Awards Of Excellence CATEGORIES Categories
New Definitions and New BBQ Fuel Category for 2026
Celebrating Innovation, Craftsmanship & Creativity in the World of Barbecue
Every year, the National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) presents the Awards of Excellence, recognizing the people, products, and brands that set new standards in barbecue.
These awards honor innovation, creativity, and craftsmanship across the commercial side of barbecue — from sauces and rubs to media, photography, and beyond.
Explore the categories below to discover where your brand shines.
There truly is something for everyone.
🥫 BBQ Sauce Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered.
Original BBQ Sauce
For a brand’s original, signature, flagship, or regular barbecue sauce flavor. This category is best suited for the sauce that most represents the brand’s core barbecue sauce style.
Fruit BBQ Sauce
For sauces where fruit is a noticeable or defining part of the flavor profile. Examples may include peach, apple, cherry, pineapple, berry, mango, or other fruit-forward sauces. Tomato is not considered a fruit for this category.
Mustard BBQ Sauce
For sauces where mustard is a noticeable or defining part of the flavor profile. This category may include traditional mustard-based sauces, sweet mustard sauces, spicy mustard sauces, or other mustard-forward barbecue sauces.
Tomato Mild BBQ Sauce
For tomato-based or tomato-forward sauces with a mild flavor profile. This category is best suited for sauces that highlight tomato, ketchup, tomato paste, or similar tomato-based ingredients without a strong heat level.
Tomato Spicy BBQ Sauce
For tomato-based or tomato-forward sauces with a noticeable spicy kick. This category is best suited for sauces that balance tomato flavor with heat, bold spice, or a stronger pepper-forward profile.
Vinegar Mild BBQ Sauce
For vinegar-style or vinegar-forward sauces with a mild flavor profile. This category is best suited for sauces where vinegar provides brightness, tang, or regional character without a strong heat level.
Vinegar Spicy BBQ Sauce
For vinegar-style or vinegar-forward sauces with a noticeable spicy kick. This category is best suited for sauces where vinegar provides tang and balance while spice or heat plays a clear role in the flavor profile.
Specialty BBQ Sauce
For sauces with a unique, creative, regional, international, or nontraditional flavor profile that does not clearly fit the other sauce categories. Examples may include Korean BBQ, curry, mole, Worcestershire-style, bourbon, coffee, sweet heat, fusion, or other distinctive barbecue sauces.
🧂 BBQ Rub Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
Original BBQ Rub
For a brand’s original, signature, flagship, or regular barbecue rub. This category is best suited for the rub that most represents the brand’s core barbecue seasoning style.
Beef Rub
For rubs the entrant believes perform especially well on beef. This category may include rubs designed for brisket, steak, tri-tip, beef ribs, burgers, or other beef applications, whether smoked low and slow or grilled hot and fast.
Pork Rub
For rubs the entrant believes perform especially well on pork. This category may include rubs designed for pork ribs, pork shoulder, pork chops, pork tenderloin, whole hog, or other pork applications.
Poultry Rub
For rubs the entrant believes perform especially well on poultry. This category may include rubs designed for chicken, turkey, wings, thighs, whole birds, or similar proteins prepared by barbecue, grilling, smoking, or live fire cooking.
Seafood Rub
For rubs the entrant believes perform especially well on seafood. This category may include rubs designed for fish, shrimp, scallops, crab, oysters, or other seafood prepared by barbecue, grilling, smoking, or live fire cooking.
Spicy Rub
For rubs with a noticeable heat level or bold spice profile. This category is best suited for rubs where pepper, chile, heat, or spice plays a clear role in the overall flavor experience.
Specialty BBQ Rub
For rubs with a unique, creative, regional, international, or nontraditional flavor profile that does not clearly fit the other rub categories. Examples may include finishing rubs, game rubs, all-purpose blends, herb-forward rubs, sweet rubs, coffee-based rubs, citrus blends, or other distinctive barbecue seasonings.
🍽️ BBQ Food Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
BBQ Gift Pack
For retail-ready gift packs that feature barbecue, grilling, live fire, or outdoor cooking products. Gift packs should include at least three items, with at least two edible products, and must be commercially available for purchase.
BBQ Snacks
For barbecue-inspired snacks that are commercially available and ready for consumers to enjoy. Examples may include jerky, chips, crackers, nuts, popcorn, pork rinds, snack mixes, or other BBQ-themed snack products.
BBQ Marinade
For marinades designed to add flavor, tenderness, or moisture to barbecue, grilling, smoking, or live fire proteins. This category may include marinades for beef, pork, poultry, seafood, wild game, vegetables, or other barbecue-friendly foods.
🔧 Equipment & Product Design Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
BBQ Tool / Accessory
For tools, accessories, or products used in barbecue, grilling, smoking, live fire cooking, food preparation, serving, cleaning, safety, organization, or general barbecue operations.
Apparel
For barbecue-related clothing or branded merchandise. This category may include shirts, aprons, hats, jackets, uniforms, team apparel, restaurant merchandise, product-branded apparel, or other wearable BBQ items.
Product Label Design
For product labels that demonstrate strong visual appeal, clear branding, shelf presence, creativity, and effective communication. This category is open to labels for sauces, rubs, marinades, snacks, beverages, or other barbecue-related products.
🔥 BBQ Fuel Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
Charcoal Briquettes
For commercially available charcoal briquettes designed for barbecue, grilling, smoking, live fire cooking, or outdoor cooking. This category may include traditional briquettes, all-natural briquettes, flavored briquettes, or specialty charcoal briquette products.
Lump Charcoal
For commercially available lump charcoal products designed for barbecue, grilling, smoking, live fire cooking, or outdoor cooking. This category may include hardwood lump charcoal, premium lump charcoal, restaurant-grade lump charcoal, or specialty lump charcoal products.
