Museum of Crisps announces annual Snackademy Awards

The Museum of Crisps, the online organisation dedicated to the celebration of crisp history and innovation, has pleasure in announcing the winners in its annual Snackademy Awards.

Commenting on the awards and making the Museum’s annual state of the industry statement, Liz Bennett FMOC, head of this year’s judging panel, said:

“2020 has been a big year in the crisp community.  When it came to the crunch, crisps were always there for us as we sat on our sofas finishing Netflix.  It was a year marked by major innovation in flavour and packaging – and the panel had a very difficult job choosing category winners.  Our criteria were stringent.  In assessing crunch, for instance, we applied a very strict methodology that required testing in remote locations, away from steady ambient noise, and with wind speeds of less than one mile per hour.  In assessing novel flavours, we independently sourced packets in a sector that has sadly suffered from deepfakes.  Who, for instance, can condone the fictitious creation of an orange juice and toothpaste variety? Sadly, this is now all too prevalent.  Ping Pong and Mold, Gas Station Sushi, Sour Milk and Hot Ham Water.  Yes, all very funny, but I’m afraid these thoughtless try-hards spoil things for true enthusiasts.  All in all, though, it has been a positive and landmark year in crisps and we expect that reported consumption levels will have increased year on year.”

“For the Museum’s part, we reached a cataloguing milestone, with the recording of more than 1,100 flavours.  When we first dreamt of a Museum, it would have been impossible to source a different flavour for every day of the year, but now we have easily passed the milestone of a different flavour for three meals per day for a year. You can now enjoy something new and crispy for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the year.”

“The traditional power triumvirate of the industry – plain, salt and vinegar and cheese and onion – had a very strong year, with hot competition in each category.  We also decided to highlight two emerging categories – sweet chilli and salt and pepper.  We have been monitoring these categories for some time and we believe both stand a chance of joining an expanded C3 category in due course.  This isn’t a decision we take lightly, but a position paper will go to our AGM in the Spring.  We have no further comment at this stage.”

“Before I announce all the winners, I would like to draw attention to the award for best crunch.  Salty Dog, this year’s winner, achieved an audible crunch distance of 35 metres, which is the highest distance we have on record.  It was verified by two judges at the same test site at ten-minute intervals.  This is likely to be seismic news in the crisp community.  We are a self-funded organisation, but to reassure readers, if budgets permit, we are planning to invest in new testing and measurement equipment in the year ahead, which may include a robotic mandible.”

“Finally, I’d like to recognise the many nameless contributors and innovators who share our passion for crisps, but rarely if ever see the limelight.  It is you who make this industry the exciting and innovative place that it is today.  We are together in crisps.”

“Congratulations to all our winners.  May you make a packet in the year ahead.”

The winners: