Frequently Asked Questions

Entering the South Australian Premier's Food and Beverage Industry Awards is a fantastic opportunity to evaluate and benchmark your business against the best.

Becoming a finalist or winner provides you with a powerful recommendation for your products to customers and consumers, and offers significant recognition for your business and your brand.

All entrants also gain the exclusive opportunity to attend the Foodland Retail Ready Program. This initiative is aimed at taking food and beverage businesses through the process of developing or strengthening your commercial relationship with Foodland Supermarkets, and increasing your brand and business profile through their extensive network and communication channels.

Entry in the awards is a simple process involving the submission of an online written application.

All you have to do is answer the questions for the category you've chosen and, if relevant, attach a letter of financial stability from your accountant (see here for an example). Entrants in the Next Generation and Leader Award categories are not required to provide a letter vouching for their business’ financial stability.

You can even save your work in progress and continue to edit it up until the entry deadline. Your entry will be assessed on the merit of your answers and shortlisted entrants will then undergo further assessment

General Award Categories

When deciding which categories best reflect your current business focus, it's important to read the criteria (Fact Sheet) for each. Entry eligibility and conditions of entry may vary between award categories.

Your business is eligible to enter if your principal place of business is in South Australia, at least half of your business expenses are incurred here, and your business manufactures food or beverages, or supplies products or services used in the food and beverage industry.

EatDrink Local SA Award

You operate a foodservice or hospitality venue in South Australia and you actively support and showcase locally produced food and beverages on your menu.

State Contribution Award (Interstate and Overseas Businesses)

A special Award for businesses owned outside of South Australia that demonstrate a significant contribution to the South Australian economy and community through local investment, employment, or engagement with South Australian suppliers and stakeholders.

Yes – entrants are only excluded from submitting an entry in a category if they won the award for that category in the previous year.

It's always a good idea to bring everything up to date, but any previous applications can give you a great headstart. Just make sure you check the questions carefully for any changes and adapt your answers accordingly. If you were previously shortlisted in a category you plan to enter this year, take the time to consider any feedback you may have received from the judges.

There are 15 different award categories open for food and beverage businesses to apply for in the 2025 South Australian Premier’s Food and Beverage Industry Awards, so understandably you might feel a little overwhelmed.

Ask yourself - Which area would we most like to be recognised for and in what way have we excelled, improved, or grown in over the past 12 months?

Consider - Have you implemented an innovative business model, achieved something special through collaboration, launched a new product or entered a new market? Maybe you’ve created a competitive advantage, or perhaps sustainability has been a key focus in your operations? Or even, has the welfare of your team been your main focus?

In general, what is relevant to your business right now?

Entry into any open business category, with the exception of Emerging Business and Service Provider award, automatically enters your business in the Business Excellence Award.

Still stuck? We encourage you to read over the fact sheet provided for each category, or contact Food South Australia on 08 8303 9435 or contact@safoodawards.com.au

The Service Provider Award was added to the South Australian Premier's Food and Beverage Industry Awards for the purpose of recognising the valuable contribution made by local service provider companies to food and beverage manufacturers. It is the only award category open to service providers.

One of the many benefits of entering the Awards is the opportunity for businesses to increase their brand profile. Food South Australia engages in multiple promotional activities to support our applicants and nominees, so make sure the business name you use in your application is the one you want to appear in any marketing, promotions, media content and/or announcements.

You have a limited amount of words to answer each question, it’s essential that you tell your story well and you do actually answer the question. It sounds obvious, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. Our judges are very experienced in the food and beverage industry, but they may not know you, or your individual business well, so make the strongest case for your entry that you can.

Be clear and succinct in the message you convey - it’s fine to use dot points to save your word limit and to make your message as easy to read and understand as possible.

Entrants will be contacted if they have been shortlisted for the second stage of judging (late August / early September). Finalists will be announced on Tuesday 7 October 2025 and winners will be announced at the Awards Gala Dinner on Friday 14 November 2025.

No – entry in the South Australian Premier's Food and Beverage Industry Awards is free.

The entry submission period is open for 8 weeks, from Monday 19 May to Monday 14 July 2025 at 5.00pm. Late entries cannot be accepted.

We recommend aiming to submit your application and accompanying financial stability letter at least a few days before the closing date to ensure it is received on time.

Do you have questions about your entry and not sure where to start? Join one of the online Entrant Information Sessions on Wednesday 4 June or Wednesday 2 July.

Need help preparing your written entry? We can put you in touch with professional award writers. Email us to find out more.

To accommodate all the system, people, process and operational differences between small businesses and larger businesses, entrants are asked to specify their business size at the commencement of their written entry (ie up to 15 Full Time Equivalent staff or more than 15 FTEs) and judges take this into account when assessing them. For judging purposes, the definition of full time equivalent staff includes those involved in production and manufacturing processes, but not retail sales.

These two business size categories also apply to the Consumer Award, meaning everyone's favourite local food or beverage producer or manufacturer, big or small, has a chance to be recognised!

There are set word limits for each question in the written entry stage and the software does not allow you to exceed this. Make every word count by ensuring you're answering the question and supporting your case. Getting other members of your team involved wherever possible is a good way of keeping on track and providing a broader perspective.

The judges are not looking for a marketing document aimed at consumers - they are looking for evidence of improvement and success in your chosen category. Their focus is on understanding how you go about what you do and why that means you should be considered for an award.

Be clear and succinct in the story you tell. The judges are most interested in finding out what you're doing now, what you're planning to do in the future, what approach you'll take to achieve this, how you monitor your outcomes, and how you've changed and grown along the way.

Each award is assessed by a separate panel of judges with food and beverage industry expertise and overseen by the Independent Chair of Judging to ensure impartiality. Food South Australia is not involved in the judging process.

The first stage of judging is the assessment of all the written submissions. This takes place in mid to late July. If you or your business are shortlisted to the second stage of judging, you will be contacted in late August to arrange either an online or in person interview (with) the judges. You need to ensure you, or a designated representative from your business, are available for this to occur.

The second stage of judging is your chance to further support and elaborate on your written entry. Preparation for your interview can be the difference in selecting finalists and winners, so make the most of this opportunity to showcase your success – e.g. you could take the judges on a site tour or a virtual tour!