Enter The 2024
Golden Leaf Awards
Join Australia’s premier tea awards event and get your teas recognized in the Australasian marketplace and globally. Open to both local and international tea producers, this competition offers you the chance to elevate your brand with a respected industry award. All teas submitted must be commercially available in Australia, either through a retailer or online. Winners will receive a prestigious medal, certificate, and a print-ready seal to use in all your promotional materials and packaging, boosting your brand’s visibility and credibility.
Golden Leaf Awards 2024 will open for entries on the 23rd September 2024 and close for entries on the 22nd of November 2024.
All entries must be received for judging by the 29th of November. Winners will be announced in the second week of January 2024.
Entries Close
Feature Country: Vietnam
This year the Feature Country is Vietnam, with a particular focus on small batch artisan black, green, oolong and white teas. We have also included categories for Scented Teas and Fermented Tea Cakes production as these are major categories of tea production in Vietnam, as well as special categories for each tea-producing region. This category will only accept entries directly from artisan Vietnamese tea farmers and Vietnamese tea companies. Other businesses who wish to enter teas from Vietnam can enter them under the tea type categories.
White Tea Award
This award category is specifically for white teas. White teas are characterised by: Delicate flavours and tastes, Very minute intentional oxidisation, A light colour both in the dry leaf and the cup.
Green Tea Award
This award category is specifically for green teas. Green teas are characterised by: A distinctively green appearance, No intentional oxidisation and a light taste.
Matcha Tea Award
This award category is specifically for matcha teas. Matcha teas: Are in the form of green tea powder Often carry grassy notes and notes of seaweed.
Yellow Tea Award
This award category is specifically for yellow teas. Yellow teas are characterised by: A yellow tinge to the dry leaf, a very light amount of oxidisation and a taste similar to green tea, yet distinct.
Oolong Tea Award
This award category is specifically for oolong teas. Oolong teas are characterised by: A wide range of appearances that vary from green to very dark brown, Partial oxidisation – anywhere between 30 – 70% oxidised. A wide variety of deep flavours and tastes.
Black Tea Award
This award category is specifically for black teas. Black teas are characterised by:
A distinctively black appearance, Full oxidisation and A full body.
Purple Tea Award
This category is for Purple Tea. Purple teas are produced from a cultivar of the Assamica varietal with increased anthocyanins in the young leaf tips; these produce a liquor with a violet hue when steeped.
Puerh Tea Award
This award category is specifically for Puerh teas. Puerh teas: Come in the form of a compressed cake, Are fermented with varying levels of oxidisation.
Chai Tea Award
This award category is specifically for chai teas. Chai teas are:
Spiced teas, containing ingredients such as cinnamon, cardamom, etc, often consumed with milk.
Herbal Tea Award
This award category is specifically for herbal teas (tisanes). Herbal teas are characterised by: No inclusion of the plant camellia sinensis (tea) A variety of different herbs, spices, fruits, etc.
Functional & Wellness Teas Award
This Award is for herbal and tea-based functional and wellness blends. Functional and wellness blends have consistently been one of the largest categories in the Herbal Blends Award & the Australian market and this year we have split it into its own category.
Iced Tea Award
This award category is specifically for iced teas. Iced teas: Are served chilled, Can be made with a variety of different tea bases, including green, oolong, and black. Are made with a variety of different ingredients.
Best Tea House Award
This award category is specifically for tea houses. If you own a tea house, compete in your state category for the name Best Tea House.
Other Awards
Our other Golden Leaf Awards with no defined category
Entry requirements
- A 25 gram sample of the tea(s) being entered and/or any other entry materials required by your category
- The serial number entrants receive via email needs to be securely stuck or written on the tea packaging.
Entries sent in an open pouch, or pouches that open easily and result in tea falling out of the packaging will be disqualified upon receipt. Any entry packaging that indicates the name of the company that the tea is from will also be disqualified.
Serial number information must match what is noted on all entry forms, i.e. tea name and type. Competition coordinators will not assume entrants meant to send a different sample.
View and download a copy of our Rules and Regulations here.
Australia’s premier tea awards event
The Golden Leaf Awards are Australia’s premier tea awards event. These awards focus on Australasia, however we also welcome participation from the global tea industry. We ask that all teas submitted be commercially available within Australia, either through a retailer or online.
All participants will receive a formal response by email which confirms their score. Winners will also be provided with a print-ready seal to be used for all promotional materials and packaging. Winners will receive a medal and a certificate.