Year 2024
In order to promote and enhance the high quality extra virgin olive oil sector, the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® was established in 2016, created to reward the best Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the world.
The contest has two distinct sections: EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® reserved for Extra Virgin Olive Oils, and EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® reserved for Flavoured EVOO.
The international contest, which takes place in Italy, is organized by the Association EVO IOOC, on behalf of EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest®.
EVO IOOC Italy is a competition organized to achieve the following objectives:
- Award the best extra virgin olive oils and the condiment (Flavoured oils) from all over the world entered in the contest.
- Promote among consumers the benefits of extra virgin olive oil in a healthy diet.
- Promote knowledge and disseminate the health, pharmacological and nutritional (nutraceutical) properties of EVOO to consumers.
- Encourage the international market towards the use of this staple food in the kitchen, given the exceptional qualities of extra virgin olive oil produced in different countries.
- Internationally promote the exceptional qualities of extra virgin olive oil produced in various countries.
- Promote and give greater visibility to the extra virgin olive oil and flavoured oil market in Italy, in the Mediterranean area as well as in the rest of the world;
- Explain the advantages of the use of extra virgin olive oil in the Mediterranean diet.
- Promote the winning producers among buyers, consumers, international markets and in the various media.
- Increase the consumption of high-quality extra virgin olive oil internationally.
- To stimulate the producers of extra virgin olive oil, through comparison and competition, to improve the overall quality of the product.
- To highlight the best producers of extra virgin olive oil and flavoured EVOO and the territory of production.
In addition, the EVO IOOC Italy:
- Will allow participation in the Project “Traceability of EVOOs”, a big study on the identification of Extra Virgin Olive Oils promoted by the Council for research in agriculture and the analysis of the agricultural economy – Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops (CREA OFA – Italy).
- The products competing will be judged and rewarded by a professional world competition on extra virgin olive oil.
- All the samples will be submitted to tasting by unyielding tasters judges from all over the world, led by the international panel leader Antonio G. Lauro.
- The EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® trophies will strengthen the winning brands in international markets, bringing unique privileges, being EVO IOOC Italy International Olive Oil Contest® is the right way to present the winning products to the most important distributors and importers in the world.
- Affirming the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® will allow you to include your extra virgin olive oil and flavoured EVOO in the special guide (in English/Italian) “EVO IOOC Guide Buyers Edition” which will be distributed in international events and sent to the most important distributors and importers in the world.
- The EVO IOOC Guide Buyers Edition will provide consumers with a valuable decision-making and orientation tool for purchasing the winning products.
- An absolute special trophy will be awarded to the winners of the categories in competition (Conventional, Organic, PDO/PGI, Monovarietale, Blend, Flavoured, Design).
- Claiming the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® will entitle you to 10 points valid for the world ranking by WREVOO (World Ranking Extra Virgin Olive Oil).
- You can surprise consumers with certificates of excellence (Best in Class; Best of Country; Special Awards; Gold e Silver Medals) issued by EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest®.
- All winners will get global advertising, through our official website and the Social Media of the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and through the newsletter of the contest, sent to thousands of consumers, olive oil enthusiasts, influencers, chefs, buyers, on-line and off-line sales chains and professionals in the food sector; furthermore, the winners will be promoted both by our Media Partners (Media coverage) and through dedicated articles on our blog.
- Promote awareness among consumers of the health, pharmacological and nutritional (nutraceutical) properties of EVOO.
- The EVOO and Flavoured EVOO of the winning companies will be presented to consumers and chefs in culinary art schools, and restaurants, both in Italy and abroad, during events related to the oleo–gastronomy.
- All winning bottles will be able to boast the quality stickers (Best in Class; Best of Country; Special Awards; Gold e Silver Medals) issued by the organization.
- Each product in competition will compete with the best EVOO and Flavoured EVOO in the world.
- All producers will have the opportunity to measure their quality standards in international comparison and the awards received will be a prestigious marketing tool for the products.
- October 2, 2023: competition officially opens entries to EVO IOOC Italy. From this moment, and until May 6, 2024, it is possible to enter samples to the competition, pay the entry fee(s), and to ship competing samples at the headquarters of the competition.
- January 31st, 2024: closing Early Booking registration.
- May 6, 2024: deadline. Last day for all entries. All samples must be received by this date in the contest site (Italy), otherwise they will be excluded from the competition.
- May 12 to 15, 2024: EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® sample evaluation. A panel of experienced judges will evaluate and classify each sample according to the dictums of the IOC (international Olive Council).
