Smokin Tabacco likes to hold itself to a standard in how we operate. Part of what we do is give out awards and honors for the industry such as ‘Cigar of the Year’, ‘Person of the Year’, Etc. There are a few rules that we follow to make sure the awards are fairly given depending on the category.
Cigar of the Year
In order to qualify for Cigar of the Year, a cigar must have been shipped to retailers or made otherwise available to the general public by October 31st of the current year. Anything released to retailers from November 1st to the end of the year would be eligible in the following year. This allows a cigar to have been available for a period of time before the end of the year to display sales and performance. Single store exclusives, small private batch, and extreme limited runs (i.e., Prometheus “Heaven and Earth”) are not eligible.
Accessory of the Year
Just as with Cigar of the Year, in order to qualify for Accessory of the Year, a product must have been shipped to retailers or made otherwise available to the general public by October 31st of the current year. Anything released to retailers from November 1st to the end of the year would be eligible in the following year. This allows a product to have been available for a period of time before the end of the year to display sales and performance. Single store exclusives, small private batch, and extreme limited runs (i.e., 1 of 1) are not eligible.
Factory of the Year
In order to be eligible for Factory of the Year, a factory must be one that produces hand made premium cigars. Factories that also make machine made cigars are eligible as long as hand made cigars are also made there. The factory must have been open and operating prior to the start of the current year. There is no requirement for country of origin.
Person of the Year
Eligibility for Person of the Year requires nominees to have been a member/employee of the cigar industry for a minimum of three full calendar years prior to the start day of current year PCA trade show. They must also not be a member of any other media/blog group that could be a competitor of this site.
Guest of the Year
To be eligible for this category, a guest had to of made at least one appearance on a regularly scheduled show between 1/1 and 12/31. Special episodes and guest appearances do not count. This category is mostly awarded based on the most total views/downloads from all available platforms of an episode, although other exceptions may come into play such as a monumental occurrence.
Best New Product or Innovation
Much like Cigar and Accessory of the Year, in order to qualify for Best New Product or Innovation, a product must have been shipped to retailers or made otherwise available to the general public by October 31st of the current year.