Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a pub company that has focused on offering accommodation as a key part of the business. Accommodation must play a significant part in contributing to the company's profits and helping drive trade.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Financial success of the company’s accommodation business in light of the current market conditions
• Strong marketing and promotion
• A quality offer which represents good value for money
• Effective use of design and space
• Good service standards for including breakfast offer
• Good occupancy rates
• All sites must be based in the UK
• Entrants must have a minimum of two sites with accommodation

Entry criteria: This award recognises companies who operate both a successful brewery and a pub estate.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of: 

• How effectively the brewing and pub business complement each other to help drive the business
  
• Financial success of the both the pub business and brewery in the past year in light of the current market conditions
• New ideas to drive both the brewery and pub estate forward
• Strong strategy to help drive beer sales in own pubs
• Excellent marketing strategy
• Passion for the brewery’s products from licensees and managers

Entry criteria: The winning company will have a successful pub estate of community focused pubs - community focused meaning trade predominantly targets local rather than destination customers.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Strong community focus of pubs across the estate
• Site engagement in their local communities 
• High retail standards across the estate
• Strong innovation across the company
• Strong marketing and promotional strategy
• Excellent standards of staff training
• Excellent levels of head office support
• Evidence of the company giving something back to their local communities

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a pub company that demonstrates drinks retail excellence, with drinks sales a key part of the company's total profits.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• A strong range across different drinks categories or a strong focus on one drink type (eg spirits, wine, beer etc)
• Strong drinks sales growth taking into account market conditions
• Responsible drinks retailing – with appropriate pricing and promotional strategies
• Excellent standards of customer service and serve
• Excellent drinks merchandising
• Strong staff training and knowledge
• Positive supplier relationships
• Exceptional marketing and promotional strategy

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a pub company that delivers a successful food offer across their estate, with food a key part of the company's total sales. This award is open to companies which average £35 or less for two courses. As a guide, to enter Best Food Offer your average price per main course plus starter / dessert will be <£35 and Premium will be over this.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Strong food sales performance taking into account the current market conditions
• Menu innovation
• Strong marketing and PR of the food offer
• Details of the company’s food sourcing policies
• Strong CSR initiatives
• How you use food to drive other sales
• Excellent kitchen team training and developments
• How you monitor customer service standards

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to the late-night operator that demonstrates sales growth; excellent business innovation, drinks retail excellence and strong entertainment and marketing ideas. The award is open to companies whose trading hours operate past midnight.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Strong business performance in the past year
• Business Innovation
• Responsible drinks retailing - with appropriate pricing and promotional strategies
• Excellent standard of customer service
• Strong drinks offer
• Excellent entertainment offer
• Successful marketing strategies
  

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a highly successful managed retail estate, which has shown strong innovation and business performance in the past year.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Strong innovation across the company
• Strong CSR initiatives
• Strong marketing and promotional strategy
• Excellent retail standards
• Excellent standards of staff training
• Excellent standards of customer service
• Strategic success
• Evidence of support offered to your managers

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a highly successful managed retail estate, which has shown strong innovation and business performance in the past year.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Strong innovation across the company
• Strong CSR initiatives
• Strong marketing and promotional strategy
• Excellent retail standards
• Excellent standards of staff training
• Excellent standards of customer service
• Strategy success
• Evidence of support offered to your managers

Entry criteria: The winning site will have opened during the past 12 months and will have been trading for a minimum of 3 months. The single site will either be a new-build pub or a substantial re-development and entrants must demonstrate evidence of how effectively trade has been built at the site.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• How successfully the site was redeveloped
• Effective use of design and space
• Strong marketing and promotion of the new site
• Effective launch campaign
• Details of the site’s success around food, drinks, entertainment etc
• Approach to staff recruitment and training
• How trade has successfully been developed given the market conditions

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a highly successful partnership pub company.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Solid financial performance in the past year, given market conditions
• Evidence of strong support packages
• Evidence of comprehensive development and support for BDMs
• Excellent communication to licensees
• Strong marketing and promotional strategy
• Excellent levels of support for licensees joining the company
• Strong innovation across the company
• Strong CSR approach
  

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a highly successful partnership pub company.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Solid financial performance in the past year, given the market conditions
• Evidence of strong support packages
• Evidence of comprehensive development and support for BDMs
• Excellent communication to licensees
• Strong marketing and promotional strategy
• Excellent levels of support for licensees joining the company
• Strong innovation across the company
• Strong CSR approach
  

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a pub company that delivers a successful food offer across their estate, with food a key part of the company's total sales. This award is open to companies which average £35 or more for two courses. As a guide, to enter Best Premium Food Offer your average price per main course plus starter / dessert will be >£35.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Strong food sales performance taking into account the current market conditions
• Menu innovation
  
• Strong marketing and PR of the food offer
• Details of the company’s food sourcing policies
• Strong CSR initiatives
• How you use food to drive other sales
• Excellent kitchen team training and developments
• How you monitor customer service standards

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to the best pub brand/concept. It may be your company's only brand/concept or one of several brands within the company that demonstrates business success, clear strategies and strong focus on marketing your brand via all channels.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Like-for-like growth within the brand/concept in the past year bearing in mind market conditions
• Growth of the brand/concept in terms of units in the past year given market conditions
• The strength of the brand/concept as evidenced by customer satisfaction levels
• Strong and creative innovation
• Example campaign or long term marketing and communications strategy which drive your brand message to consumers
• Evidence of the unique characteristics of the brand/concept and its unique characteristics within the marketplace
• Evidence how staff training and setting compliment your brand
• Strong branding that is consistently carried across your sites' design, digital channels and point of sale materials

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to the pub company that provides an excellent working environment for employees including comprehensive training, strong staff motivation and benefits and a meaningful career path/development structure for employees.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Evidence of excellent working conditions for staff, including good facilities and benefits on offer
• Excellent standards of staff training
• Clear staff development strategy
• Strong staff retention rates
• How does the company support staff work life balance
• Strong CSR strategy
• Leadership and senior management style

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to the pub company that provides an excellent working environment for employees including comprehensive training, strong staff motivation and benefits and a meaningful career path/development structure for employees.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Evidence of excellent working conditions for staff, including good facilities and benefits on offer
• Excellent standards of staff training
• Clear staff development strategy
• Strong staff retention rates
• How does the company support staff work life balance
• Strong CSR strategy
• Leadership and senior management style

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to the pub operations team that best demonstrates its effectiveness in innovation, leadership and business success.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Evidence of a strong and positive team spirit
• Strong and effective team leadership
• Generation and activation of great ideas
• Impact and influence within the wider business
• Effective communication channels
• Structured measurement and feedback techniques
• A culture of rewarding and celebrating achievement
• Commitment to continuous professional development

Entry criteria: This award will be presented to a pub company that demonstrates a significant and concerted effort to reduce its waste. This includes the reduction and / or redistribution of food waste; energy reduction and management; plastics and single use items. We will also consider how the company is changing the attitudes of its staff and customers to help in its sustainable mission. Demonstrating how your pub company is also working with some or all its suppliers should be included in appropriate answers.

All information provided in your entry is confidential and not for publication. Judges are looking for evidence of:

• Evidence of recycled or avoided waste
• Water saving initiatives
• Impact of waste reduction on business
• Future CSR plans
• Engaging staff and customers in the sustainable journey