A James Beard Foundation Award has become the most coveted honor in the world of food and beverage because of the sound policies and procedures with which they are administered.

Governance, Structure, and Operations
The Awards Committee of the James Beard Foundation determines policies and procedures for the James Beard Foundation Awards. The volunteer committee consists of the chairperson of each individual Awards program, members of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, and members at large.

The James Beard Foundation Awards consist of six separate recognition programs and two special achievement awards: Books, Broadcast Media, Journalism, Design and Graphics, Restaurants and Chefs, and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year. Each program is administered by an independent volunteer committee whose members serve staggered terms of one to three years. Each committee chairperson reports to the Awards Committee. A committee member is ineligible to enter the awards competition of the program of which he or she is sitting on a committee during his or her year of service. (Though he or she may enter the competition of another awards program.)

Ballot tabulation for the James Beard Foundation Awards is handled by independent accounting firm Lutz and Carr. All results are final and are kept confidential until the Awards presentation ceremony.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are financed by the James Beard Foundation with partial underwriting ("sponsorship") provided by corporations, food product associations, and other contributors. Event and award sponsors neither vote nor influence the policies and procedures of the James Beard Foundation Awards. The James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards receive no outside corporate support and are financed solely by the James Beard Foundation to alleviate any intimation of bias or compromise of topics covered by the journalists.

The James Beard Foundation Awards calendar year runs May to May with an open call-to-entry beginning in mid-October. Awards nominees are announced in March and award winners are announced at the Awards Gala and Book, Journalism, and Broadcast Media Awards Dinner in May. Each award winner receives a certificate and a bronze medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. Winners receive a complimentary membership for one year to the James Beard Foundation. There are no cash awards.

The awards were established in 1990 and the first ceremony was in 1991.

Restaurant and Chef Awards
The Restaurant and Chef awards were established in 1990 by the James Beard Foundation.

Nominee Selection and Judging
Anyone can submit a chef or restaurant for consideration during the online open call for entries in the fall. There is no entry fee.

The Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee produces a ballot with approximately 20 semifinalists in each category. This ballot is distributed online to a voting body of 308 previous James Beard Restaurant & Chef Award winners; 200 to 250 panelists divided evenly among 10 regions (see below); and 17 members of the Restaurant and Chef Award subcommittee. All votes count equally and are tabulated by the independent accounting firm Lutz & Carr.

The finalists in each category are announced in March. A second ballot is then distributed to the same voting body. Winners are announced during the Awards Ceremony in May.

Criteria for Specific Awards

Outstanding Restaurateur
A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past 10 years.

Outstanding Chef
A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Eligible candidates must have been working as a chef for the past five years.

Outstanding Restaurant
A restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere and service. Eligible restaurants must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years. The owner of the restaurant receives the award.

Rising Star Chef of the Year
A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Best New Restaurant
A restaurant opened in the calendar year before the award will be given that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service, and that is likely to make a significant impact in years to come. The owner of the restaurant receives the award.

Outstanding Pastry Chef
A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads, and who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence.

Outstanding Service
A restaurant in operation five or more years that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. The owner of the restaurant receives the award.

Outstanding Wines & Spirits Professional
A winemaker, brewer, or spirits professional who has made a significant national impact on the wines and spirits industry.

Outstanding Wine Service
A restaurant in operation five or more years that serves as a standard bearer for excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. The sommelier or wine director receives the award.

Best Chefs (10 Regions)
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Eligible candidates may be from any kind of dining establishment and must have been working as a chef for at least five years with the three most recent years spent in the region.

The Regions
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
New York City (Five Boroughs)
Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY State, RI, VT)
Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Pacific (CA, HI)
South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)
Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)

America's Classics
A restaurant with timeless appeal, beloved in its region for quality food that reflects the character of its community. The establishment must have been in existence at least 10 years and be locally owned; preferably it is also informal and moderately priced.

Each year, five winners are chosen by the Restaurant Commitee. Winners are announced at the Nominees Breakfast in March.

Book Awards
The Book Awards that are administered by the James Beard Foundation were started in 1966 by French’s Mustard as the R. T. French Tastemaker Awards. They were administered briefly and in turn by Duncan Hines, Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. The James Beard Foundation took them into the fold in 1990.

