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Awards Rules

Award Rules 2026

Eligibility

  1. In order to nominate someone, you must be a UK resident (including Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) aged 18 or over, and not be a BBC or BBC Group company employee, employee of any of its affiliates, close relative of any such employees or connected to the awards directly or through a close relative.
  2. Nominees (including self-nominees and those nominated by another) have to be based in the UK, The Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and will also need to have been trading for at least one year to be considered for a nomination. For the BBC Food Innovation category only, we will accept nominations from internationally-based companies that have a significant customer base and significant business operation located in the UK, Channel Islands and/or the Isle of Man.
  3. All nominees for an award must be over the age of 18, except for the Countryfile Young Countryside Champion 2026 where the nominees must be aged between 16 to 24 years old on the Closing Date. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested. The nominator will need permission from the nominee's parents/guardians if the nominee is under 18 years of age. For Countryfile Young Countryside Champion, nominees aged 16–17 must be nominated with the consent of a parent or guardian and self-nomination in this category is only open to those aged 18–24.
  4. The Awards are not open to employees or contractors of the BBC, BBC Group company or close relatives of any BBC or BBC Group employee or contractor. This exclusion covers both the nominator and the nominee.
  5. You can nominate yourself or the organisation or company you work for, where eligible under the criteria for that category. However, you will need to state if you are nominating your own business. Previous winners are eligible to be nominated again for the 2026 Awards. If you are nominating a business, they need to have been operating for at least one year prior to the Closing Date.

How to Nominate

  1. Nominations will open at 06:00 on Friday 22nd May 2026 and must be received no later than midday (12:00) on Friday 15th June 2026 (“Closing Date”). Nominations outside of this window will not count so please do not wait until the last minute to send your nomination.
  2. To enter, simply answer the questions we ask for each award, making your case for why you believe you, or another person/a business/project you nominate should be considered. You can nominate yourself (where eligible) or a project/business you are involved in, however you need to declare that you are doing so in your application.
  3. Nominations can be made online at bbc.co.uk/foodawards
  4. Read the Award Rules and Terms of Use of entry for nominations in the 2026 BBC Food and Farming Awards.

Award Categories

  1. The BBC is giving those involved in food and farming the chance to be nominated for various categories in the BBC Food & Farming Awards 2026.
  2. The categories for the awards are:

  • The Food Programme Best Food Producer
  • Best Drinks Producer
  • Digital Creator Award
  • Farming for the Future with The Archers and BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today
  • Food Innovation Award
  • Countryfile Young Countryside Champion
  • The BBC Radio Ulster Food Hero Award
  • Derek Cooper Outstanding Achievement Award (this award is voted for by our judges and is not open to public nominations)

  1. Please make sure you read through the description for each of the categories you are submitting a nomination for. Make sure you clearly explain how your nominee meets, or exceeds, the criteria in the description. The BBC has the right to disqualify nominations that don’t contain the information requested on the nomination pages.

Judging Process

  1. All nominations will be sent to members of The Food Programme, Countryfile teams and BBC Radio Ulster to be processed and checked against the criteria before being sent to the judges for consideration. Nominations that do not satisfy the nomination criteria or that lack sufficient supporting information may be excluded during the initial review stage at the BBC’s sole discretion.
  2. If a particular category receives a large number of nominations, a member of production will do an initial review and sift of the submissions before sending to the judges. The preliminary sift will eliminate nominations without sufficient details about the business or the criteria has not been met.
  3. All judges are listed on the BBC Food & Farming Awards website. The judges are independent and have been selected for their knowledge in the various category areas. All judges see the short lists, and their decisions are final in every category. The judges will choose three finalists per category.
  4. During the judging process, judges will review nominations against set criteria that could cover a number of areas including community involvement, sustainability and other business operational matters. If any ongoing or previous legal proceedings emerge that pose risks, reputational or otherwise to the BBC, this may result in a breach of criteria. The judges or the production team may choose to disqualify that nomination in the BBC’s sole discretion.
  5. A press release will be issued with details of finalists in each category, and a later release will name the winners. The finalists will also be announced on the Food Programme and listed on the website during July 2026.
  6. Because of the number of nominations we receive, it will not be possible to update you on the outcome of your individual nomination. We may contact the nominees directly for further details, but all those shortlisted will be contacted personally in July 2026 and the winners will be announced during a ceremony in October 2026.
  7. The next stage of the process will include a visit from selected judge(s) before the winner in each category is decided.
  8. The Award team may carry out reasonable due diligence, including publicly available social media checks, on nominees. Any relevant information identified, including information made publicly available by an nominee or provided as part of a nomination, may be taken into account when determining the shortlist. Disqualification will not be automatic and any decision will be made at the BBC’s discretion. All personal data will be handled in accordance with the BBC’s Privacy Notice.
  9. The BBC team may contact the nominator, the nominee (his/her parent or guardian, where applicable) to verify facts and/or events, and whether the relevant consents/permissions have been obtained. The BBC may share nomination information (including the name of the nominator) submitted.
  10. If multiple nominations for a single nominee are received, an editorial decision will be made as to which nomination will move forward to the judging process.
  11. If you have specific access requirements then please contact thefoodprogramme@bbc.co.uk at least 48 hours ahead of the deadline to discuss your submission.
  12. The BBC's decision as to the winners is final.

Award

  1. The award will consist of a certificate and a wooden chopping board. There is no cash prize. No commercial gain can be made from using or referencing the BBC brand, the award itself or any other element of this awards process. The certificate and wooden chopping board is for the winner’s personal enjoyment only and cannot be sold or transferred in any circumstances. The winner cannot copy, reproduce or distribute or copies of them. Any branding or logos on or associated with the award cannot be used or reproduced by the winner in any way.

General

  1. The BBC, its sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem which may result in any nomination not being properly registered. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.
  2. To the extent permitted by law, the BBC will not be liable for any loss or damage (whether such damage or losses were foreseen, foreseeable, known or otherwise) including financial, reputational loss or disappointment.
  3. Nominees and nominators must agree to take part in any pre or post-award publicity if required.
  4. The BBC reserves the right to exclude any nomination from the award at any time and in its absolute discretion if the BBC has reason to believe that a nominator or nominee has breached these rules or the BBC Editorial Guidelines acted fraudulently or has done anything which, in its sole discretion, brings the BBC into disrepute.
  5. The BBC reserves the right to amend these Award Rules. The BBC reserves the right to cancel this award or alter any of the Rules at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.
  6. To the extent that they apply – this Award is subject to the BBC’s Terms of Use and the Code of Conduct on Competitions and Votes –https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidance/code-of-conduct
  7. These Award Rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Persons nominating and nominees will be deemed to have accepted these rules and agree to be bound by them.
  8. The BBC will only ever use personal details for the purposes of administering the Awards and in accordance with the Food & Farming Awards 2026 Privacy Notice. If you are providing any personal data of a third party, please ensure you have their permission before this information is provided to the BBC. The personal data provided will be shared within the BBC and with external third parties for the purposes of administering the award. The BBC will not share your information with any other third parties. The names of nominees who are shortlisted, commended and winning persons may be disclosed to the public. The BBC will retain your information to maintain an accurate record of the award, for the purposes of administering future awards and will destroy this information provided when it is no longer required. Please feel free to ask questions about what happens to the information provided in the nomination form or let us know if you would like to withdraw your nomination by contacting us at thefoodprogramme@bbc.co.uk