About the Organic Consumer Choice Awards (OCCA s) Previously known as the National Organic Week Awards, the Organic Consumers Choice Awards (OCCA s) have been promoting and rewarding the best organic stakeholders around Australia since 2009. The OCCA s are one of the highlights of National Organic Week (NOW), held this year 3-12 October. Consumer choice is what drives organic sales and this is why the OCCA s are a great opportunity for businesses involved to reach out to their customers. By encouraging participation in voting, participating organisations raise awareness of their products, services and brands. This supports customer loyalty and the purchase of organic products for all participants. All Australian organic businesses falling in the below categories are encouraged to submit an entry. Awards Categories & Criteria Please note: The OCCA s are only open to Australian based businesses. Retailed Organic Product of the Year: Only nominate your own product. Product must be certified organic or contain at least 70% of certified organic ingredients (Documentation such as certificate(s) may be Product must be produced in Australia. For food and non-food products. Organic Retail Outlet Be an Australian based retailer with a physical shop presence (including chains). - or stock at least 70% of certified organic products (including certified in conversion wholesalers and vendors only for all organic products stocked (supporting documents may be Organic Specialist Store: Be an Australian based retailer specialised in a particular type of organic produce/product (e.g. organic meat, organic skincare etc ). Must have a physical shop presence (including chains) or a web based business trading in Australia or both. Organic Consumer Choice Awards 2014 Page 1 of 4
- or stock at least 70% of certified organic products (including certified in conversion Organic Shopping Website: Be an Australian web based business trading in Australia. - or stock at least 70% of certified organic products (including certified in conversion Organic Restaurant: Be an Australian based restaurant (including chains). - or use mainly certified organic ingredients in your menu (including certified in conversion) and have a verified purchasing system that utilises certified organic Organic Cafe: Be an Australian based cafe (including chains). - or use mainly certified organic ingredients in your menu (including certified in conversion) and have a verified purchasing system that utilises certified organic Organic Market: Be an Australian based market having a majority of stalls selling: - certified organic produce/products (including certified in conversion and chemical-free) - locally and sustainably sourced produce/products - eco-friendly, handmade and sustainable products Supporting documents may be requested. Organic Consumer Choice Awards 2014 Page 2 of 4
Organic Wholesaler: Be a certified organic Australian based wholesaler. Favourite Organic Brand: Products from the brand must be available to buy in Australia. Brand/products must be certified organic (supporting documents may be Sustainable Farmer of the Year: Be an Australian based producer using sustainable methods/inputs. Open to any type of production (vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, wine etc ) Supporting documents may be requested. Input Supplier: Be an Australian based supplier of sustainable/bio-based input. Product should meet appropriate standards or certification (supporting documents may be Conventional Supermarket with an Organic Offer: Be an Australian based supermarket with a physical shop presence offering a range of certified organic products including fresh produce. Conventional Shopping Website with an Organic Offer: Be an Australian web based business trading in Australia offering a range of certified organic products (min. 30%) including fresh produce. Participants have to duly complete the nomination form and provide the requested information. Voting The judges are the consumers who vote on the National Organic Week website www.organicweek.net.au/core/. Vote opens from 3 rd to 31 st October 2014. Benefits for the winners Media exposure throughout the NOW campaign Promotional stories released in broad media campaigns throughout the ensuing year Listing of your business on the Winners 2014 page of the NOW website Free use of the OCCA s logo Trophies for National winners and certificates for State winners The prestige and great promotional exposure that comes with these awards Organic Consumer Choice Awards 2014 Page 3 of 4
Selection of the winners The nominee who gets the highest number of votes in their State will win the State Award certificate. The nominee who gets the highest number of votes per category overall (nationally) will win the National Award. For more information, please visit www.organicweek.net.au/core or contact us on 1300 88 55 66 or info@core.asn.au Good luck! Please note, CORE is a not-for-profit organisation with limited resources. Every effort is made to carry out these programs and activities but every eventuality may not be foreseen. The programs, events and OCCA s Prospectus are therefore subject to change without notice. Organic Consumer Choice Awards 2014 Page 4 of 4