LOTY - Label of the Year Competition
28 exceptional years of raising money for UK charities

In 1983 the Society inaugurated an annual event with the dual intentions of recognising and encouraging exciting new label design and saying a ‘BIG Thank You’ to the Breweries on whose good-will the Society relies for the bulk of the labels, from which our collections are formed.

This is now the Society's premier yearly meeting and one at which we try and raise awareness of our hobby with the brewing industry, designers, artists, printers, the media and the public.

We invite all of the Breweries in United Kingdom to submit their newly designed labels and associated material in the following categories:-

·     Standard Label

·     Commemorative Label

·     Set of Labels

·     Point of Sale Material

These items are judged by a small panel of Society members, who are appointed at our AGM.
All Breweries who are winners in the different categories are awarded certificates bearing a copy of their successful design.

The LOTY meeting has become the high spot of the Society's calendar. Each year LOTY is hosted by a Brewery, who nominate a deserving charity for the year. This leads to a gathering of like minded individuals for an enjoyable day out and the presenting of the awards for the best judged labels of that year. The majority of the day is devoted towards raising as much money as possible via label sales, beer sales, auctions, raffles and donations for the charity. The highlight of the day is the presentation of our cheque to a representative of the nominated charity, who is invariably pleasantly surprised at the generosity of our members and the Breweries involved. We are delighted to say that it is not unusual for a few tears to be shed by the charities representative.

If the past winners of LOTY are anything to go by, then whatever Governments, Public Campaigns, Private Protesters and even Brewers can throw at the industry. The future label designers and their miniature art works will inform, advertise and blaze the brewer's craft well into the 21st century and excite Labologists to ever more fervent collecting. 

LOTY Hosts, Charities supported and of course, the money raised.

1983 - Bass, Burton-on-Trent, £500 for the Bass Vase (Local Hospitals).

1984 - Young & Co’s Brewery PLC, Wandsworth £400 for the Brewery Charity. 

1985 - Vaux Breweries Ltd., Princess Louise, Holborn, £400 for the Helen House Hospice, Oxford.

1986 - Morlands, Abingdon £500 for the Helen House Hospice, Oxford. 

1987 - George Gale & Co. Ltd., Horndean, £500 for the Blendworth Hall Hostel, Horndean.

1988 - Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd., £550 for the Phoenix Centre, Lewes. 

1989 - J.W. Lees & Co. Ltd., Middleton Junction, £810 for the Mayor of Rochdale's Charity Appeal. 

1990 - Cotleigh Brewery Ltd., Wiveliscombe, £1,394 for the Rose Meadow Hostel, Taunton. 

1991 - Hook Norton Brewery Co. Ltd., Oxfordshire, £1,443 for the Leukaemia Research Fund. 

1992 – Tollemache & Cobbold Brewery Ltd., lpswich, £1,700 for the MacMillan Nurses. 

1993 - Arkell's Brewery Ltd., Swindon, £2,229 for the Prospect Foundation Hospice, Swindon.

1994 - Shepherd Neame Ltd., Faversham, £2,758 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

1995 – W. H. Brakspear & Sons PLC, Henley-on-Thames, £2,100 for the MacMillan Nurses. 

1996 - Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC., Chiswick, £2,900 for the Hammersmith Cancer Fund. 

1997 - Shepherd Neame Ltd., Faversham, £2,553 for the Demelza House Children's Hospice.

1998 - J.W. Lees & Co. Ltd., Manchester, £1,000 for Diabetes UK & £1,000 for Multiple Sclerosis Research. 

1999 - Mansfield Brewery PLC, Nottinghamshire, £2,200 for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

2000 - Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd., £2,200 for the NSPCC. 

2001 - Black Sheep Brewery PLC, Masham, £2,000 for Leukaemia Research for Children.

2002 - Ventnor Brewery Ltd., Isle of Wight, £1800 for Cowes Inshore Lifeboat.

2003 - Holden’s Brewery Ltd., Dudley, £2,300 for the Motor Neurone Society .

2004 - Cotleigh Brewery Ltd., Wiveliscombe, £2,004 for the Stroke Association.

2005 – Arkell’s Brewery Ltd, Swindon, £1,400 for British Kidney Transplant Association and £700 for Swindon Cares.

2006 - Young & Co’s Brewery PLC, Wandsworth, £3,001 for the National Hospital for Neurology.

2007 - Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd., £1,400 each for British Heart Foundation and East Sussex Association for the Blind.

2008 - Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC, Chiswick, £2,800 for Cancer Research UK.

2009 - Marston’s Beer Company, Burton-on-Trent, £3,001 for St Giles Hospice, Lichfield.

2010 - Greene King PLC, Bury St Edmunds, £?,???   Charity to be confirmed.

Over the last 27 years, the generosity of our members, and of numerous individuals at breweries up and down the country, in donating labels and other items of 'Breweriana' for either our sales stand or our charity auction, has allowed the Society to raise over £48,915 for charities through our Label Of The Year event.

This is a fantastic total, and of course could not have been achieved without the support of the numerous Brewery companies, which have kindly hosted this event over the years. There is always an impetus to surpass the previous year’s total, but the final outcome largely depends on members enjoying the event.