Introducing the 2023 Crushie Award Season and What’s New

The CBMAs (Craft Beer Marketing Awards) is the only awards program that recognizes and celebrates excellence in marketing and design for the craft beer industry. The competition is open to breweries of all sizes from all over the world, as well as their agencies, artists, and marketing partners. Entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts on creativity, effectiveness, and overall execution.

Get to Know CBMA: What Is It?

The CBMAs was created to recognize and reward the hard work and creativity that goes into making a craft beer brand successful. From the label and packaging design to the marketing campaigns that promote the beer, the CBMAs aims to celebrate the people and businesses that make craft beer so special.

The CBMAs has grown to become a popular industry expert who celebrates the individuals and teams building these amazing beverage brands. They presented a marketing seminar at the 2022 Craft Brewers Conference and have a successful podcast called Marketing on Tap.

What New to Expect in the 2023 US Open Beer Championship

There are many things to look forward to in the championship next year. The 2023 Awards Competition will feature many new additions, including new categories and sponsors. Expect also to see a redesigned Crushie award trophy. More importantly, they plan to do a live, in-person awards ceremony during the week of the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN. With so many new additions, the US Open Beer Championship will surely be an exciting event for all involved!

How to Join

The "Early Bird" discounted rate was only until October 28, 2022. However, you can still join even if you miss that deadline. You may enter the contest by January 27, 2023, but you will have to pay the regular entry fee.

On the New Design for the Crushie Award

The original “Crushie” trophy was designed to be a unique and exciting way to award winning breweries. Meanwhile, the new 2023 CBMA "Crushie" trophy has a nice tap handle. The new design produced by Steel City Tap Co. allows winners to actually use the trophy as a tap handle in their brewery. This new design is a great way to show off your brewery's success and is sure to be a conversation starter among customers.

With the same superior craftsmanship and attention to detail used to manufacture their custom tap handles, they reinvented the original Crushie trophy so that winners can now use it as a tap handle. This trophy symbolizes how the winners excel in the craft beer industry with their innovative marketing and branding. The tattooed arm crushing a beer can represents how the winners are "crushing it" in their field.

On the Expanding Sponsors and Industry Associations

The new roster of sponsors and industry associations makes the whole event exciting. The Hillebrand Bev Pros, for example, will again be sponsoring the event for the fourth year. This year, there are new sponsors, Yakima Chief Hops from Yakima, WA, DWS Printing from Deer Park, NY, and Steel City Taps from Birmingham, AL. BarTrack from Sterling, VA, is also sponsoring the event.

CBMAs is a global organization that connects breweries, beer distributors, and industry organizations. Their memberships with organizations like The Brewers Association and NYSBA help them to stay updated on industry news and events.

Summary of Important Things to Note

• Submission of Entry: September 2022 to January 27, 2023
• Early Bird Cut Off: September 26 to October 28, 2022
• Judging Period: March 6 to April 11, 2023
• Announcement of Winners: Week of May 7, 2023, at CBC event (TBD) and live stream

Conclusion

The CBMA Competition is a great opportunity for businesses to showcase their innovative products and services. This Competition allows businesses to receive recognition and awards for their achievements. It is an excellent way for businesses to promote their products and services to the public.

Be creative and do innovations with your beer. We take your design and turn it into a reality at Steel City Tap. Whether it's a beer tap handle, LED sign, or Tin Tacker, our team in Birmingham, Alabama, will create a superior product to help market your brand. Your product will be ready to use in as little as six to eight weeks. Get in touch with us today!