- May 19, 2024: Nominations Announcement of EVO IOOC Italy – EVO International Olive Oil Contest®.
- May 25, 2023: Awards winners announcement. The Best in Class, Best of Country, Special Awards, Gold and Silver Medals of EVO IOOC Italy 2024 will be announced.
- June, 2024: Awards Ceremony.
- June, 2024: publication of certificates (Diplomas) on the official website of the competition www.evoiooc.com and release of the quality stickers.
- July, 2024: presentation of the EVO IOOC Guide Buyers Edition.
Are admitted to participate in EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® Extra Virgin Olive Oils from all over the world (Northern and Southern Hemisphere):
- A) Conventional Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
- B) Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
- C) PDO/PGI Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The samples of Extra Virgin Olive Oil may also be:
- D) Single varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Monovarietal extra virgin olive oil);
- E) Coupage Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Blend of two or more varieties).
The “Flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil“, variously flavored, are also eligible for participation in the competition:
- F) Condiments (Flavoured EVOOs).
(1)In the categories indicated, all the products over the world may compete in the categories above provided they are bottled and bear an official brand label compliant with the laws of the country of origin.
Participation to the contest implies accepting the rules and regulations stated here and the decisions of the judging panel which are final.
EVOO
The extra virgin olive oil oils presented in the contest must be accompanied by:
- chemical analysis certificate issued by an accredited testing lab (ISO 17025 compliant) indicating free fatty acids, peroxides, absorption characteristics (K232nm, K270nm, and ΔK), etc.;
- panel test issued by an accredited testing lab (IOC, EU, etc,.) or self-certification of the fruity, bitter and pungent category with indication of the respective intensity (delicate, medium, robust) and absence of defects;
- only in the case of organic production and/or PDO/PGI, the certificate issued by the control body must be enclosed.
Relating to the batch of the sample entered and dated within 180 days prior to submission. Only in the case of extra virgin olive oils, to be considered as extra virgin olive oils, the samples must be with the median of the defects equal 0 (Md= 0) and the median of the fruity attribute is above 0 (Mf> 0).
All parameters must be within the limits imposed by IOC (IOC/T.20) and the Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 amended.
Flavoured EVOO
The Organic flavoured EVOO must be accompanied by appropriate certification issued by the control body.
The EVO IOOC Italy competition is open to all individual producers (olive growers), olive oil mills, producer cooperatives and cooperative associations, bottlers, export companies and any type of business enterprise that produces, bottles and trades in branded extra virgin olive oil.
Proof of provenance of all the samples must be guaranteed, on request of the organizing committee, with appropriate documentation.
All submitted samples must bear an official brand label compliant with the laws of the country of origin. Moreover the samples of extra virgin olive oil presented at EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® must:
- come from a single homogeneous batch of at least 500 liters;
- be bottled in appropriate bottles/containers containing 1 liter or less;
- be accompanied by certification from an accredited laboratory (Chemical analysis and Panel test).
The Flavoured EVOO presented at EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® must:
- come from a single homogeneous batch of at least 100 liters;
- be bottled in appropriate bottles/containers containing 1 liter or less;
Any exception from the rule (only for the quantity of the homogeneous batch required), accompanied by a motivated request, may be approved by the President of the Contest.
Registration to the EVO IOOC Italy (EVOOs and Flavoured EVOOs): participants will need to fill out the entry form before May 6, 2024 (deadline) by registering on the website www.evo-iooc.com.
Entry Fee:
1) Extra Virgin Olive Oils & Flavoured EVOOs
Early booking (by January 31, 2024)
- For only one sample submitted: € 220,00
Multiple registrations:
- Up to 4 samples: € 195,00 each
- Between 5 and 8 samples: € 175,00 each
- More than 8 samples: € 150,00 each
Regular Booking (Registration and payment by May 6, 2024)
- For only one sample submitted: € 250,00
Multiple registrations:
- Up to 4 samples: € 225,00 each
- Between 5 and 8 samples: € 200,00 each
- More than 8 samples: € 180,00 each
All tuition fees must be paid to the EVO IOOC Italy by May 6, 2024.
During the registration, participants will find all the necessary information and forms in their own reserved area (PRODUCERS PRIVATE AREA) of the appevo-iooc.it website, which consists of several sections:
- DASHBOARD
- MY PROFILE
- MY PRODUCTS LIST
- REGISTRATION STATUS
- NOTICE BOARD
- MY DOCUMENTS
To help participants complete their registration correctly, an FAQ area (Frequently Asked Questions) and a short explanatory tutorial (VIDEO) are available on the DASHBOARD.
