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Mead Maker of the Year:

Besides ULTIMATE bragging rights for the year, the winner of the MMOTY award wins a glorious trophy worthy of displaying. Prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be determined by the end of the calendar year.

Points will be awarded as follows:

  • Gold medals awarded 6 points
  • Silver medals awarded 4 points
  • Bronze medals awarded 2 points
  • BOS awarded 4 points (only first place)

In the event of a tie, we will use the total amount of 1st place medals.

*Entrants must be an active AMMA member at the completion of each competition in order for those points to qualify towards the MMOTY award.

The 2024 Mead Maker of the Year (Top 3):

Steve Fletty (84 points)

Kyle Ducharme (68 points)

Michael Harper (64 points)

Trophies are awarded to all 3 mead makers.

 

Standings for the 2025 Competition

Entrants get 6 points for 1st, 4 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd, and 4 for a BOS in each participating competition.

 

Bill Boyer 44
Nathan Steigman 36
Allen Martin 26
Jordan Willeford 22
Ryan Vigne 20
Melissa Greenfield 18
John Jacob 18
Sergio Quevedo 12
Matt Neilson 10
Daniel Acheson 8
Jeff Case 8
Stephen Clifford 8

2025 Circuit Competitions will be:

  1. Domras Cup – 01/31/25 – 02/01/25. Complete. Results included above.
  2. Valkyries Horn – 03/07/25 – 03/08/25. Complete. Results included above.
  3. Michigan Mead Cup – Likely September – TBD.
  4. California Homebrew Competition – 11/01/25 -11/02/25. Entries open approximately 09/06/25.
  5. Mazer Cup International – November – TBD.

Get your fermenters ready! Do you have what it takes to win the race?

 

AMMA Mead Maker Of the Year Circuit

The program will be operated as follows:

  • All included competitions will be expected to meet the standards and requirements listed below.

  • The three largest domestic mead only competitions meeting all requirements will be offered a spot on the circuit.

  • Up to two “wild card” competitions will be offered spots on a rotating basis each year to promote regional diversity.

Standards and requirements:

  • To be included for consideration, the competition must be established for a minimum of one year before the start of the new circuit calendar year.

  • Must offer a Best Of Show for mead.

  • Each flight should include at least one BJCP endorsed mead judge, or other qualified mead industry judge.

  • The BOS panel must include at least one BJCP endorsed mead judge.

  • Participation in the competition must be open to all AMMA amateur members without any additional requirements.

  • Competitions must follow BJCP guidelines and be sanctioned by the BJCP organization.

  • ALL medals must be awarded for any declared categories unless scores are 29 or below (BJCP “good” standard) and the scoring must reflect the problematic nature of the mead.

Differentiating factors:

  • Quality of judging.

  • Quality of organization (timeliness, communication, awards, etc.).

  • Location (regional diversity, quality and experience of the judging pool).

  • Size (total entries, number of categories, ability to retain all defined categories without combining).

  • Rotating BOS judges (3 or more) to avoid predictable bias.

If for some reason, an eligible competition is not able to be part of the circuit, the team will offer the open slot to another competition that is capable of meeting the standards and requirements defined above. This may include a competition that combines mead with other beverages.

Decisions will be evaluated annually by the Home Governing Committee to determine if there are beneficial changes needed for the program.

Amateur Mead Maker Definition:

Note: This applies solely to accumulation of points toward the AMMA National Mead Maker of the Year award, and does not restrict participation with individual competitions.

An amateur mead maker is defined as an individual who:

  1. Creates mead competition entries outside of a commercial setting, which may include but is not limited to equipment used in a commercial setting and/or brew-on-premise facilities.
  2. Does not engage in marketing, advertising, promotion, sales, bartering, or raffling of mead that they made.
  3. Produces mead solely for personal enjoyment, experimentation, or hobbyist purposes.
  4. Does not repackage commercial products as self-produced items.
  5. Is not employed, or was not employed, in any role directly related to the production of alcoholic beverages, including brewing, fermentation management, yeast handling, etc., at a commercial brewery, cidery, winery, distillery, or meadery*.
  6. You are not an amateur if you have applied for or been granted a TTB license to produce alcoholic beverages.

*Note: Individuals working in non-production roles at an alcoholic beverage facility (e.g., packaging, serving, kitchen, janitorial, marketing, sales, etc.) are generally permitted to enter competitions as amateur mead makers.

FAQ:

For the purposes of the AMMA Amateur Mead Maker of the Year (MMOTY) Circuit:

Q: If I was a professional meadmaker, brewer, cider maker (etc.)  can I compete as an amateur?
A: No. Once a professional, always a professional.

Q: Can I pour at a fund raising event?
A: You may pour as a homebrewer. Once you have met any of the criteria detailed above, you have lost your amateur status.

Q: Can I give my mead away?
A: Yes, if you receive no compensation of any kind (see #2 for some examples).

Q: Can I participate in a Pro-Am or Commercial Collaboration without losing amateur status?
A: Yes, if you are not receiving monetary compensation, and it is under your personal name (i.e. not as a business or in-planning).

Q: What If a circuit competition allows participants that fall outside of the AMMA amateur definition?
A: The AMMA HGC as an organization does not manage any of the circuit competitions. You must follow the participation rules established for each individual competition. But points accrued toward the AMMA MMOTY will only be awarded if you meet the criteria established by the AMMA.

Q: Can I “CosPlay” my “brand”?
A: Yes, if you meet the criteria above.

Q: What about the Brewtubers?
A: Producing content, providing education about mead or mead making does not remove amateur status subject to the criteria above.

Q: What if I’m dreaming of owning a meadery and I register the name to protect it?
A: You do not lose amateur status if you meet the criteria above.