Our 2026 Christmas Awards cycle
The Free From Christmas Awards recognise and celebrate festive free from food and drink products. Christmas is one of the biggest celebrations of the year and seasonal ranges, along with seasonally relevant products, have evolved tremendously. We believe they are worthy of celebration and by doing so we play our part in encouraging further exciting festive developments.
Entries must be available for Christmas 2026; they do not necessarily have to be Christmas products, but they do need to be seasonally relevant. Likewise, entries don’t have to be part of a bespoke Free From range; they can be products that sit outside of these ranges but that are clearly suitable for the free from consumer.
It is our aim to recognise the breadth of the offer now available, covering all occasions, and the often complex needs of the free from and allergic consumer.
Key Dates
- Christmas Awards open – 5th August 2026
- Christmas Awards close – 30th September 2026
- Christmas Judging – read about the judging process – 5th – 9th October
- Christmas Winners shared privately with entrants – mid October 2026
- Christmas Awards Winners announced – from 3pm, 3rd November 2026 – join us on Instagram and LinkedIn
- Product feedback available on request
Entry Fees:
We do not want cost to be a barrier to entry, and have not increased entry fees since 2019. We have tiered pricing based on your company turnover:
- Micro – turning over £0-£300,000 = £105+VAT per entry
- Small – turning over £300,001- £3,000,000 = £150+VAT per entry
- Large – turning over <£3,000,001 = £185+VAT per entry
10% early entry discount for all entries made before 31st August 2026
Entry Criteria:
To qualify for entry into the Christmas Awards, all entries
- must be free from at least one of the top 14 UK-listed major allergens with no precautionary allergen labelling for the allergen/s specified in the free from claim*
- must be commercially available nationwide in the run up to Christmas, 25th December 2026, i.e. sold through independent retailers, online or a multiple retailer.
- must be available to buy from a valid UK website (except for in-store only retailers).
*e.g. product cannot claim to be gluten free and have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten.
The full Awards Terms & Conditions can be found here.
By submitting an entry you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions.
How to Enter
If you need any help with your entry, please email us or phone 07790869706. There is a real person at the end of this line, so if there is no answer please leave a message or send a text, and you will get a reply. All the instructions below are also in your account.
First step – registering yourself or logging in
Head over to Account Logins
and either:
- Create an account with all your contact details.
- Log in to your existing account and check all details are up to date.
Second step – selecting your entry forms
From within your account – select Transactions>Basket, then select the entry form for your company turnover. Choose the number of products you want to enter from the drop down menu. Then click ‘Add Selected’ and then scroll down to find all your entry forms to fill out.
From the Awards Home Page – select the entry form with the correct fee for your company turnover and click ENTER NOW. You will then be taken into your account.
Third step – submitting product information
Every product you enter will require a separate entry form, with mandatory fields to fill in. There are also optional fields to give the judges a fuller understanding of your product.
You can save the form as you go: click ‘Save for later’ at the bottom of the entry form, and come back to edit it later – the entry forms can be found in your account in ‘Transactions>Saved items’ on the lefthand side.
Once your form is complete, submit the entry form by accepting the Ts & Cs and clicking the green CONTINUE button.
Enter your details for invoicing, and on the next page, SUMMARY, the cost for entry will be calculated with the early entry discount automatically applied.
Fourth step – making payment
Please make payment via debit card or credit card. You will receive a VAT invoice receipt by email once payment has been made.
If you wish to pay another way, please select ‘Invoice’, and make sure to pay within 30 days, otherwise penalties may be applied.
You’re now entered into the Free From Awards
You can see all your entries in your account. Simply log in, and click on ‘Complete’ on the lefthand side where you will see all your completed and paid for entries.
Samples & Judging
Once you have submitted your entry forms you will receive an email (please check junk / spam) with the following details:
- Dates of judging sessions
- Dates for sample deliveries – a window of a few days within which we can receive your samples
- Addresses and delivery instructions
- Quantity of samples you will be required to send
NB: You must make sure your product will be within date (shelf life has not expired) at the time of judging
The Judging Sessions
Our judging sessions are run with 3 – 5 expert judges – head over to Judging & FAQs for more information on the Judging Process
Our judges can see the mandatory fields you have filled in for each product, and can choose to read any of the extra details you have provided if they so wish.
Results
Once the judging sessions are finished and results are in, the results will be announced via Instagram on November 3rd, to allow entrants to make the most of their wins on packaging, in social media and on websites in the run up to Christmas. Details will be emailed to entrants and posted here nearer the time.
Logos will be available to download and are free to use on your product: see usage guidelines for details.