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Thank you for your interest in the Northwest Cider Cup organized by Northwest Cider Association, Portland, OR.

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, May 1, 2023 7:00 AM, PDT.

Rules

How to Enter NW Cider Cup

Review the NW Cider Cup 2023 Categories Accepted

  • The categories are completely different this year, so please read the entire document to figure out which category your ciders should be entered into.

Register as an Entrant

  • Click Register > Entrant at the top of this page.
  • Please use your company email when registering. After the competition, you’ll log back in with this email and password to view your cider evaluation score and comments.
  • After you register as an entrant, you can add your cider entries, pay for your entries, print bottle labels, and print shipping labels.
  • If you are a NWCA member, make sure to add in the discount code prior to paying.

Ship or deliver your cider

  • See the Info page for shipping & delivery dates and locations.

Return to this site after the Competition

  • After June 21, return to this site and log in to view judges comments and scores.

Rules and Provisions

Download and review the 2023 NW Cider Cup Categories Accepted, prior to submitting your entries. 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!

  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. Entry fees will not be reimbursed if cider shipment does not arrive or arrives broken.
  5. Fee is $75 per entry for NWCA members or $105 per entry for non-membners. If you are a current NWCA member and did not receive a discount code, please email MJ at nwcidercup@nwcider.com.
  6. You must pay the entry fee for your entry to be confirmed.
  7. Special rules for new cideries: If you started producing cider after April 1, 2023 and are a NWCA member, you may qualify as a "New Cidery." New cideries may apply for two free entries by emailing nwcidercup@nwcider.com. All new cideries compete for the Best New Cidery of the Year Award, which comes with a $500 cash prize.

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. Concentrate may be used for backsweetening.
  3. 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.
  4. All entries must be made by cideries licensed within the territory of the Northwest Cider Association (British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, & Washington.) Ciders made in the territory but not sold by a cidery licensed in the territory may not be entered. Cideries licensed in other states/provinces making cider via a contract with a producer in the region may not enter their ciders.
  5. Collaborations between a cidery licensed within the territory of the NWCA and another entity may be entered by the cidery located in the territory.

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 NWCA.
  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.

Entry Acceptance Rules

Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 6

Each entry will consist of:

  • THREE capped or corked bottles if 750 ml or larger
  • FOUR capped or corked bottles/cans if 500 ml, 22 oz, 16 oz, or other size larger than 12 oz
  • SIX cans/bottles if 12 oz or less

You MUST pay your entry fee for your entries to be confirmed.

Please fill out the entry forms completely. Be meticulous about noting any special ingredients or processes that must be specified per the NWCC Style Guidelines. Failure to note such ingredients may impact the judges' scoring of your entry.

Judges will receive the information you put on your entry forms so only include the required and specified optional info, nothing more and nothing less.

Please make sure to enter your ciders in the correct categories. If you have questions about what the correct category might be, contact Jana at janad@nwcider.com.

Cideries may enter as many ciders per category as they want. Please only enter each cider into a single category.

Northwest Cider Cup history This competition was founded in 2013 by Nat West of Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, Mark Crowder of (noncommercial) Rain Barrel Ciderworks, and Abram Goldman-Armstrong of Cider Riot!, with early assistance from Nick Gunn of BenchGraft (and formerly of Wandering Aengus) and Dave White of Whitewood cider.
The NWCA took over the running of this competition in 2016. The board recognizes the importance of unbiased cider evaluation and the benefits of medals as a marketing tool for member cideries.

Have a question? Let us know! Email MJ at nwcidercup@nwcider.com or Jana at janad@nwcider.com.

Competition Officials

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

  • Emily Becker — Competition Co-Director
  • Jana Daisy-Ensign — Competition Co-Director
  • MJ Harris — Northwest Cider Cup Coordinator

Sponsors

Northwest Cider Association is proud to have the following sponsors for the Northwest Cider Cup.

Perkins Accounting
USA
Perkins Accounting
Perkins & Co specializes in accounting services for cideries through the entire business lifecycle. From helping start-ups determine the feasibility of their business plans to providing deal structure and consulting support. Let us help you answer the tough questions.
Enartis
USA & International
Enartis
We provide wineries worldwide with innovation and expertise, through enological products and technical support to improve both winery efficiencies and wine quality.
Callis Insurance
USA
Callis Insurance
Callis Insurance is an independent insurance agency offering a comprehensive suite of insurance solutions to protect you from the unexpected.
FruitSmart
USA
FruitSmart
Nestled in the heart of the lush Yakima Valley, Washington, FruitSmart has long been a premium source of high-quality fruit and vegetable-based juices and ingredients. FruitSmart is much more than an ingredient supplier or product-list provider. We’re a one-stop-shop, solution-driven partner that’s focused on turning your ideas into reality.
Wyeast Laboratories
USA & International
Wyeast Laboratories
Wyeast Laboratories pioneered the way with Premium Liquid Yeast and fermentation products over 35 years ago in this flourishing region, with quality, integrity, and customer relationships as our core values. The NWCC is a prime representation of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer and we are proud to support and work alongside cidermakers who are some of the finest in their craft. ****NW Cider Cup Presenting Sponsor
Heidi Moore Country Financial
USA
Heidi Moore Country Financial
Top-notch insurance that’s custom-made to your needs. Specializing in Wine, Craft Beverage, Farm, and Life sectors of Oregon, Idaho, and Washington State.
Columbia Distributing
USA
Columbia Distributing
Beverage distributing in Washington & Oregon. Columbia Distributing is now one of the country’s largest malt beverage distributors. Size is not our only distinction, however. Columbia Distributing boasts an extensive selection of beverages, including craft beer, wine and spirits.
Curious Plot
USA
Curious Plot
Marketing, communications and consulting for the food, agriculture and companion animal care markets.