Craft Beer Marketing Awards Marks 5th Season with Exciting Innovations

The Craft Beer Marketing Awards (CBMAS), fondly known as The Crushies, announced today the commencement of its 2024 Awards Season, and marks a significant milestone as it enters its fifth year of competition. The CBMAS is open for submissions from creative minds in the craft beverage industry worldwide, including craft beverage makers, their agencies, artists, and marketing partners.

What’s New for the 2024 Award Season:

• Global-Only Categories: The CBMAS has transitioned to a fully global competition, eliminating regional distinctions and enabling all entrants to vie for the title of the world’s best in their respective categories. The judging process relies on a robust and transparent digital scoring system, assessed by a distinguished panel of more than 600 international experts in beverage, marketing, and design.

“We did away with local regions, now every entry competes against others like it submitted from anywhere in the world. I believe this change will fuel the creativity and innovation of an already fierce competition.” Jim McCune, Co-founder, CBMAS.

Global Crushies will be awarded exclusively to the top performer in each category, with Platinum and Gold Crushies recognizing those who achieve the next highest-ranked scores. The full list of categories can be explored on the official website here.

• Compete by Beverage-Type: Acknowledging the expanding world of craft beverages, CBMAS invites entries from beyond craft beer, now hard seltzer, non-alcoholic beer, ready-to-drink cocktails (RTD), and cider/mead can compete exclusively within their own beverage type, and not against each other.
  
• Isuzu Beer Truck Design Competition: CBMAS partners with Isuzu Commercial Truck of America for an exciting new free category. Design a beer truck wrap celebrating craft beer for a chance to see it displayed on Isuzu’s Ultimate Craft Beer Truck at the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas! Designer wins bragging rights and (4) CBC event passes!

“Isuzu is proud to collaborate with the CBMAS, and sponsor the celebration of craft beer’s creativity!” Brian Tabel Assistant Vice-President, Marketing “Our Ultimate Craft Beer Truck will make a great canvas to showoff the creative muscle in the industry during the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference. Cheers to all the creators who drive our industry forward in style!”

• Crushie Winners Map for Consumers: A new feature this season, the Crushie Winners Map aiming to drive foot traffic to award-winning brands by boosting exposure to their business location to consumers.

“Our vision behind the new Crushie Winners Map is to help craft enthusiasts uncover exciting new beverage brands from within our Crushie winners universe.” Jackie DiBella-Curry, Co-founder, CBMAS

Consumers can explore and plan visits to award-winning locations at thecrushiemap.com

CBMAS Competition Timeline

• Entry Period: October 9, 2023, through February 5, 2024
• Judging: March 6, 2023, through April 11, 2024
• Winners Announced: Week of April 21-24 during the Craft Brewers Conference

The live-streamed awards ceremony is scheduled during the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas, NV in April, and entries are open to marketing professionals in the brewing industry, including hard seltzer, RTD, cider/mead worldwide.

During the 2023 CBMAS award season, which was the largest to date, a remarkable 320 Crushie Awards were bestowed upon outstanding brewers, designers, and marketing agencies from across the globe. This momentous occasion unfolded during a live ceremony hosted at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in May.

In anticipation of the forthcoming awards, the next presentation will take place at the conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, scheduled for April. The esteemed “Crushie” trophy, ingeniously crafted as a fully functional tap handle, is a testament to industry craftsmanship and proudly manufactured in the United States by Steel City Taps.

Founded in 2019 by Jim McCune, Jackie DiBella-Curry, and Ernie Canadeo of The EGC Group, CBMAS has evolved into the first international awards program dedicated exclusively to recognizing the artistry and creative marketing and branding endeavors that brewers, designers, and agencies bring to the craft beverages industry. These efforts play a pivotal role in distinguishing their product within the retail marketplace.