(2)All registration rights will be retained by the organization and will not be returned if the samples sent arrive after the official entry date (deadline) set by these competition regulations. Furthermore, the organization may decide, at any time and unilaterally, to cancel the EVO IOOC Italy event. In this case, only the registration fees already paid will be returned to the participating companies and in no case, the samples sent to the competition will be returned.
IMPORTANT: it is recommended to correctly fill in all the fields of MY PROFILE, paying close attention to their completeness and to the way in which the information is entered (eg use of upper/lower case), and carefully check the accuracy of the data. The information entered will be used for the publication of the results on the evo-iooc.com website and used in the EVO IOOC GUIDE. No changes will be possible after May 6, 2024.
At the same time as entering the competition it will be possible to enter data useful for the inclusion in the EVO IOOC Guide Buyers Edition.
All olive oil and flavoured EVOOs winner of the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® will be highlighted in a special guidebook for Buyers which will be distributed at International events.
EVO IOOC Italy will devote one page to each winner with a complete and correct technical card by the start date of the competition.
In the event of an incomplete and/or incorrectly completed form, inclusion in the guide will not be guaranteed.
Please remember that inclusion in the guide is free and is subject to obtaining one of the EVO IOOC Italy awards.
EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® Payment methods:
- By Credit Card via PayPal
- By PayPal
- By Direct Bank Deposit addressed to
Associazione EVO IOOC
BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS:
BPER Banca
Via Roma, 44 – 89015 Palmi (RC) – Italy
IBAN: IT02Q0538781490000043039713
BIC SWIFT: BPMOIT22XXX
In Comments enter: number of registration available on the personal DASHBOARD (FLV EVOO CODE), name of products entered in EVO IOOC Italy.
The samples not compliant with payment, or any expenses for customs clearance, will not be admitted to judgement.
Producers must ship samples to our offices in Italy specifying on the address “To the Attention of Ufficio Concorso EVO IOOC Italy before May 6, 2024.
For each sample 4 (four) bottles or other proper containers. All bottles, or containers sent, must have a valid labeling in accordance with laws in the country of origin.
Furthermore, it will be necessary to send:
- Chemical analysis (FFA, peroxide, UV, etc.) certificate issued by an accredited testing (only EVOOs);
- Invoice with a nominal value of € 3.00 per bottle (mandatory for non-EU shipments), or else labeling sample packaging “SAMPLE WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE-NOT FOR SALE” (the price must always be indicated). All bottles or containers must bear an official brand label compliant with the laws of the country of origin.
In the case of Organic production and/or PDO/PGI, the certificate issued by the control body must be enclosed.
The participating company declares that the samples registered in the competition is part of the lot declared in the entry form.
Sample shipping information.
ADDRESS
Associazione EVO IOOC Italy
Antonio G. Lauro
Via Giotto, 11
89015 Palmi (RC)
Mobile: +39 333 2313151
Sample delivery
Note for the carrier: Delivery in the days from Monday to Friday; Acceptance times: office hours.
IMPORTANT: Out of EU the samples must be shipped “door to door” preferably with a freight forwarder or courier and labeled “Delivery Duty Paid(3)“. The organizers decline any responsibility for the possible delivery of the samples after the established date. Contest organizers are NOT to be held responsible for the total or partial loss of samples during transport or any chemical/physical or organoleptic alterations of the samples due to thermal excursions, breakages or other anomalies occurred during transportation.
Shipping costs, including possible customs and health charges, up to the destination, are fully borne by the participating companies.
EVO IOOC Italy will under no circumstances pay extra shipping costs (for samples coming from the non-EU area, we recommend Duty Paid – Delivery Duty Paid (3)). Only in exceptional cases will this organization be able to anticipate any customs clearance charges due, charges that must be reimbursed by the participating company before the start of the competition; otherwise the oils (EVO or Condiments) pending with the payments of the customs clearance amounts will not be admitted to the competition.
It is advisable to strictly follow the information on the application form, if in doubt consult the FAQ section of the site, use your private area (YOUR MESSAGES), or write to info@evo-iooc.com. From receipt of the samples to their presentation to the panel, the organizers will be responsible for keeping the samples correctly and adequately, to ensure their integrity.
