Charcuterie judging guidelines.

AMIC Awards

Entry terms and conditions — review draft

Prepared 5 October 2026 | Proposed for AMEA and ACEA

DRAFT ONLY — NOT APPROVED OR IN FORCE

This document is for AMIC's policy and legal review. It is not legal advice. It does not change the current website, accept payments, amend existing entries or replace previously agreed terms. An Australian legal practitioner should review the final text before use.

Review brief — not part of the entrant terms

Confirmed by the owner: retain current AMIC pricing and discounts; entry payments must be online through a payment gateway, with no EFT; competition dates are still being decided; refund and cancellation rules are to be drafted for review.

Current pricing: AMEA is A$42.27 per entry, with every third entry free. ACEA is A$99 including GST (A$90 plus A$9 GST), with no multi entry discount. The GST treatment of the displayed AMEA amount must be confirmed before final wording or checkout configuration. Do not add GST on top of A$42.27 without approval.

Reference material: the Melbourne Royal booklet was used as a topic checklist, not as AMIC's adopted rules. Its prices, turnover bands, dates, venues, bank details, trophy restrictions and judging methods have not been imported.

Proposed refund approach: full refund for withdrawal before the published closing time; ordinarily no change of mind refund after that time; full refund if AMIC cancels the relevant competition or class without judging it; a refund option if a material postponement or change prevents participation. Applicable statutory rights are preserved throughout. These are recommendations, not approved policy.

Operational warning: the current app does not collect online entry payments. Payment dependent acceptance, gateway refunds, receipts and recorded agreement to terms must be implemented and tested before the proposed payment clauses become operational. The existing app's entry confirmation or packing slip is not evidence of gateway payment.

Decisions required before approval

Confirm the organiser's registered legal name, ABN, service address and official entrant support contact. AMIC is the brand used in this draft, not a verified legal entity declaration.

Confirm AMEA GST treatment and the exact scope of the every third entry discount: entrant/business identity, state/program grouping, season and ordering.

Approve or revise the proposed withdrawal, cancellation and postponement refunds in clause 6.

Supply opening and closing dates, times and time zones, delivery windows, venues, judging dates and results release dates for each program/state.

Approve or revise the proposed late entry process. No late fee is proposed.

Confirm eligibility, membership requirements, Australian production requirements, contract manufacturer treatment and any apprentice classes from AMIC's own program rules.

Approve the proposed leftover sample policy, correction/review process and seven day review request window. No protest deposit is proposed.

Confirm the privacy notice, retention arrangements, publication permissions, governing law and dispute contact.

Confirm the payment provider and supported methods; enable gateway only payment, payment verification and refund handling before launch.

Obtain legal approval and set a terms version and effective date. Do not ask entrants to accept this review draft.

Proposed entrant terms

All clauses below are proposed unless they restate an existing approved AMIC program rule. Bracketed items must be completed before publication.

1. Organiser, programs and applicable rules

1.1 The organiser is [REGISTERED LEGAL NAME, ABN AND ADDRESS], operating the Australian Meat Industry Council awards programs under the AMIC name. Contact for entries and notices: [OFFICIAL CONTACT].

1.2 These terms apply to entries in the Australian Meat Excellence Awards (AMEA) and Australian Charcuterie Excellence Awards (ACEA) for the season identified on the entry form. An exhibitor is the person or business submitting an entry. An entry is the specified product submitted in a particular competition and class.

1.3 These terms must be read with the relevant program's approved class descriptions, eligibility requirements, judging guidelines, product preparation instructions and published competition schedule. AMEA and ACEA have different judging arrangements. A rule for one program does not automatically apply to the other.

1.4 AMIC will identify the applicable documents and version when an entry is submitted. If instructions appear inconsistent, contact AMIC before entering or dispatching products. AMIC will clarify the applicable requirement in writing; material changes affecting an accepted entry are dealt with under clause 15.

1.5 The person submitting an entry must have authority to act for the exhibitor and, where relevant, the product owner or manufacturer.

2. Eligibility and accurate entry information

2.1 The exhibitor and product must meet the published eligibility requirements for the selected program, season, state competition and class. Membership conditions, manufacturing location requirements and any apprentice eligibility must be expressly stated in that program's approved rules.

2.2 The exhibitor must provide complete and accurate business, contact, product and class information, together with ingredient, allergen, storage, preparation and food business registration information required by the program. Information must not misrepresent the product's origin, manufacture or composition.

2.3 Where a product is made under contract, the exhibitor must disclose the manufacturer where requested and hold authority to enter it. Eligibility for any producer based award depends on AMIC's published award rules; no additional trophy exclusion is created by this general clause.

2.4 The product supplied must match the description and composition entered and any commercial availability requirement in the applicable class rules. Do not substitute a different product without AMIC's written approval.

