Editor's note: the above guidance was originally published by Catersource in 2020.
Year after year, the Catersource ACE (Achievement in Catering Excellence) Awards competition honors the finest work in catered events worldwide.
Here are some helpful ideas to consider as you ponder which categories you want to submit into.
1. Get it together.
Incomplete entries will not score well. Assemble all of your components, get your high res photos ready, and then complete each entry. If you need to go back, however, all good—you can access and make changes all the way up until close of the competition on February 01, 2021.
2. Write it right.
While they don’t base their decisions on prose alone, judges say that strong, accurate writing goes far in furthering an entry’s progress in the competition. Truly, when there are a lot of entries, those that are well-written will more deeply resonate.
3. Let your photos do the talking.
Well written entries aside, your photos will tell the story in an entirely different way. Include as many professional photos as you are able. Ask yourself if the photo you are about to upload is one you would want to see on a ginormous screen in front of all of your peers or in a digital article touting nominees and winners. You can upload up to 25 photos; but can offer as few as 10.
4. Let truth be told.
Please only include catered events that occurred or products that were developed during the time frame noted: September 30, 2019 (yay, pre-COVID) to December 31, 2020. Anything that traded outside of those dates will be disqualified.
5. Get down to specifics.
It's fine to enter the same event in multiple categories; but be sure to write an original entry for each category. Not only should you be sure the reasoning speaks to the category, but photos might also change out somewhat.
6. ‘Why should my company win?’
A first-rate entry answers this question not just with a mission statement, but a statement about company culture, or resiliency, or longevity, for example. Push your entry to the finish line with a heartfelt treatise on the company.
Get your submissions in now
The categories for 2025 are:
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National Caterer of the Year
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International Caterer of the Year
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Catered Social Event of the Year
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Catered Fundraising Event of the Year
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Catered Wedding of the Year
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Catered Micro Event of the Year
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Product or Technological Innovation of the Year
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Sustainability in Catering
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Best Off-Premise Catering
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Best On-Premise Catering
To submit an entry to this year's ACE awards, please visit our awards portal at https://ace-gala.awardsplatform.com/
Important Dates
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Monday, February 19, 2024 | ACE Award Submissions Open
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September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024 | Eligibility Period for Entries
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Sunday, September 15, 2024 | Regular submission deadline ($125 fee)
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Thursday, October 31, 2024 | Late Bird submission deadline ($175 fee)
If you are interested in entering in the Gala awards instead, you can enter the Special Event 2025 Gala awards in the same online portal as the ACE awards. Catersource + The Special Event will run February 24-27 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Both the ACE and Gala awards will be presented during the conference at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.
