Categories

There are nine categories for each of the five regions of the world—Americas, Asia, Australia & Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa—and eleven global categories that are not region specific.

Regional categories

• Cafe—a space that predominately serves coffee, tea etc.
• Colour—judges will look specifically at how colour has been used within the space.
• Hotel—a food and beverage space within a hotel.
• In Another Space—hospitality spaces in anything, from ships to airports, museums to burger vans and trains to cinemas.
• Lighting—judges will look specifically at how decorative and architectural lighting has been used within a scheme.
• Luxury—food and beverage spaces that have an emphasis on luxury design.
• Small Space—designs that are focused on making the best use of a small space.
• Standalone—a food and beverage space that's not part of a chain.
• Surface Interiors—how surfaces such as walls, ceilings and floors come together in creating a food and beverage space.

Global categories

• Alfresco & Biophilic Design—designs should have a strong emphasis on nature and a clear connection to it. Past entries have included living walls, grand foliage table displays and even trees incorporated into the design.
• Ceiling—the project will be judged with an emphasis on the design of the ceiling.
• Club/Night Venue—this rewards designs for establishments that provide evening entertainment and that are usually open into the early morning.
• Co-Working—everything from office canteens, break rooms and cafeterias.
• Fast Casual—this means any scheme that doesn’t offer full table service.
• Heritage Building—this category is specifically for restaurants/bars in historical buildings and environments.
• Multiple—restaurants or bars with the same name that are part of a group or chain.
• Murals & Graffiti—this category evaluates the artistic impact of any murals or graffiti that have been incorporated into a design.
• Rooftop—F&B venue located at the rooftop level of a building, designed to offer panoramic views, open-air ambience, curated for both day-to-night transitions, blending dining, lounging, and entertainment.
• Sustainability—this category is about interiors that have been designed with sustainability in mind. This could include the use of recyclable products and materials harnessing renewable energy sources, efforts to minimise the carbon footprint and other environmental improvements.
• Visual Identity—celebrating the design of logos, websites, menus, stationery, signage, uniforms, coasters, placemats and any other visual material.

For each category there will be a shortlist of projects and one winner. An award is given to both the winning designer and the winning Restaurant or Bar operator.

All category winners will be announced via our website and Instagram in September 2026.

Overall winners

All entries are automatically considered for the 'Best Restaurant or Bar' awards for their region, as well as for the ultimate global awards of Best Overall Restaurant and Best Overall Bar (at no additional cost).

• Best Americas Restaurant or Bar
• Best Asia Restaurant or Bar
• Best Australia & Pacific Restaurant or Bar
• Best Europe Restaurant or Bar
• Best Middle East & Africa Restaurant or Bar
• Best Overall Restaurant
• Best Overall Bar

The overall winners will be announced at an exciting Awards Ceremony in London in late October 2026, where all winners' trophies will be presented.