The New GABF Medal: Hard to Earn. Hard to Miss.

For decades, a Great American Beer Festival medal has been one of the most coveted honors in brewing. This year, that achievement gets bigger hardware. The nation's preeminent beer competition is introducing a larger medal, a bold new design, and a beefier ribbon. The award now matches the honor of earning it.

"A GABF medal has always been hard to earn. Brewers enter against thousands of beers from across the country, and every one is judged blind by professionals who know exactly what they're looking for. The medal should reflect that. When a brewer walks off that stage, they should be holding something that looks like what it took to get there," said Chris Williams, Brewers Association competition director.

From the Stage to the Shelf

The thinking behind the medal refresh starts with what happens after the celebration. Brewers know what a GABF medal means. We want more beer drinkers to recognize it, too, whether they're choosing a six-pack or ordering their next pint.

"Bringing the medals and festival branding closer together gives that recognition a more consistent look, connecting the event consumers know with the achievement brewers work so hard to earn," said Luke Trauwein, Brewers Association creative director. "Modernizing the medal was never the whole assignment. Helping it stand out on shelves and in taprooms is what gives the change its purpose."

New GABF gold, silver, and bronze award badges help breweries put their wins to work on packaging, in marketing materials, and wherever customers choose their next beer.

More Ways To Sell a Winner

To support that effort, the Brewers Association is launching a full set of promotional tools alongside the new medals. Winners will have award badges for packaging and marketing, social media assets, and materials for retailers and distributors, including shelf talkers, cooler clings, and shelf strips. These resources give breweries and their sales partners more ways to get a winning beer noticed without building every promotion from scratch.

This year's winning breweries will also receive tap handles on stage that mirror the new medal design, putting their achievement front and center back home in the taproom.

Built To Sell Beer

It all comes back to a practical goal: helping craft brewers sell more beer. That means looking beyond the awards ceremony to the places where recognition can help a brewery earn a customer's attention and business. The new hardware and promotional tools are part of a broader commitment to support small and independent brewers with the visibility and sales resources they need. You put the work into the beer. We're putting more work behind the win.

A GABF win is worth making some noise about. Join us at the awards ceremony on Sunday, October 11, as this year's winners take the stage to claim the new hardware.