Every community needs a good local.
Across the UK, pubs are where people meet, celebrate, commiserate and belong, kept going by licensees and teams working long hours against rising costs.
The Pub Awards exist to recognise the pubs, licensees and teams who keep the great British pub at the heart of every community.
Early deliveries.
Last orders.
Finally, recognised.
Pubs bring people together. They are rarely thanked.
A landlady who knows every regular's name and their dog's name too.
A village that bought its pub to stop it closing.
A cellar kept so well every pint tastes the way the brewer meant.
A quiz night that has run every Tuesday for twenty years.
A team that kept smiling through the busiest Christmas of the year.
Pubs spend every night looking after other people.
This time the recognition is for them.
“We noticed.”
“Cheers.”
From the micropub to the country inn.
Community locals, freehouses, country and town pubs, micropubs, brewery taps, licensees, managers, chefs and pub teams.
The Local
The pub the community could not do without.
The Licensee
The landlord or landlady who makes the pub.
The Rising Star
New behind the bar and already a natural.
The Team
All pulling together.
The Community Pub
Giving back to the people around it.
Know a pub that deserves to be recognised?
Four ways to be recognised.
Pubs
Community pubs, freehouses, country and town pubs, pub kitchens, new and reopened pubs, micropubs, pubs with rooms and pub groups.
Ale, Cellar and Drinks
Cask ale, cellar management, drinks range, low and no alcohol and brewery taps.
Pub People
Licensees, pub managers, pub teams, rising stars and pub chefs.
Pub Life and Community
Entertainment, live music, sustainability, family and dog friendly pubs and pub gardens.
Recognition that brings people through the door.
Pride for the team
Something every member of staff can be proud of.
New customers
Independent recognition that people trust.
Great staff
Good people want to work in recognised pubs.
Connections
Meet licensees, brewers and suppliers from across the UK.
You do not need a big pub.
Judges consider the size, setting and ownership of every pub, so a single room village local can win against a large town centre pub or a group.
Trading figures can be given as ranges.
Nothing in an entry is shared beyond the judging panel.
How good your pub is matters more than how big it is.
The question isn't:
“Is our pub big enough?”
A better question might be:
“Do our regulars love us?”
Recognition only counts when it is earned fairly.
The value of an award depends on the integrity behind it, so the way entries are judged should be clear before anyone enters.
Free to enter
Nominating and entering cost nothing. No category depends on buying a ticket, a table or a package.
Independent judging
Entries are scored by an independent panel, not by the organisers, working under a confidentiality agreement.
Read moreClear criteria
Every category publishes what the judges look for, so you can read it before you enter.
Read moreConflicts managed
Judges declare any conflict of interest and stand aside from the entries it touches.
Read moreSponsors support the awards. They never decide the results.
The best pubs are too busy to enter.
They say:
“We just pull pints.”
“The regulars make it special.”
“We have no time to fill in forms.”
And sometimes that is exactly why somebody else needs to say:
“They made the difference.”
“They deserve to be recognised.”
If you know a pub, licensee or team like that, put their name forward. It takes a minute.
From a name to the night itself.
Discover
Find the award category that fits the achievement best.
Nominate
Put forward your local, a licensee, a pub team or your own pub.
Tell the story
Share what was achieved, and the difference it made.
Judging
Eligible entries are judged against the published criteria.
Recognition
Finalists and winners are celebrated at the awards.
A good pub is how a community stays together.
Every pub has a story.
Every round has a moment.