Canadian Barista Championship Structure
* IMPORTANT Grinder Policy 2014
How do I register for the regional barista championship?
Registration for all regionals are limited to one competitor per company or organization in each region. Registration for regionals will be done on a first come first served basis via the registration link. Registrations will not be official until your online payment, cheque or money order is received and cleared for the full amount of $100 Cdn, plus applicable provincial HST or GST.
How many baristas can I register?
The regional barista championships are designed to allow equal access to the limited competition spots by companies large and small.
This is why we limit the number of competitors to one per company, so that no one company can dominate registration. All companies are encouraged to hold in house competitions to crown their best representative and enter them accordingly.
Companies can register two competitors, but the second competitor will be put on a second competitor waiting list. If there are open spots in the Regional after the registration deadline, the waitlisted competitors will be invited to compete in the order that their registrations were received.
The registration deadlines are normally set two weeks before the event. Waitlisted competitors will receive invitations within 24 hours after registration deadline if there are open spots. They will be given a deadline by which to accept the invitation to compete.
So how do the waiting lists work exactly?
After the competitor roster is full, the remaining competitors will be put on a waiting list, again, on a first come first served basis, and will be notified in order, if a spot opens up due to a withdrawal. The waiting list competitors will be phoned and asked if they will accept or decline.
Only after the waiting list is exhausted, that the “secondary competitor” list will be looked at, again, in a first come first served basis.
As the popularity of the competitions grow in each region, the likelihood of having enough open spots to service second competitors becomes slimmer and slimmer.
Any attempt to disguise, launder, or bypass the spirit of the “ one competitor per company or organization” will be highly frowned upon, and the discovery of any such attempts will lead to serious consequences, to be determined by the judges committee. Proof of employment, residency, and other information may be demanded by the committee. If the judges committee is not satisfied with any information forthcoming or not forthcoming, the committee has the authority to disqualify a contestant and/or an organization from the current and/or future competitions.
Technical arguments trying to bypass the spirit of the “ one competitor per company or organization”, such as competing out of region, or listing another company or associated subsidiary as your employer, will be looked upon unfavourably.
If I can’t compete in my spot, can I have one of my co-workers fill in for me?
No, any spots that are available due to withdrawal, are to be filled from the waiting list procedure
outlined above.
What are the registration fees used for?
All registration fees collected are used to subsidize the regional competition expenses. Barista championships require a lot of manpower and money to run. It is our objective to try and keep the fees as reasonable as possible, so that it’s not only the well financed cafes that are able to compete.
At the same time we do try to be responsible to the organizers costs. Contrary to public perception, most barista championships are lucky to be a break-even proposal.
How are the regions defined?
* You must be employed in the region in which you intend to compete!
- The Western Region is defined by the provinces of British Columbia and Yukon.
- The Prairie Region is defined by the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- The Central Region is defined by part of the province of Ontario that is West of Ottawa (NOT including Ottawa).
- The Eastern Region is defined by the provinces of Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and part of Ontario that is East of Ottawa (Including Ottawa).
- Nunavut can select from either the Eastern Regional or the Prairie Regional depending on the geographical proximity of the competition.
- Northwest Territories can select from either the Western Regional or the Prairie Regional depending on the geographical proximity of the competition
Is my registration refundable?
Any competitors who paid the registration fee but did not get a spot, will have their fee refunded in full. However, if a competitor is accepted and cancels last minute, those fees are not refundable. This is to serve as a deterrent to those who waste a spot that another competitor could have otherwise filled, or have caused their replacement at a disadvantage because of short notice.
Extenuating circumstances do apply however, at the discretion of the judges committee.