Nominee Selection and Judging
Any book published in English in the United States or Canada during the previous calendar year is eligible for an award. Publishers, editors, and authors submit their books for consideration in one of 10 categories: American Cooking, Baking and Dessert, Beverage, Cooking from a Professional Point of View, General Cooking, Healthy Focus, International, Single Subject, Reference and Scholarship, and Writing and Literature. There is a $100 entry fee.

Four judges are assigned to each category. The judges (more than 50 in total) are not committee members; rather, they’re editors, authors, journalists, and culinary educators who have not published a culinary book during the current Awards year.

Judges are looking for books that contribute to the growing canon of information and knowledge about food and beverage. Content, accuracy, design, and writing style are among the elements considered.

The Book Awards Committee selects the Cookbook of the Year from among the winning books in each category. From among the books submitted for nomination, an award is given for Outstanding Photography. Each year the committee also inducts a classic cookbook or an author’s body of work into the Cookbook Hall of Fame.

The nominees are announced at a Nominees Breakfast in March. The winners are announced during the Book, Journalism, and Broadcast Media Awards Dinner in May. The author(s) of the book receive(s) the award.

Journalism Awards
The Journalism Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1992.

Nominee Selection and Judging
Any article that was published in English in the United States or Canada during the previous calendar year is eligible. Writers, journalists, and editors submit their articles for consideration. There is a $100 entry fee.

The judges, who are selected by the Journalism Awards Committee, comprise working editors, journalists (not covering food and beverage topics), retired food and beverage editors and writers, and deans and professors of leading journalism colleges. The judges (more than 80 in total) may not enter this competition, nor can they have reported on food and beverage topics during the current Awards year.

The judges are looking for accurate, insightful reporting, exceptional writing, unusual perspectives, and other attributes of fine journalism as they pertain to food and beverage topics.

The nominees are announced at a Nominees Breakfast in March. The winners are announced during the Book, Journalism, and Broadcast Media Awards Dinner in May. The journalist(s) receive(s) the award.

Design and Graphics Awards
The Restaurant Design and Graphics Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1994.

Nominee Selection and Judging
Any restaurant or design project that was completed or redone in North America within three years prior to the year the award is being given is eligible. Architects, interior designers, and graphic designers submit their projects for consideration. There is a $100 entry fee.

The Design and Graphics Awards Committee is made up of architects, interior designers, and graphic designers. The committee both chooses the jurors who will judge the winners and oversees the process. They are looking for beautiful functional design that seamlessly melds the setting and theme of the restaurant environment.

The nominees are announced at a Nominees Breakfast in March. The winners are announced during the Awards Ceremony in May. The architect(s) or designer(s) receive(s) the award.

Broadcast Media Awards
The Broadcast Media Awards were established in 1993 by the James Beard Foundation.

Nominee Selection and Judging
Any English-language TV, radio, or webcast show or segment on food, cooking, or gastronomy, copyrighted and broadcast in the United States or Canada during the previous calendar year is eligible. Producers, writers, hosts, and other people involved in the production submit their work for consideration. There is a $100 entry fee.

The Broadcast Media Awards Committee divides the entries into categories making sure that they are entered in the correct categories, then five to six judges are assigned to each category. The judges (more than 30 in total) are chosen by the committee. They include producers, educators, editors, and print journalists. Judges may not enter this competition during the year they are judging. They are looking for creativity, accuracy, high production values, and a fresh perspective on food- and beverage-related topics.

The nominees are announced at a Nominees Breakfast in March. The winners are announced during the Book, Journalism, and Broadcast Media Awards Dinner in May. The host(s) or producer(s) receive(s) the award.

Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America
The Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America was started in 1984 by Cook’s Magazine and Restaurant Business. The James Beard Foundation took them into the fold in 1990.

Nominee Selection and Judging
Any food or beverage industry professional who has made a significant contribution to the industry is eligible for induction. The current members of the Who’s Who are invited to submit names for consideration. From the submissions, the Who’s Who Committee creates a nominating ballot and the entire Who’s Who group votes on the inductees for each year. They are looking for unique and long-lasting contribution to the field for at least a decade, with a national impact. The inductees are announced the Awards Gala in May.

Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year Awards
The Awards Committee selects the Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian award recipients. They are announced at the Nominees Breakfast in March.