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The Hot Pepper Awards 2009 Call For Entries!
The annual spicy condiment and snack food competition, hosted by the Internet's #1 chilihead forum, The Hot Pepper.
New This Year:
No ingredient restrictions! We are looking for the best products, but in past years we found the ingredient restrictions only created confusion. This year any spicy product is eligible, and only the best will be awarded The Hot Pepper Award.
Why Enter?
Show the Industry and consumers that you have an award-winning product. When it carries the seal of The Hot Pepper Awards, it not only signifies a win, but a win in a competition that cares about quality! And how about exposure? Postings, press releases, advertising... what are you waiting for?
Categories:
We accept any commercial spicy condiment, snack food or beverage product. You will be able to select the most appropriate category on the submission form. Top categories include Hot Sauce, Wing Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Jerk Sauce, Salsa, Dry Spice, Cooking Sauce, Dipping Sauce, Salad Dressing, Marinade, Chutney, Jelly/Jam/Honey, Misc. Condiment - Pourable, Misc. Condiment - Spreadable, Open Class (anything). There are also multiple sub-categories. Categories may change due to entries. Click here to see last year's categories and sub-categories.
Awards:
The Hot Pepper Award is the overall top category award. There are also 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards for sub-categories. Other awards include The Hybrid Pepper Award (innovation), The Picasso Pepper Award (labels/artwork), and The Offensive Pepper Award (most offensive product name).
Winners of The Hot Pepper Award will receive free advertising on thehotpepper.com. Ads that rotate with the winners will appear on all pages in the header (example of live ads above). The ads will remain live until they are replaced with the following year's winners.
All Winners will receive a custom certificate that is perfect for framing (example below left) as well as website and print quality graphics in an array of sizes (example below right). All Winners will be announced on thehotpepper.com, the most popular chilihead community on the Internet, and each listing will include a link to the winner's website. We also submit press releases to news sites and blogs. Winners have received feature stories in newspapers, etc., and reported increased sales due to the exposure from THPA.
Rules:
- Your product must have some heat. Mild is okay, but it must have some. This is The Hot Pepper Awards. It does not have to be from peppers, it can be from mustard, horseradish, etc.
- No amateur entries. All entries must be commercially made (commercial kitchen, co-packer, mass-production) with labels[1] and tamper-free packaging, and be available for sale somewhere on the Internet[2], even if it's only your own website. We will ask for the sale link. If amateur entries or entries that appear unsafe for consumption are received they will be discarded and no refund will be given, so do not try to bend this rule.
- The product entered must be your creation and one-of-a-kind. Do not send private-label products.
- You must send two commercial size products for each entry. Commercial size means the size you sell, not samplers.
- Do not send your products until the shipping window has opened. When the window is open you will receive an email with the form to fill out along with the address.
1. If you do not have labels it is okay, but that does not mean you can submit an amateur product.
2. If your product is not for sale on the Internet yet, you may still submit it, but you must have other products under that name brand for sale on the Internet, or a website that states where your products can be purchased.
Deadlines:
These are payment deadlines, the shipment must be postmarked by the final deadline.
- Regular Deadline: July 15, 2009 - $50 per entry
- Final Deadline (postmarked): September 15*, 2009 - $60 per entry
*Int'l, September 1, airmail only.
Pay Now, Ship Later. Pay now, but don't ship until we open the shipping window. We want to receive the freshest products, so we don't open the shipping window until summer. You will receive an email with with the shipping address and entry form around July 15. But don't wait! You may miss the discounts.
Enter now! It's easy. Just select the most appropriate category, and enter the product name in the text field. To add more click "Continue Shopping" from the paypal page. You may enter as many products as you like, and you may add additional categories for the same product. If you have different heat levels for your product you may want to enter all of them, as we do have heat level sub-categories.
Terms and conditions may change at any time. No refunds.
2008 Winners
2007 Winners
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