Valkyries Horn Home Mead Competition

1. Berry Mead
2. Braggot
3. Cyser
4. Dry Mead
5. Historical Mead
6. Melomel
7. Metheglin
8. Open Category Mead
9. Pyment
10. Semi-Sweet Mead
11. Stone Fruit Mead
12. Sweet Mead

Home Definition Home mead makers must make their mead outside of a commercial setting, including brew-on-premise sites, commercial collaborations, and "wort share" scenarios. An entrant is one or more people submitting an entry. Entrant(s) of a mead must have actively contributed to mixing, fermenting, and bottling of an entry. If multiple people contributed to the making of a mead only ONE entry may be submitted from that collaboration. Example: Tom made a mead with co-entrant Bob and entered an Orange Blossom traditional semi sweet. Bob may not enter the same mead as the lead with Tom as a co-entrant. Coordinate your entries so you are not disqualified! Each entrant must be at least 21 years of age. Entry Acceptance Rules THREE bottles are recommended. (THIS IS IMPORTANT). Entrants may submit up to 10 entries. Entrants may submit multiple entries per category and sub-category as long as they are distinctly different. You MAY NOT enter the same mead twice even if it is placed into a different category/sub-category. Please note co-entrant restrictions above. Examples: If you have a fireweed traditional that is borderline dry or semi-sweet you may NOT enter it in both categories - pick ONE. You MAY enter the Fruit and Spice mead category with a Stinging Nettle and Orange mead and a Stinging Nettle and Pear mead. Sub-Categories will not be combined (e.g. Braggot and Historical will not be smashed together). Most of the sub-categories have been "pre-split" by sweetness and are shown as "special categories". Please enter your mead where it fits best by sweetness. NOTE: we may combine dry and semi, or semi and sweet if one of the split sub-categories is small. Shipping & Logistics All entries become the property of the Valkyries Horn Mead Competition and will not be returned under any circumstances. Any questions or disputes will be settled by the competition organizers, and all decisions are final. All mailed entries must be received at the mailing location by the shipping deadline. Please make allowances for shipping time and delivery truck difficulties. Package your entries well. Don't be the person that causes a shipper to reject all packages going to the shipping location. All entries will be picked up from drop-off locations the day and time of the drop-off deadline. Style Guidelines & Categorization The official style guidelines for this competition are the 2021 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines for Mead (which are actually 2015 edition). Every entry must be assigned a particular category and sub-category by the entrant, and according to these guidelines. Competition staff are not permitted to categorize entries that arrive unlabeled, illegible, or otherwise indiscernible as to the entry category. Competition staff (including judges) are not permitted to re-classify or re-categorize incorrectly entered mead during the competition. Required Entry Details Please print the label with a laser printer, NOT inkjet - they blur and bleed when wet which could cause mis-identification of your mead. See labeling video linked under packaging and shipping information for details. Entries in category M1 (Traditional Mead), M2 (Fruit Mead), M3 (Spiced Mead), and M4 (Specialty Mead), must specify carbonation level. Entries in sub-category M2 (Other Fruit Melomel), must specify the varieties of fruit used. Entries in sub-category M3 (Spiced Mead), must specify the types of spices used. Entries in sub-category M4B (Specialty Mead - Historical) and M4C (Specialty Mead - Experimental), must describe the special nature of the mead, whether it is a combination of existing styles, an experimental mead, a historical mead, etc. READ THE STYLE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY! If you put your mead in the wrong sub-category it will not be eligible to medal no matter how good it actually is! Just because it's something you've never done before does not make a mead experimental. It must be something that can't fit in any of the other categories to be experimental. If you have questions about this, please contact the organizer for clarification at info(at)ValkyriesHorn(dot)com. 2026 SPECIAL CATEGORY: PIE MEAD! Our special category for 2026 is PIE MEAD! The honey, pie character, and pie crust must be discernable. As always, the mead needs to be harmonious and pleasant to drink. Registration & Results All registration must be completed online and all entries must have the website-generated bottle identification labels, which are only available after the payment is processed. Paper entries will not be accepted and will not be returned. Online entries are not confirmed until the payment is processed. The competition website will automatically close when the number of paid entries is reached. Entries may be modified (name, style, category, etc.) until the entry window closes. We are holding the line against inflation with the entry fee remaining at $10.00. Payment by PayPal is REQUIRED when entering online. NO REFUNDS FOR ANY REASON. Awards Ceremony Winners will be announced at the award ceremony after judging is complete on Saturday. Entrants and competition staff are encouraged to join in-person. A live stream is expected (barring technical problems). Generous prizes and raffles are typically offered to in-person attendees courtesy of our sponsors. Competition results and scoresheets will be available after the awards ceremony. Score sheets will be available only through the competition site (they will not be mailed) for six months before planning for the next competition begins. Score sheets are not retained beyond that period. Top BJCP 2021 Judging Styles If a style's name is hyperlinked, it has specific entry requirements. Select or tap on the name to view the subcategory's requirements.