Participation in the European R(h)um Award is only possible under the following conditions. By registering, all participants recognise these conditions:
1. eligibility to participate
Producers, distributors, and retailers are eligible to participate.
2. Submission of Products
- Two bottles must be submitted per product.
- Bottles must be originally sealed, undamaged, fully labeled, and carry all legally required information.
- Minimum filling volume per bottle: 0.5 L.
- The final allocation of the products to the categories will be made by the organiser
3. Deadlines
- All products must be received by the organizer no later than 4 hours before the start of the festival. Delivery directly at the Vienna Rum Festival on September 18th between 9:00 and 10:30 AM is possible, or alternatively, you can ship the products to the following address: HSG Events GmbH, Komzakgasse 7/2, 2500 Baden, Austria, with a delivery date of no later than September 4th.
- Products received late cannot be considered.
4. Participation Fee & Payment
- The participation fee is €50 per product.
- The fee must be paid immediately upon invoicing, but no later than before the start of the festival.
- Participation is excluded if payment is not received on time.
- Cancellation after registration is excluded. The participation fee is due in any case.
5. Use of Products
- Submitted products will be used for jury tasting, festival presentation, media coverage, online and social media communication, as well as for marketing and promotional purposes related to the European Rum Award.
- Products will not be returned.
- By submitting their entry, participants grant the organizer the free, unlimited and perpetual right to use the product names, label images, and product photos for festival and award-related communication, as well as for the organizer's press and marketing activities.
6. Ownership & Rights
- Participants confirm that they are either the rightful owners of the submitted products or hold the necessary usage, trademark, licensing, and distribution rights to enter the products into the competition.
- The organiser assumes no responsibility for any legal infringements on the part of the participants.
7. Evaluation & Jury Decision
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The evaluation takes place in a blind tasting session, following internationally recognized standards – the bottle remains hidden, only the contents of the glass are considered. All evaluations are conducted in a neutral, transparent, and impartial manner.
Rating system:
- 95-100 points → Big gold - absolute top class
- 90-94 points → Gold - excellent
- 85-89 points → silver - very good
- 80-84 points → Bronze - good
- Below 80 points → no award
In addition, the top 3 products with the highest scores in each category will be prominently displayed on the "Wall of Fame" at the Vienna Rum Festival.
The jury's decision is final and cannot be appealed. There is no possibility of legal recourse.
8. Liability & Exclusion
- The event organizer assumes no liability for damage or loss during transport, storage, or exhibition. Participants are solely responsible for ensuring the safe transport and timely delivery of their items.
- The organizer reserves the right to exclude any products that do not comply with the participation rules, are defective or damaged, or were not submitted by the deadline. In such cases, no refund of the entry fee will be given.
- Should the festival or the award event have to be postponed or canceled due to force majeure (e.g., natural disasters), the participation fee will still be due, and any fees already paid will not be refunded. In any case, the submitted products will become the property of the event organizer.
9. Transparency & Procedure
- The tasting takes place live at the festival in front of an audience. Visitors can watch the evaluation process.
- By submitting an entry, participants expressly agree to this procedure.
10. Marketing Usage
- On the occasion of the premiere, the official award badges may be used free of charge for 12 months (from the day of the award) - both digitally for advertising and communication as well as analogue, for example for printing on bottles or packaging.
11. Data protection
- The personal data collected during registration will be processed for the purpose of organizing, conducting, and following up on the European Rum Award. This includes, in particular, communication with participants, invoicing, publication of product and brand names during the event, and using the contact details to inform participants about future events and award activities. Processing is based on Article 6 of the GDPR (performance of a contract and legitimate interest). Data will not be shared with third parties unless this is necessary for the event's operation. The event organizer's privacy policy applies.
12. Applicable law and jurisdiction
- Austrian law shall apply exclusively, to the exclusion of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with participation in the event is Baden near Vienna, unless mandatory legal provisions dictate otherwise.
13. Changes & Reservations
- The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the program, categories, terms of participation, and schedule, as necessary for organizational reasons and provided that such changes are reasonable for the participants. Participants will be informed of any significant changes in a timely manner.
