HOTTEST 100
CRAFT BEERS
Evolution of GABS Awards Program
GABS Festival is excited to share that we are evolving our awards program to deliver an even more impactful and engaging experience for our community.
As part of this evolution, we are exploring a new, unified format that will bring together our awards into a single, enhanced platform – designed to better celebrate creativity, innovation, and excellence across the industry. Our intention is to integrate this new format directly into our GABS Festival events in 2027, creating stronger audience engagement and greater visibility for participants.
To allow us to focus on developing this future format, the Australia & New Zealand Can Design Awards (traditionally held in August/September) and the H100 Awards scheduled for January 2027 will not proceed in their current form.
Both programs have played an important role in celebrating creativity, innovation, and excellence across our industry which is why our team really hopes the new format will continue to attract the same strong support and following. We are incredibly proud of the talent and achievements the awards have showcased over the years and remain committed to building on this legacy in a way that better serves our partners, entrants, and the wider industry.
We sincerely appreciate the ongoing support and input from our community, which has helped shape this next chapter. We look forward to sharing further updates as our plans develop and we thank you for your input that has helped us make these changes.
If you have any queries, please email lisa@schwartz.events
OVERVIEW
THE BIGGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL
POLL IN AUSTRALIAN CRAFT BEER
Started in 2008
The GABS Hottest 100 poll reveals consumer trends and breweries shaping the Australian craft beer landscape
Craft beer loving consumers select their five favourite craft beers of the year
Results are celebrated at sell out live countdown parties around the country!
Your challenge? Expand their taste buds & introduce new craft consumers to beers they may never have been exposed to before
... Here’s How!
2025 DATES TO DIARISE
REGISTRATIONS OPEN
VOTING OPENS
CONSUMER VOTING CLOSED
RESULTS ANNOUNCED
check eligibility
ELIGIBLE
- Brewed in Australia
- Sold in kegs, cans or bottles in the 2025 calendar year
- Fermented using four essential ingredients: yeast, hops, water and malted grain
- Recognised by consumers as a craft beer
NOT ELIGIBLE
- International craft brands brewed in Australia
- ‘Non-craft’
- Should not mimic RTDs
register YOUR BEERS
All entering breweries will be provided with a unique BREWERY DASHBOARD where you will be able to add new beers, update existing beers and remove any beers no longer eligible.
Consumers can nominate any beer they deemed their favourite so make sure you register ALL your beers that were available for public consumption in 2025 to ensure they are available for voting from the beginning.
Once registrations open, you will be able to access all your beer info via your dashboard.
INCORPORATE THE H100 VOTING QR CODE ONTO YOUR COLLATERAL!
Make it easy for your fans to vote for their faves in real time by adding the Hottest 100 Voting QR code onto your cans, in-venue posters, coasters and more.
encourage your fans to vote
GABS runs a national awareness campaign across multiple channels, including Out of Home Advertising, Social Organic & Paid Ads, EDMs and PR Media Announcements. As expected, GABS socials go into overdrive during the campaign!
Once voting opens, we will provide a bunch of marketing assets for you to help spread the word. Feel free to download and use as you like. Ideas include:
- Print and display the GABS Hottest 100 poster in venue
- Pin a message to your Instagram grid and update your Linked In and Facebook
- Add a banner to your website
- Include articles in customer newsletters
- Add a “vote now” email signature and link
- Tag @gabsfestival #GABSHottest100 so that we can share the love
Please note though that no incentives or inducements for voting can be offered. This is to ensure a fair playing field amongst breweries, and is strictly enforced.
download marketing assets
host a hottest 100 countdown event
Compared to the Melbourne Cup for craft beer, the GABS Hottest 100 Countdown will take place on Saturday 24th January 2026.
If you’re a craft beer bar, venue or brewpub, be part of the fun by hosting a countdown event. Get taps flowing freely as hundreds of fans gather to celebrate the occasion. The results are delivered online over a pulsating five and half hours.
- All venues will be listed on our consumer website as OFFICIAL PARTY HOSTS
- GABS will help promote your party via our channels
- Posters and H100 bingo cards will be provided
champions
As we enter the 17th year of the GABS Hottest 100, there is no doubt the champions of previous years have not only earned their way into the GABS Hottest 100 Hall of Fame as consumers favourite craft beers of choice. They have all also stood the test of time and remain leading core range beers of their respective breweries today!
Join us in celebration of great craft beer
More than any other beer awards, the ‘people’s choice’ nature of the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers poll makes it an incredible platform to engage craft beer lovers around Australia and New Zealand.
We’d love to chat to you about partnership opportunities as we grow the poll further in the years ahead. Get in touch via info@schwartz.events