Thank you for your interest in the Northwest Cider Cup June 12, 2023 at TBD in Portland, Oregon organized by The Northwest Cider Association.

You only need to register your information once and can return to this site to enter more ciders or edit the ciders you've entered. You can even pay your entry fees online if you wish.

If you are willing to judge or steward, please return to register on or after Monday, April 4, 2022 at 00:00, PDT.

Rules for Cider Entry

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU PRINT THIS PAGE FOR EASY REFERENCE.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRINT LABELS FOR YOUR BOTTLES NO MATTER WHAT IT SAYS ELSEWHERE ON WEBSITE! IF YOU ARE ENTERING CIDERS THAT ARE NOT LABELED, PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY HAVE YOUR CIDERY AND CIDER NAME CLEARLY PRINTED AND ATTACHED TO THE BOTTLE, GROWLER, OR CAN!

Each entry will consist of:

THREE capped or corked bottles if 750 ml

FOUR capped or corked bottles if 500 ml, 22 or 16 oz

SIX cans if 12 oz

PLEASE READ THE RULES EVEN IF THIS IS NOT YOUR FIRST YEAR ENTERING!

YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRINT ANY LABELS THIS YEAR!  IF YOU ARE ENTERING BOTTLES THAT ARE NOT LABELED, PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY HAVE YOUR CIDERY AND CIDER NAME CLEARLY PRINTED AND ATTACHED TO THE BOTTLE.

If you want to be a new judge or a steward and have never completed a training, please email Jana Daisy-Ensign at janad@nwcider.com.

$70 per entry is the NWCA member price. If you are a CURRENT NWCA member and did not receive a discount code, please email MJ at info@nwcider.com. Non members pay $100 per entry.  You must pay your entry fee for your entry to be confirmed unless you qualify as a New Cidery (starting after May 1, 2021) and have applied for two free entries. If you are a new cidery, please email MJ at info@nwcider.com

This website will be updated when all free entries have been claimed.  The Best New Cidery of the Year Award also comes with a $500 cash prize.

It is strongly recommended that you have a second browser open when you are entering ciders and have the "Info" tab open so you can refer to the Category Requirements.  Competition organizers may reclassify ciders into the correct category if they notice a cider is entered in the wrong category, but it is not their responsibility to do so.  If your cider is entered in the incorrect category and judged there, it will likely not do well!  

Rules and Provisions:

1. The shipper must pay all customs, duty, and shipping fees.
2. All entries become the property of the Northwest Cider Association.
3. Any portion of the entries remaining after the competition may be used in any way as seen fit by the Northwest Cider Association.
4. Entrants must be a licensed cidery producing cider in the territory of the Northwest Cider Association which is currently Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. Ciders made in the territory but not sold by a cidery licensed in the territory may not enter.
5. Entry fees will not be reimbursed if cider shipment does not arrive, or arrives broken.

Cidery Entry Eligibility:

1. All entries must be currently available for sale or destined for sale in the near future.
2. All ciders must be made with 90% or more by volume apple juice not from concentrate. Perries must be made with 90% or more by volume pear juice not from concentrate.  Change from previous years  --  concentrate may be used for backsweetening.  The only exception to this rule will be the Specialty category, which has no limitations.
3. All entries must be made by cideries licensed within the territory of the Northwest Cider Association. This means that cideries in other states making cider via a contract with a producer in the region may not enter their ciders.

Rules for use of competition awards and feedback in marketing:

1. Ciders that win a medal or award may reference that award via on-package marketing materials only with the prior written approval from the PICC planning committee, for which the committee will not unreasonably withhold approval.
2. Vintage/dated ciders that win a medal or award may only reference that award for ciders of the same vintage/production date.
3. Use of any award in a misleading way may result in that award being rescinded and the offending producer being barred from future competitions.
4. Producers are responsible for ensuring that distributors, retailers and restaurants use awards in advertising and marketing in accordance with competition rules. Failure to maintain proper control of the use of these awards may also result in the award being rescinded and in ineligibility to compete in future competitions.
5. Feedback is supplied to aid producers in understanding how ciders were perceived by judges and what the relative strengths and weaknesses were perceived to be. Individual judges’ comments are not to be quoted for marketing purposes without the express prior approval of the PICC planning committee.

The Best of Show judging will be determined by a Best of Show panel based on a second judging of the gold medal winners.

Competition Official

You can send an email to any of the following individuals via Contact.

• MJ Harris — NWCA Administrator