(3)Incoterms: D.D.P. Delivery Duty Paid. In the term “Duty Free Return” the seller fulfills the obligation of delivery by making the goods available to the buyer in the agreed place in the importing country. The seller must bear the risks and costs, including duties, taxes and other charges, in order to be able to deliver the goods to that place, cleared for importation.
After verifying all documentation pertaining to each product, the sample will be placed in its specific category.
For the evaluation of the samples, an APP developed for EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® will be used during the tasting sessions, which shows the official tasting sheet and a points system between 0 and 100.
The President and a technical committee will select the jury and commission members. The number of judges tasting the samples will depend on the number of samples entered in the contest. Each Tasting panel is formed by 4 members: three judges and a chairman.
The President (Panel Leader) and the General Manager of EVO IOOC Italy will preside the contest.
The jury will be composed of personalities who enjoy a great reputation in the world of EVOO and are universally recognized as opinion leaders in their own countries. Their high knowledge of the olive oil sector and their know-how will contribute to the success of the competition, increasing its reputation all over the world.
To ensure the maximum level of transparency, the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® Competition judges will not evaluate olive oils or flavoured oils from any company in which they or any of their relatives are involved, be it as producers, bottlers or distributors, etc..
To this end, all judges must sign a declaration in which s/he denies or declares involvement with companies in the oil growing, milling or bottling sectors. In the case that a judge does have connections s/he will be assigned samples where there is no conflict of interest.
All winners will be notified on the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® website (www.evoiooc.com) on the results of the contest and will receive by e-mail a notification.
After the announcement of the results, those entitled will find the certificate of the prize won (Diploma) in the reserved area of the appevo-iooc.it website (MY DOCUMENTS).
The publication of the results on the competition website constitutes the only official notice certifying the awarding of the prize awarded to the company, and will recognize the high quality of the product, as judged by the official panel of the EVO IOOC Italy competition.
Any other form of publicity of the competition results will be considered to all intents and purposes ‘provisional’ pending the final results published, as mentioned, on the official website of the competition www.evo-iooc.com.
At the written request of the companies concerned, it will be possible to provide a brief description of the extra virgin olive oil or flavoured EVO sent to the competition and information on its classification at the product prize (any score/strengths/weaknesses, etc.).
Various prize categories have been established in the competition:
Extra virgin olive oil:
- Best in Class, Special Award and Best of Country(4);
- Other awards(5) (Gold Medal, Silver Medal).
Condiments (Flavoured EVOOs):
- Best in Class(4);
- Other awards(5) (Gold Medal, Silver Medal).
(4)To the winners of each single category, a trophy will be awarded to the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® and a certificate that will validate the prize won. Trophies will be presented at the awards ceremony to the official representative of the producer or his delegate. The awards may also be picked up within a few days after the ceremony, in alternative they may be shipped on written request of the producer and at his entire expense to the address provided on the entry form.
(5)All winners of other awards will receive a certificate validating the award and specifying the category of the award. This certificate (Diploma) will be downloadable from the official contest website after the end of the contest.
The competition consists of two distinct sections:
- EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® reserved for Extra Virgin Olive Oils
- EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® reserved for Flavoured EVOOs
and confers the following awards:
EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest®
The absolute prizes of the competition consist of the Best in Class Awards awarded to the best EVOOs or Condiments (Flavoured EVOO) in the category to which they belong.
- EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® – Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Best in Class divided into extra virgin olive oils from the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere:
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Award – North Hemisphere: top prize to the best single varietal, coupage (blend) or organic extra virgin olive oil from the Northern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Award – South Hemisphere: top prize to the best single varietal, coupage (blend) or organic extra virgin olive oil from the Southern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Organic – North Hemisphere: top prize to the best organic extra virgin olive oil from the Northern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Organic – South Hemisphere: top prize to the best organic extra virgin olive oil from the Southern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International PDO/PGI – North Hemisphere: top prize to the best PDO/PGI extra virgin olive oil from the Northern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Monovarietal – North Hemisphere: top prize to the best single varietal extra virgin olive oil from the Northern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Monovarietal – South Hemisphere: top prize to the best single varietal extra virgin olive oil from the Southern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Coupage – North Hemisphere: top prize to the best coupage (blend) extra virgin olive oil from the Northern Hemisphere.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Coupage – South Hemisphere: top prize to the best coupage (blend) extra virgin olive oil from the Southern Hemisphere.
To the absolute prizes listed above are added Special Awards and Best of Country.
