News

In 2027, the Indies Awards will evolve into a competition that recognises and celebrates the people that make up the independent brewing industry.

In 2025, due to the challenging economic environment, the IBA made the difficult decision to put the Indies Awards on hold. 

While the Indies Awards were predominately about judging beer itself, we also celebrated awards for the people in our industry including the lifetime achievement award. 

At this stage, the IBA has simply made the decision to refocus the competition with a vision of rewarding and recognising the people in our industry.  The next steps will involve shaping the details of the competition and getting feedback from our members.

“Now, more than ever, our industry wants to come together to celebrate the contributions of our colleagues and friends.  We want to shine a light on exceptional achievements of the people that work so hard to make the best beer in Australia.

We are not ruling out bringing back the beer competition in the future, but for right now our focus is on making sure that the people who work in our industry feel seen, valued and celebrated.

With the IBA celebrating 10 years in 2027, we want to create another reason for shared joy, and to continue to support a cohesive culture that has been the cornerstone of the independent brewing industry,” says Sabrina Kunz, IBA Chief Executive.

With the shift in focus for the competition, the current Indies Advisory Committee will be reconstituted to help shape this vision into reality.   We are now calling for Expressions of Interest for anyone passionate about being a part of this new direction for the Indies Awards.

Will Tatchell has confirmed he is stepping down as the Indies Advisory Chair as he increasingly focuses his time outside of the brewing industry. 

“Will has made an invaluable contribution and we are very thankful for all his time and effort in shaping the Indies Awards into a world class competition,” says Tom Champion, IBA Deputy Chair and Indies Advisory Committee Board Representative.

Tom will remain on the Indies Advisory Committee to bring continuity and steer the Committee while it is reconstituted and until a Committee Chair is formally appointed.