Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2010 - last chance for entry

Two of Scotland's most iconic products won last year's top prizes in the 2009 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards.

• Flaky Smoked Salmon from Salar Smokehouse on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides took the Product of the Year award.
• World-renowned haggis producer Macsween of Edinburgh won the title of Business of the Year.

Who will the winners be in 2010?

The 2010 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards have officially closed for applications but those who are still keen to enter aren't too late!  Complete a form and email it in as soon as possible for a last chance to win.  Please visit the Entry Forms 2010 page in order to download a form and give your business the chance to win an 'Oscar' of the Scottish food and drink industry.

This year, the awards include an exciting new category.

Sponsored by Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, the category, Young Scottish Chef, aims to attract young chefs between the ages of 16 and 24 to come forward and get recognition for their skills as well as a chance to win some extremely valuable and prestigious work experience and get their name known.

Details are currently top secret but we also hope to announce a famous celebrity chef as one of our key judges.  This means that all entrants have the chance to get some of their creations in front of one of the best known chefs in Scotland.   A great way to enhance your career!

Whether you are a chef in a school, a hospital, a café, one of Scotland’s best restaurants or anywhere else, or even if you're still a student, you are eligible to enter as long as you fall within our age range.  All you need is a passion for Scottish produce and some flair in the kitchen!

Entries for this category have been extended until Friday 19th March.

The lucky winner will also become a young ambassador for Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight which takes place in September.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to raise your profile within the industry and amongst the general public at large, whilst boosting your career at the same time.

The awards, now in their ninth year, are organised and co-sponsored by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and Scotland Food & Drink.

This year, for the first time, we welcome Clydesdale Bank as our main sponsor.

We also welcome Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight as new sponsors as well as our returning sponsors: Envirowise, Food & Health Alliance, SAOS, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International (SDI), Sodexo and Visit Scotland.

The 2010 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards ceremony and dinner takes place this year at the Benromach Distillery in Forres on Thursday 6th May.

For any additional information, or to book tickets for the ceremony and dinner, contact awards co-ordinator David Cochrane on 0131 335 6207. The event is almost full so don't delay!

Awards Press Releases.