All products submitted for consideration must be either produced in a dedicated gluten free environment, or have strict testing protocols in place that tests each product run to ensure no cross contamination has occurred.
- Applying companies must guarantee that their products contain less than 20 parts per million.
- Products must be available for purchase within Canada
Conflict of Interest Policy
- Only Gluten Free Canada’s Product of the Year Awards staff and volunteers may have access to entrant information. They may share the names of submitting companies with committee members as part of the group effort to do outreach for entries, but no other product information.