2.5 The exhibitor is responsible for choosing the correct class and checking the entry acknowledgement. Request corrections promptly. Proposed class transfers will be discussed with the exhibitor and recorded; a transfer does not itself establish eligibility.

2.6 Duplicate entry limits, the number of permitted entries and any commercial packaging requirements are governed by the relevant program's published rules. These terms do not introduce a blanket retail packaging requirement for products normally sold unpackaged.

3. Entry fees and discounts

3.1 All entry fees are in Australian dollars.

3.2 AMEA: A$42.27 per entry, with every third eligible entry free. [BEFORE PUBLICATION: confirm GST treatment and precisely define the grouping and ordering used to determine the free entry.] The approved discount must be shown in the order summary before payment.

3.3 ACEA: A$99 per entry, comprising A$90 entry fee and A$9 GST. No multi entry discount applies.

3.4 No small/large exhibitor turnover bands, apprentice fee or late entry surcharge are introduced by this draft. Any future fee requires separate approval and clear disclosure before the entrant commits.

3.5 The checkout must display the total payable, applicable GST and discounts before payment. No processing surcharge is proposed in this draft. If AMIC later adopts a surcharge, it must be lawful, separately approved and disclosed before payment.

3.6 New pricing must not retrospectively reprice existing accepted entries or historical invoices.

4. Online payment and acceptance of entries

4.1 Entry fees must be paid online through the payment gateway offered by AMIC during checkout. EFT, direct bank deposits, cheques, money orders and cash are not accepted for new online entries.

4.2 Available payment methods will be shown at checkout. These terms do not promise acceptance of any specific card brand or digital wallet.

4.3 Payment must be successfully confirmed through the gateway by the published payment deadline. A submitted form, pending authorisation, unsuccessful payment, payment screenshot or return to the website is not sufficient proof of payment.

4.4 For a paid entry, acceptance requires successful payment and AMIC's eligibility checks. Payment does not guarantee an award or override a product's eligibility requirements. For a valid zero fee discounted entry, no payment is required for that entry, but eligibility and any applicable order balance requirements still apply.

4.5 AMIC will provide an entry acknowledgement and payment receipt or tax invoice as applicable. Final entry acceptance and delivery instructions must clearly distinguish accepted entries from entries awaiting payment or review. [IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRED BEFORE ACTIVATION.]

4.6 If payment fails or remains pending, follow the gateway instructions or contact AMIC before retrying. AMIC will investigate duplicate payments and return confirmed duplicates through the original payment method where practicable.

4.7 Card details are to be handled by the payment provider, not sent to AMIC by email or entered into general correspondence. The provider and relevant privacy information must be identified before checkout.

5. Dates, closing times and late entries

5.1 Dates are currently to be confirmed. AMIC will publish a separate schedule for each relevant program or state, identifying opening and closing times, the applicable time zone, payment deadline, delivery window, venue, judging dates and results release arrangements.

5.2 Melbourne Royal's calendar and delivery locations are not AMIC's schedule.

5.3 Proposed rule: entries and required payment must be complete by the published closing time. A late entry is not accepted unless AMIC confirms acceptance in writing, having considered judging and delivery capacity. Do not send a late product without that confirmation.

5.4 No late entry fee applies under this draft. Any approved future late fee must be disclosed before a late entry is accepted.

5.5 AMIC will communicate any approved extension or material timetable change. Acceptance of one late entry does not promise acceptance of others.

6. Withdrawals, refunds and cancellations — proposed for approval

6.1 Statutory rights: nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable legislation. The following rules operate subject to those rights.

6.2 Withdrawal before closing: an exhibitor who requests withdrawal in writing before the published closing time receives a full refund of the amount actually paid for the withdrawn entry.

6.3 Withdrawal after closing: ordinarily no refund is provided solely for a change of mind after the published closing time, because judging and event arrangements may have been committed. AMIC may consider exceptional circumstances. This does not limit clause 6.1.

6.4 Ineligibility or delivery failure: after closing, fees are ordinarily not refunded where an entry cannot be judged because the exhibitor supplied materially incorrect information, entered an ineligible product, failed to deliver it, or supplied unsafe or non compliant samples. AMIC will explain the decision and consider its own contribution to any failure, exceptional circumstances and applicable statutory remedies. This is not a blanket exclusion of refunds.

6.5 AMIC cancellation: if AMIC cancels a competition or class before the affected entries are judged and does not deliver the contracted assessment, AMIC will refund the full entry fees actually paid for those affected entries. An exhibitor will not be required to accept credit instead. Refunds are not limited to pandemic related cancellations.

6.6 Material change or postponement: if AMIC materially changes the date, location or assessment arrangements and an exhibitor cannot reasonably participate, AMIC will offer a reasonable period to request withdrawal and a full refund for the affected unjudged entries. That response period will be stated in the change notice. Statutory rights continue to apply.