Wood Pellets
For cooking pellets designed for pellet grills, smokers, or live fire cooking applications. This category may include single-wood pellets, blended wood pellets, flavored pellets, or specialty pellet products.
Wood Chunks
For wood chunks used to add smoke flavor during barbecue, grilling, smoking, or live fire cooking. This category may include single-species wood chunks, blended wood chunks, fruitwood chunks, hardwood chunks, or specialty smoking wood products.
Wood Chips
For wood chips used to add smoke flavor during grilling, smoking, or outdoor cooking. This category may include single-species wood chips, blended wood chips, fruitwood chips, hardwood chips, or specialty smoking chip products.
Cooking Wood / Split Wood
For larger cooking wood, split wood, or logs designed for offset smokers, live fire cooking, open-fire cooking, or wood-fired cooking. This category may include oak, hickory, pecan, mesquite, fruitwoods, hardwood blends, or other cooking wood products.
Fire Starters
For products designed to help safely and efficiently start charcoal, wood, pellets, or live fire cooking fuel. This category may include tumbleweeds, wax starters, natural fire starters, wood wool starters, starter cubes, gel starters, or other BBQ-safe fire-starting products.
Specialty Fuel Product
For barbecue, grilling, smoking, or live fire fuel products that do not clearly fit the other fuel categories. This may include infused fuels, flavored fuel products, charcoal alternatives, fuel blends, specialty smoke products, or other innovative fuel-related products.
💻 BBQ Digital Media Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their work. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
BBQ Blog
For standalone or website-integrated blogs focused on barbecue, grilling, live fire cooking, outdoor cooking, competition barbecue, barbecue business, recipes, products, people, or BBQ culture.
BBQ Website
For websites focused on barbecue products, brands, personalities, media, events, education, e-commerce, news, entertainment, recipes, restaurants, competitions, or BBQ-related services.
BBQ Audio Series
For podcasts, radio shows, or similar audio programs focused on barbecue, grilling, live fire cooking, outdoor cooking, barbecue business, competition, recipes, products, people, or BBQ culture. The series must include at least six original episodes released in 2025. Entrants should submit three episodes for judging.
BBQ Video Series
For video series appearing on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, television, streaming platforms, or other video channels. The series must include at least six original episodes released in 2025. Entrants should submit three episodes for judging.
Single BBQ-Focused Video
For a standalone video or feature focused on barbecue news, instruction, entertainment, education, products, people, events, recipes, competitions, or BBQ culture. Videos entered in this category may not also be entered in the BBQ Video Series category.
BBQ Short-Form Video, 60 Seconds or Less
For short-form videos created for social media or digital platforms. Videos must be 60 seconds or less and focus on barbecue, grilling, live fire cooking, products, people, recipes, education, entertainment, events, or BBQ culture.
📚 BBQ Publications & Literary Works
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their work. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
Educational Writing
For articles, columns, or written features that teach, explain, or instruct readers on barbecue techniques, cooking methods, food science, equipment use, business practices, judging, competition preparation, or other BBQ-related skills.
BBQ Feature Article
For articles or written features that highlight barbecue stories, people, places, events, humor, news, entertainment, trends, restaurants, competitions, products, or BBQ culture.
BBQ Book of the Year
For barbecue-related books published in 2026. Books may include recipes, instruction, history, storytelling, photography, business education, culture, travel, or other barbecue-related subject matter. Books from any country are eligible.
Marketing Material
For barbecue-related marketing or promotional materials used in 2026. Examples may include flyers, brochures, calendars, stickers, koozies, recipe cards, rack cards, product inserts, menus, posters, mailers, or other promotional pieces.)
📸 BBQ Photography Awards
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
BBQ Commercial Photograph
For photographs used for advertising, packaging, branding, marketing, product promotion, restaurant promotion, event promotion, or other commercial purposes in print or digital form during 2026.
BBQ Blog / Personal Photograph
For unpaid photographs shared through a blog, webpage, social media platform, newsletter, personal digital channel, or community page during 2026.
BBQ Character Photo
For photographs that capture the people, personality, emotion, humor, grit, tradition, or culture of barbecue during 2026. Subjects may include pitmasters, teams, restaurant owners, cooks, judges, families, volunteers, competitions, events, or barbecue communities.
BBQ Food Photo
For photographs where barbecue, grilled food, live fire food, or BBQ-related food is the primary focus of the image. Photos must have been taken during 2026.
Live Fire Photo
For photographs where fire, flame, smoke, coals, embers, or live fire cooking is the primary focus of the image. Photos must have been taken during 2026.
🍹 BBQ Drinks Category
Category Selection Note
Entrants are responsible for selecting the category that best represents their product. Judges will evaluate each entry according to the category in which it is entered. NBBQA reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category if needed.
BBQ Drink Mixers
For beverage mixers that pair well with barbecue, grilling, live fire cooking, outdoor entertaining, or BBQ culture. Examples may include Bloody Mary mixes, margarita mixes, cocktail mixers, mocktail mixers, tea blends, lemonade bases, or other drink mixers.
Spirits
For spirits or alcohol-containing beverages connected to barbecue, grilling, smoke, fire, outdoor cooking, or BBQ culture. Examples may include whiskey, bourbon, rum, tequila, vodka, canned cocktails, BBQ-inspired cocktails, or other spirit-based beverages.
Nonalcoholic Beverages
For alcohol-free beverages that pair well with barbecue, grilling, live fire cooking, outdoor entertaining, or BBQ culture. Examples may include sodas, teas, lemonades, juices, mocktails, sparkling beverages, or other nonalcoholic drinks.