The Vitis Vinifera Awards is one of the most affordable competitions. The cost is R750 excl VAT per entry. Gold, Double Gold and Top 10 producer stickers will be available at R370 excl VAT per 1000.

An electronic certificate will be sent by email to the winners. If the exact same product is sold under different brand names, you can request a certificate for each brand at no extra cost.

Results will be emailed to entrants on or before 9^th September 2019 to notify them. The entrants can utilise the stickers and competition artwork to maximise exposure on various social media fronts and for their existing client base, but must display them together with the name(s) of the product and vintage if applicable, that earned this accolade. Stickers will focus attention on the award-winning products, leading to higher visibility and a boost in sales.

We will endeavour to have the stickers ready for collection around 23^rd September to 27^th September 2019. The stickers have to be paid for prior to collection, unless other arrangements are made with the organisers.

You’re not obligated to order stickers; if you do not want any, indicate the number on the entry form as 0 (zero). Once the results have been revealed, you have to take the number of stickers you indicated. Stickers will be available approximately two weeks after the winners have been notified.

Any remaining samples at the end of the judging process becomes the property of Vitis Vinifera Awards.

The tasting procedure will be audited by a reputable auditing firm to ensure the judges are not influenced and the tasting is done blind and conforms to international standards.

1. Spirits have to be 100% grape based to qualify for entry.
2. Submission of samples and/or payment of entry fees constitutes acceptance of all the rules.
3. Tank samples will not be accepted as entries into the competition.
4. All wines from outside South Africa do not need a WSR2 or WSR4 certificate. All non-flavoured wines from South Africa must be accompanied by a SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information & Systems – www.sawis.co.za) application number, and the stickers awarded may only be applied to the wine attached to the application number. If a certain wine has more than one application number, the wines must be entered separately.
5. Each non-flavoured wine from South Africa has to have a current WSR2 or WSR4 certificate showing that the wine was approved on the strength of taste and analysis by SAWIS, or a Department of Agriculture Wine-on-Line screen capture printout to show the wine has a current tasting date. This certificate must be current (i.e. the wine must have been tasted and approved by the board no more than one year before 4^th September 2019 in the case of a white wine and 18 months in the case of a red wine). A sample will not be accepted without this certificate. No refunds will be paid if the WSR2 or WSR4 certificate is not current.
6. Each category will be determined by the product information on the label.
7. There is no minimum stock quantity needed to enter a product.
8. There is no limit to the number of entries per producer. However, each flavoured wine or spirit may only be entered once into the competition (even if it is under a different label), and any participant may enter more than one wine, flavoured wine or spirit in a class. Examples are wineries that produce several wines of the same varietal type but with different vineyard designations or vintages.
9. A wine that has not been certified as a cultivar wine, although it may be one, may be entered into a blended category.
10. A product that received an award in a previous year’s competition may be entered again.
11. Entries and registration will be accepted online from 23^rd April up to midnight on 27^th August 2019. Proof of payment must be emailed to support@vitisawards.com before midnight on the closing date for entries to be accepted.
12. Invoices for entries must be printed online by the participant, and paid before the final close of entries.
13. For wines in 750ml bottles, a sample has to comprise three bottles per entry. For wines in containers bigger than 750ml, a sample has to comprise two units. For wines in containers smaller than 750ml, a sample has to comprise four units. For flavoured wine or spirits, a minimum number of two 750ml bottles is required, or the equivalent thereof.
14. The samples must be delivered to the drop-off point in Stellenbosch, South Africa between 9:00 and 16:00 on the 2^nd or 3^rd September 2019 to be accepted into the competition.
15. Winners will be notified by email, and stickers will be available for collection about two weeks later. Proof of payment of both the entries (R750 excl VAT per entry) and stickers is needed before stickers can be collected. Gold, Double Gold and Top 10 Producer stickers cost R370 excl VAT per 1000, and come in multiples of 1000 and 2000.
16. Quantities of stickers ordered that are not multiples of 1000 will be rounded up and invoiced as such.
17. By entering the competition, the entrant commits to paying for the number of stickers indicated before the required deadline (11:00 Monday 9^th September 2019) for the products that receive awards.
18. The winners of the Top 10 Producer Award may put this sticker on all wines entered. The producer may only use the Gold and Double Gold stickers awarded on the particular product that was entered and won the award. Stickers may not be put onto another batch of product similar to the one entered, that did not win an award in this year’s competition. Participants must always market their winning products in conjunction with the year of the competition the product won the award.
19. The competition logo or stickers may not be displayed on their own for purposes of marketing, but must be accompanied by the details of the particular product that won, or may be photographed on the product that won the award.
20. Any samples remaining at the conclusion of the judging become the property of the competition.
21. The judging process will be entirely confidential and no details will be released concerning the judging process and reasoning. No feedback of any nature will be given.
22. The decision of the judges is final and no changes will be made to awards after the judging process is complete. In the event of a dispute, this competition’s decision will be final.
23. No refund of entry fees will be made.
24. By entering the competition, the entrant states that the information provided is factually and legally correct.
25. If a participant does not follow all the rules of the competition or legal requirements as required by SAWIS for South African wine, the competition has the right to disqualify the particular entry concerned or the entire year’s entries, or ban the producer from the competition.
26. For confidentiality purposes, only a list of the top producers may be made public. There will be no list of all the producers that took part in the competition or the score assigned to any product.
27. Entries will only be accepted in English.
28. Entries must be completed in full, and entries that were not completed in full could be declared void.
29. Employees of the competition and their immediate family are not allowed to enter the competition.
30. If an entrant does not comply with the rules of the competition, their entries may be cancelled.
31. The producer whose product is entered must be fully aware of the submission, and must grant the person entering the competition the right to enter the product and order stickers. If this is not found to be the case, the person entering the competition will be liable for any financial commitment made.
32. In the event that for any reason possible the judging cannot take place, or entrants cannot be given results, half of the entrants’ entry fee will be refunded, and no other damages will be awarded to the competition, or any of the companies involved.
33. For any claim to be made against The Awards Show (Pty) Ltd for defective stickers, the stickers must be returned to Postnet at Stellenbosch, South Africa within 7 days after the date of delivery to Postnet. The Awards Show (Pty) Ltd will within its discretion either replace or pass a credit for defective stickers so proven, but shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, or any other loss, including loss to third parties and legal expenses, arising out of errors in providing stickers, or by delay in delivery, or by unsuitability of goods for use intended.
34. This competition cannot be held liable for any damage incurred to stickers once the stickers have been accepted by the client or by a third party transportation company.
35. This competition can change the rules of the competition without notice, and publish them on the website without giving notice to entrants. If the entrant does not want to comply with the new rules of the competition, they can cancel their entries up to the date entries close. After this time, entrants have to comply with the rules of the competition.