6.7 AMIC error: duplicate charges, charges for entries AMIC does not accept, and errors attributable to AMIC will be investigated promptly and corrected, including a refund where appropriate.

6.8 Discounts and free entries: refunds relate to amounts actually paid. A free entry has no cash refund value. This proposed policy does not retrospectively charge for a free entry or create an additional payment obligation when another entry is withdrawn. [AMIC TO CONFIRM THIS DISCOUNT TREATMENT.]

6.9 Method and timing: approved refunds will normally be returned through the original online payment method. Proposed service target: AMIC initiates an approved refund within ten business days and confirms when it has been submitted; the payment provider's settlement time may be additional. If the original method cannot be used, AMIC will agree a secure, lawful alternative. This is not an EFT entry payment option.

6.10 Other expenses: entry fee refunds do not automatically reimburse transport, accommodation, sample production or other expenses. Any entitlement to those amounts under applicable law remains unaffected.

7. Food safety, ingredients and preparation

7.1 Products, packaging, labelling, handling and transport must comply with applicable Australian food laws, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and relevant state or territory requirements.

7.2 Exhibitors must hold the licences or registrations legally required for their activities and supply evidence reasonably requested by AMIC. HACCP, SQF or ISO certification is not universally mandated by this draft; any additional program specific certification requirement must be expressly approved and published.

7.3 Provide accurate ingredient and allergen declarations and any required use by/best before dates, storage conditions and preparation instructions. Notify AMIC promptly of any recall, contamination concern or material change affecting a submitted product.

7.4 Follow the approved class specific quantities, packaging, temperature and preparation requirements. Do not assume that requirements for one product category apply to another.

7.5 AMIC may record delivery condition, temperatures and ingredient declarations at receiving. Unsafe, contaminated, damaged or unverifiable products may be held from judging or rejected. Where practicable AMIC will record the reason and notify the exhibitor.

7.6 Cooking or reheating will follow the relevant program's published instructions. This draft does not adopt another competition's list of products to be cooked.

8. Product labels and delivery

8.1 Exhibitors are responsible for arranging and paying for suitable transport and delivering the correct samples within the published receiving window.

8.2 Use the AMIC entry identifier, packing slip and labels instructed for the relevant competition. Do not obscure mandatory safety or allergen information. Follow AMIC's instructions for any separation of commercial identification from judging presentation.

8.3 Products requiring temperature control must remain under appropriate conditions during transport and delivery, in accordance with applicable law and the approved product instructions. Packaging must protect the product from contamination and damage.

8.4 A carrier's delivery record or a scan of a consignment code does not by itself establish that every listed product was received and accepted. AMIC will check the products actually delivered and record discrepancies.

8.5 Contact AMIC promptly about missing, delayed or damaged deliveries. AMIC does not guarantee that a product arriving outside the receiving window can be judged. Any remedy depends on the circumstances, clause 6 and applicable law.

9. Use and disposal of samples — proposed for approval

9.1 Submitted samples may be opened, prepared, tasted, tested and consumed for judging and reasonable compliance checks. Do not expect samples to be returned in their original condition.

9.2 Proposed rule: unused samples are not returned unless AMIC agrees otherwise in writing before dispatch. After judging, AMIC may safely dispose of remaining stock or arrange food donation where legally and operationally suitable.

9.3 This draft does not automatically transfer all product ownership or authorise promotional tastings. Use at media, sponsor or promotional events, or requests for extra product at the exhibitor's expense, requires separate notice and agreement.

10. Judging integrity and awards

10.1 A head judge and industry experts oversee the applicable assessment process. Judges must follow the relevant program's approved criteria and conflict of interest arrangements.

10.2 AMEA awards require the approved minimum of three valid completed judges per entry, with category rankings and AMIC reviewed champion tie decisions. ACEA uses two judges agreeing one consensus result, not an average of two independent scores. Refer to the separate published judging guides.

10.3 These terms do not introduce a gold medal only champion rule, a Borda count process or another organisation's trophy criteria.

10.4 Exhibitors and their representatives must not seek to influence judges or interfere with assessment. Direct procedural enquiries to the competition coordinator.

10.5 Scores and provisional rankings do not constitute a final award announcement. AMIC checks eligibility and relevant champion decisions before confirming results. Public release is a separate decision.

10.6 An entry fee buys participation in the agreed assessment process, subject to eligibility; it does not guarantee a medal, champion award or promotional opportunity.

11. Verification, conduct and disqualification

11.1 AMIC may request reasonable evidence relevant to a published entry requirement, including ingredient information, registration details, authority to enter or commercial availability where applicable. The scope and timing of any physical inspection must be reasonably agreed and lawful.

