Behind every great product lies an army of suppliers. The relationship between grocery buyer and supplier is fundamental to the success of any product and this award is your opportunity to highlight excellence.

This award is open to any supplier across both the north and south of Ireland to nominate themselves directly, to retailers who wish to nominate any of their suppliers, or to anyone who has had a great experience with a supplier.

Your entry should include:

• A brief summary of the business.

• An outline of objectives and achievements in the last 12 months and how they were met. For example, improvements and advances made to your supply chain, operating methods, customer relations, employee initiatives.

• Results from the last 12 months. Please include as much information (including numerical) as possible e.g. market share, sales, profits, consumer engagement etc

Please provide evidence to support your entry.

The Supplier of the Year Award is FREE to enter.

The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards aim to celebrate the talent and the hard work of the industry’s young rising stars. The Rising Star Award recognises individuals aged 30 and under across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland who have a passion for food and drink, and are making strides within the industry.

If you know a young person who is working in the food sector, for example as a chef, in the retail grocery sector, be it in a small convenience store or a large supermarket, product development, studying food technology, or making a name for themselves in any part of the food industry, encourage and appreciate them by nominating them for this award.

To qualify, this person must have made a demonstrable impact on their business in the past 12 months, and show huge promise. They must have joined the business within last three years. Please provide a statement of no more than 800 words outlining why you think this person should be named Rising Star at the 2023 Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.

Your entry should include:

• A brief summary of the role this person plays in your business.

• How they have contributed to the success of the business over the past 12 months. What new ideas have they brought? How do they inspire others?

• How this person gone above and beyond to support their business, the industry and/or local community.

• Do they show significant promise? Are they taking charge of their own career? 

The Rising Star Award is FREE to enter.

Now in its 4th year, we are looking forward to bringing back the Own Label Range of the Year category. Own brands have long been part of a retailer’s strategies, recognising consumer need for a point of difference offering choice, value and innovation across the board. This award recognises those retailers in Ireland who are leading the way in grocery own label. This can be a tier range, such as premium tier or value tier, or could be a dietary specific range such as Free From or Vegan.

Entries will be judged on innovation, product development, quality and business performance. Please provide evidence to support your entry.

Your entry should include:

• An overview of the range to include launch date and scale (number of categories and SKUs)

• Growth in the last 12 months (for example product range growth and revenue growth)

• Range improvements and advances in the last 12 months (for example innovation, product development, strategies)

• Results from the last 12 months. Please include as much information (including numerical) as possible e.g. market share, sales, profits, consumer engagement etc to enable judges to look at the business performance of the range.

The Own Label Range of the Year Award is FREE to enter.