Special Awards
- EVO IOOC Italy Best of Host Region: top prize to the best single varietal, coupage (blend) or organic extra virgin olive oil from the Italian region hosting the competition.
- EVO IOOC Italy Ràul C. Castellani Best of South America dedicated to who has been the Technical Director and co-founder of the Contest, for the best extra virgin olive oil monovarietal, coupage (blend) or organic from South America.
- EVO IOOC Italy Best Of Area, special award to the best extra virgin olive oil of a single region or area.
Best Of Country
- EVO IOOC Italy Best Of Country, special award to the best extra virgin olive oil of a single country.
- EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® reserved for Flavoured EVOOs
Best in Class
- EVO IOOC Italy Best International Flavoured EVOO: top prize to the best Flavoured extra virgin olive oil.
Other awards (Gold and Silver Medals) for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flavoured EVOO.
- EVO IOOC Italy Gold Medal (from 84 to 100 points)
- EVO IOOC Italy Silver Medal (from 65 to <84 points)
At the same extra virgin olive oil that will get the highest score in more than one of the categories in competition, will be awarded only one prize, following this order:
- Best International;
- Best Organic;
- Best PDO/PGI;
- Best Monovarietal;
- Best Coupage;
- Best of Country;
- Special Awards.
In order to encourage the commercial activity and promotion of extra virgin olive oils and flavoured EVOOs awarded in the competition, the organization will provide, upon request of the company and for a fee, the high definition file of the sticker showing the category of prize won (Best in Class; Best of Country; Special Awards; Gold Medal; Silver Medal) to be printed and affixed on the label.
Price list of files with the sticker certifying the category of prize won:
- Only one sticker: € 150,00
- Up to 2 stickers: € 120,00 each
- More than 2 stickers: € 100,00 each
(6)Printing specifications for stickers: Print size: 30mm x 30mm – Edge requirements (standard and minimum sizes) Minimum size: 2.54mm, Maximum size: 2.54mm. We recommend indicating the cutting line with a 0.5 -1pt magenta mark.
You can request the file by accessing your private area, or by writing to the e-mail address: info@evo-iooc.com attaching the payment receipt.
Winners will be permitted to affix the adhesive labels supplied by the Contest Organization ONLY to bottles containing the same oil (same harvest, olive varietals and production batch) and in the same packaging as the winning sample. Any other use of the prize sticker is not allowed.
The technical committee of the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest® reserves the right to carry out an analytical check of the extra virgin olive oils and condiments that will win one of the competition prizes, by sending the sample to an analysis laboratory accredited for commercial compliance verification. A sample of all the winning products will be kept by the President of the competition for 30 days from the conclusion of the prize in order to possibly be subjected to analysis and checks.
In addition, all stored samples can be used for promotion and dissemination of the quality of extra virgin olive oil.
The individual company or natural person participating is responsible for all data reported on the registration form and the technical committee has the right to verify its authenticity.
It is illegal to reproduce or falsify the name, the competition logo, the sticker and the certificate of the prizes won; the certificate of attestation of the prize awarded, the name and the logo of the competition are of free use, exclusively for the winning companies. Offenders will be prosecuted by law.
In case of disputes with the EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest®, the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Palmi (Italy) court notwithstanding the nationality of the contestants.
The only official recognized languages for documents concerning the competition are Italian and English. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to change the above terms and conditions at any time in case of necessity.
DISPUTES of EVO IOOC Italy EVO International Olive Oil Contest®: in no case will the samples be subjected to tasting again as the deliberation of the jury of the competition is unquestionable; it is recalled that participation in the contest also implies the specific acceptance of this rule.
EVO IOOC Italy – EVO International Olive Oil Contest
Via Giotto, 11 – 89015 PALMI (RC)
Fiscal code: 91032030800 – E-mail: info@evo-iooc.com
- EVO IOOC Italy Competition Presidency: Antonio G. Lauro
via Giotto, 11 – 89015 Palmi (RC) – e-mail: lauro@evo-iooc.com
- General Direction of the EVO IOOC Italy Competition: Stefania Reggio
Corso Europa, 16 – 20060 Pessano Con Bornago (MI) – e-mail: reggio@evo-iooc.com
- Technical Direction of the EVO IOOC Italy Competition: Leonardo Castellani
Città di Mendoza Mendoza (Argentina) – e-mail: info@evo-iooc.com – Phone number: +39 333 23 13 151
- Website: www.evo-iooc.com – Official e-mail address: info@evo-iooc.com