11.2 Exhibitors and their representatives must behave respectfully and comply with lawful safety and venue directions. Harassment, violence, unlawful discrimination, tampering and deliberate misrepresentation are not acceptable.

11.3 AMIC may withhold an entry from judging, disqualify an entry or correct or revoke an award for a substantiated eligibility, safety, integrity or rules breach. Action should be proportionate, with reasons recorded and communicated where practicable.

11.4 Except where urgent safety or integrity concerns require immediate action, the affected exhibitor should have a reasonable opportunity to respond. This draft does not authorise arbitrary fines, unlimited penalties or automatic promotion of another entry.

12. Results, feedback and review requests

12.1 Individual assessment scores and judge feedback are treated as confidential entrant information, except for authorised sharing, legitimate competition administration or disclosure required by law. Recorded feedback may be provided after the relevant release process; AMIC does not invent missing comments.

12.2 Public results may identify the awarded business, product, class, competition, season and award after AMIC's confirmed results release process. Private contact details, membership numbers and judge comments are not part of that directory.

12.3 Proposed review process: an exhibitor may request correction of an administrative error or review of a suspected procedural or eligibility issue affecting their entry, in writing to [CONTACT], within seven calendar days of the relevant notification or results announcement.

12.4 Include the entry identifier, grounds and relevant evidence. No deposit is proposed. A disagreement with a judge's taste assessment alone does not create an automatic right to rejudging.

12.5 AMIC will acknowledge the request and provide a reasonable response timeframe. Where practicable, review should involve someone not responsible for the disputed decision. AMIC will explain any correction or outcome. This process does not prevent an exhibitor exercising statutory rights or raising a later safety concern.

13. Award artwork, promotion and profile permissions

13.1 Award claims must accurately identify the awarded product, program, category, award level and year. An award for one product must not imply that all products from the business received that award.

13.2 Use of AMIC award artwork is subject to AMIC approval and the separate artwork licence. The approved three year licence term begins on the official award date, not the date an agreement is signed or artwork is downloaded.

13.3 Medal colour must be retained exactly as supplied by AMIC and must correspond to the award received. Medal levels are not interchangeable with first, second and third places.

13.4 Category champion stories and judge profiles require approved photographs and biographies. A separate permission must identify the material and permitted promotional uses. The person supplying an image must hold the necessary rights and permissions.

13.5 These entry terms do not require assignment of all image copyright to AMIC or unrestricted perpetual use of personal images.

14. Privacy and records

14.1 AMIC will explain how it collects, uses, stores and shares entry and payment related information in its privacy notice at [APPROVED PRIVACY NOTICE LINK]. The notice must identify the relevant organiser and contact details.

14.2 Information may be used to administer entries, payments, receiving, judging, entrant communications, results and approved award promotion. Disclosure to service providers and overseas processing, where relevant, must be addressed in the privacy notice.

14.3 Optional marketing and personal profile permissions must be distinguished from information necessary to run the competition. Do not assume agreement to entry conditions authorises all future marketing.

14.4 AMIC will retain records in accordance with its approved retention policy and applicable legal obligations. Exhibitors may contact [PRIVACY CONTACT] about access, correction or concerns.

15. Changes, responsibility and applicable law

15.1 AMIC may make reasonably necessary operational changes for safety, legal compliance, venue availability or fair competition administration. Material changes must be communicated promptly and considered under the refund and withdrawal protections in clause 6.

15.2 The terms version accepted for an entry should be retained. Later revisions must not silently impose new fees, reduce remedies or materially change the entrant's obligations.

15.3 Each party remains responsible for its own acts and omissions to the extent required by law. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded. No blanket indemnity, exclusion of all negligence liability or unlimited transfer of event risk to entrants is proposed; any additional allocation of liability requires legal review.

15.4 Proposed governing law: the laws of [STATE OR TERRITORY TO BE CONFIRMED], Australia. Jurisdiction wording must preserve any mandatory legal rights and be approved by AMIC's legal adviser.

16. Entry acknowledgement — proposed implementation

Before submission, show links to the final terms and relevant program rules, a clear fee/discount/GST summary and the payment and refund policy. Record the terms version and the entrant's affirmative acknowledgement; do not use a pre ticked checkbox.

Suggested checkbox: “I am authorised to submit this entry. I have read and agree to the AMIC entry terms and the rules for my selected program, and confirm that the information and safety declarations I provide are accurate.”

Keep optional publicity and marketing permissions separate. Acknowledgement of terms must not mark an unpaid entry as paid or accepted. Do not activate this checkbox until the draft has been approved and the applicable documents are complete.

End of review draft. Dates, legal identity, AMEA GST treatment and the other review items remain unresolved. No terms or payment flow have been activated by preparing this document.