The Global Water Drinks Awards are dedicated to recognising and celebrating taste and drinking experience across the international water drinks industry.
These prestigious awards provide an unparalleled opportunity for brands to showcase their achievements, whether it’s a breakthrough product, an innovative concept, or a standout marketing campaign.
The eagerly anticipated Global Water Drinks Awards winners will be revealed during FoodBev’s 22nd Global Water Drinks Congress, held on 12 November 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. This event is a key gathering for the industry’s top decision-makers, thought leaders, and innovators.
Winning a Global Water Drinks Award not only adds prestige to your brand but also opens doors to global networking opportunities, future collaborations, and new markets.
2025 Categories
Best product
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Brand Extension
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Children’s Water
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Flavoured Water
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Functional Water
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Local/Regional Water
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Natural Sparkling Water
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Natural Still Water
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New Brand
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Premium Water
Best experience
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CSR Initiative
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Drinking Experience
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Marketing/Social Media Campaign
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Sustainable Water
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Water in Can
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Water in Carton
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Water in Glass
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Water in PET
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Packaging/Label Design
Caffe Culture Show
Sponsorships
Sign-up for updates
Entry Open!
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Add as many entries as you wish, you can select your categories after payment.
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If you wish to use a discount or deal code, add this to the payment page.
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After purchase, you will receive an invoice email & redirected to enter your entry bio, images and logos (failure to provide these may lead to disqualification).
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Please reach out to us for any questions or concerns.
01
START
Complete the Enter Now form. Here you submit basic contact information. On completion, you will receive a detailed email with links to come back to the following steps.
Eligibility
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All products entered must have been launched/created/rebranded within the last 14 months.
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Products that are not yet in the market can still be entered as long as they are available for consumption by the end of the entry period.
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Flavoured or functional water - fruit juice content should not exceed 25% of the product content.
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Products can be entered into multiple categories.
02
PAYMENT
Once completed you will be redirected to our payment portal. If you are unable to pay via card, you can complete our 'Enter by invoice' form. (please note this can take up to 1-2 days).
Each standard entry costs £250 (+VAT). One entry is valid for one submission. One product can be entered into multiple categories.
1 product entered into 3 categories = 3 entries
3 products entered into 1 category = 3 entries
2 products entered into 2 categories = 4 entries
We offer special discounts and offers for multiple product entries as well as product flavours and editions, each charged as separate entries.
There is also a reduced rate of 40% (+VAT) for small businesses.
Please contact awards@foodbev.com for more information.
03
SUBMISSION
After payment, you will be redirected to our online entry submission form. Here you can select categories and upload materials. If you require to make changes please contact us.
What you will require for submission:
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Invoice number - received after payment)
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Contact details - to receive updates, results, and media kits)
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Company details - name and logo
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Product details - your product details: Brand, product name, images, full ingredients including allergens, where your product is stocked, storage, max 400-word description to share online (this may be shortened for marketing purposes)
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VOTING & RESULTS
Once approved your submission will be visible on The Plant Base media website's public judging directory. You will be sent a digital media pack to share voting information with your audience.
All entries will be judged on taste. Please make sure your stockist information is up-to-date, and alert us to any changes while the awards judging is open.
Consumers and judges will be expected to acquire your products before submitting their votes. If judges are unable to access your products for sampling, we may contact you to deliver samples to their address.
Public voting system opens: June 1
Public voting closes: November 21
Once voting has closed, winners, finalists and commended entries will be announced via our online media platform The Plant Base.
Your result will be determined by combining the averages of the Judges (60%) and consumers (40%).
75% + will be awarded - Winner
50-74% will be awarded - Finalist
49% and below will be awarded - Commended
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The winners of the 2024 Global Water Drinks Awards were announced on 29 October at a Gala Industry Dinner during the 21st Global Water Drinks Congress.
Celebrating excellence and innovation across all sectors of the global water drinks industry, the 2024 awards attracted over 120 entries across the 15 award categories. The 2025 award marks the first year the Global Water Drinks Awards will be organised by FoodBev Awards.
20
MAY
Entry Opens
Entries are open to all until the final deadline on October 3rd 2025.
25
JULY
Early Bird Discount Deadline
Early bird discount ends. Entry continues at the standard entry price beyond this date.
20% off entry fee using code WATER2025 until JULY 25th.
03
october
Submissions Close
Last chance to enter submissions.
06-19
october
Product Sample Delivery
During the period product samples and judging will take place. A full list of delivery addresses will be shared early September.
28
october
Shortlist Announcement
Judging results are verified. We expect the shortlist to be announced the week of the 27th of October.
TBC
november
Winners Ceremony
Entrants receive results and are posted publicly. Exact dates TBC.
Entries for the UK Soft Drinks Awards are judged on taste, appearance and concept, review the category descriptions for full details on criteria. Samples are required for this award.
To ensure our judges understand and identify each product we ask that you provide the following information to accompany your samples:
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a 200-word maximum description of your product
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a company logo
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maximum of 3 high-resolution images
IMPORTANT Please ensure at least one image clearly shows the product, our judges will use images to identify which entry they are judging. We suggest a clear white background showing the front label and branding.
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Entry Information
2024 Sponsors
Our sponsors enable us to host exclusive awards ceremonies that offer a memorable and personal experience. We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our partners for their continued support.
Roasting Innovation Category Sponsor
The myth of the 'caffè all’Italiana' was born from the ingenious idea of Achille Gaggia, an Italian barista who - in 1938 - filed the patent that signalled a revolution in the way that aromas are extracted from coffee. Achille began constructing his innovative professional coffee machines and installing them in bars and restaurants around the world, allowing customers the unique pleasure of experiencing perfect Italian espresso, complete with its unique ‘crema’ for the very first time. Today the Gaggia name is synonymous with excellence and state of the art technology, as represented by its range of traditional manual espresso machines and fully automatic machines for coffee professionals.
Global Water Drinks Congress 2025
Designed for industry leaders, suppliers, customers and advisers, this 22nd annual Congress will provide a complete overview of the latest market trends, innovations and issues alongside networking opportunities with key industry figures. Insights will be shared by leading international and regional businesses on the latest market and strategic developments, as well as by innovators and entrepreneurs bringing new ideas and taking up new challenges.
