All spirits made in Virginia are eligible for entry in the First Landing Cup spirits competition.
For the purposes of this competition, a spirit is considered “Made in Virginia” if all of the following take place within the Commonwealth of Virginia:
Distillation, redistillation, or maceration
Aging (if applicable)
Bottling
The following are not required to occur in Virginia:
Agricultural inputs
Fermentation substrates
Verification & Compliance
Entrants must self-certify that their products meet the “Made in Virginia” criteria.
Entrants may be required to provide manufacturing records to verify compliance.
Any entry found to be in violation of these requirements will be immediately disqualified, and the entrant may be barred from participating in future competitions.
Product Submission Guidelines
Submission Fee
The submission fee is $150 per product.
A single product submission may be entered into multiple eligible judging categories for that one fee.
Distillers may submit as many individual products as they wish, with a separate submission fee required for each product.
Submission Requirements
For each product submitted, distillers must accurately complete the registration form, including all required administrative and spirit category information.
Each product must be currently available for consumer purchase, including:
Approved TTB COLA
On- and/or off-premise shelf presence
Distillers must submit two (2) 750ml bottles of each product (or an equivalent volume if the product is not available in that bottle size).
Production & Availability Considerations
However, as winning spirits may be featured in Virginia ABC stores, distillers are encouraged to submit products that can support broader retail availability.
Petitions for Exceptions
The Virginia Distillers Association (VDA) and the Virginia Spirits Board Marketing Office (VSBMO) will consider petitions for exceptions to these guidelines, including but not limited to consumer availability or batch size.
All petitions will be reviewed and decided at the sole discretion of the VDA and VSBMO.
Petitions may be submitted by emailing info@virginiaspirits.org .
Submission & Delivery
Delivery Options
Products may be delivered or dropped off Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM at:
Virginia Spirts Board Marketing Office Attn: Hodges Partnership 3301 W. Moore Street Richmond, VA 23230
All entries must be delivered to be eligible for judging.
Submission Deadline
All submissions must be received by 3:00 PM on Friday, March 6, 2026.
If you need an extension to allow time for you product to arrive, email info@virginiaspirits.org to coordinate.
Results Notification, Embargo & Use of Marks
Results Notification & Embargo
Upon completion and verification of judging results, winning producers will be notified directly.
All award information is subject to an embargo and must remain confidential until the official announcement date and time specified in the notification.
Any producer who violates the embargo may be disqualified from participating in future First Landing Cup competitions and may also be excluded from other Virginia Distillers Association (VDA) and Virginia Spirits Board Marketing Office (VSBMO) programs.
Virginia ABC Coordination
A list of winning products will be provided to Virginia ABC to allow the agency to assess current inventory levels.
Virginia ABC may contact winning producers to supplement existing supply, where applicable.
All purchasing decisions remain solely at the discretion of Virginia ABC.
Use of “First Landing Cup” Name & Marks
Except for awards and collateral officially granted and distributed by the Virginia Spirits Board or the Virginia Distillers Association, all uses of the name “First Landing Cup”—including all iterations, images, logos, and associated collateral—are the exclusive property of the Virginia Spirits Board and are pending copyright.
Use of the “First Landing Cup” name or associated marks without prior written permission from the Virginia Spirits Board Marketing Office is strictly prohibited.
Producers, distributors, or other entities that violate this policy may be disqualified from future VSBMO and VDA events and promotions and may be subject to legal action.
