London-based beer writer, photographer and visual artist Lily Waite was named Beer Writer of the Year 2020.
Beer Writer of the Year is the top accolade in the Guild’s annual competition and is selected from the category winners. Lily won the Gold Award in the Online category, and a Silver award in both the Beer and Travel and new ‘Communication in Lockdown’ categories.
Her award-winning work included articles in Good Beer Hunting, Pellicle and Ferment, as well as her zine Until Further Notice in the lockdown category. She is also the founder of the Queer Brewing Project, an LGBTQ-focused non-profit collaborative beer initiative.
Jonny Garrett, chair of judges for this year’s Awards after taking the Beer Writer of the Year title in 2019, said, “In a year of exceptional writing it was going to take something really special to stand out. What impressed the entire judging panel with Lily’s work was how she found a fresh approach to every topic. Her writing this year was as much about our drinking culture as it was beer itself, which made for rich and rewarding reading.”