Entries open: Australian International Olive Awards 2026
By Laura Thomas
New Australian International Olive Awards categories will ensure local growers are better recognised, as the quality of Australian olives continue to match some of the very best in the world.
Australian farmers continue to turn out premium quality produce year-on-year, despite the impact of ongoing climate and economic factors.
Olive oils and table olives are no exception – renowned internationally for their supreme quality and diverse aromas, flavours and textures.
Entries for the 2026 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) are now open.
And as another busy Australian harvest continues, it is time once again for growers and producers to begin preparing their entries, to see how their products stand up against some of the world’s best.
New award categories, better recognition
The AIOA is one of the most comprehensive olive oil and table olive competitions in the world, held annually by the Australian Olive Association.
Event convenor and chief steward Trudie Michels is an accomplished olive oil, food and wine specialist with many years’ experience running olive oil masterclasses and education seminars and judging olive oil both on home soil and internationally.
She has been at the helm of the AIOA since its inception in 2017.
Ms Michels said the industry had evolved significantly during that time and changes were needed to ensure the achievements of producers were more broadly celebrated.
She has explained in more detail below:
New “Reserve Champion” awards for Best in State categories
This will broaden the number of recipients receiving awards. Our goal is to recognise more producers for their quality oils and give more exhibitors the opportunity to be acknowledged with major awards.
New “Most Successful Exhibitor” trophy introduced for EVOO, table olive and flavoured oil categories
This change is designed to promote quality by recognising producers who consistently achieve high standards across multiple entries. We also hope it will encourage producers to participate year after year. The trophy will be awarded based on a points tally calculated as the total points achieved by all entries in a category divided by the total number of entries in that category. To be eligible, exhibitors must enter two or more entries within the same category.
Reducing the number of awards that can be won by the same exhibitor
In the past, producers who won a Best in Show award often received multiple trophies as a result. We wanted to create opportunities for more exhibitors to be recognised by introducing additional awards and spreading recognition more broadly.
Best Southern Hemisphere and Best Northern Hemisphere award removed
Over the past 10 years, we have found that the excellent-quality Northern Hemisphere oils entered into the competition are on par with the best Australian oils, despite the age of the oil. As a result, we no longer see the need for separate awards in these categories.
Remote judging in 2026
Due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding global fuel supply disruptions, increasing input costs and the potential for fuel availability constraints and flight price increases later in the year, the Australian Olive Association has made the responsible decision to run the AIOA judging process remotely in 2026.
The Australian panels will judge remotely in Sydney, Melbourne, Wagga Wagga, Perth and Adelaide, instead of meeting in Adelaide. The international panels will run as normal.
Remote judging will be conducted from 2 – 5 September, with the second Adelaide panel from 11 and 12 September 2026.
Winners announced
An AIOA win puts a producer’s brand and quality olive products in prime market view – recognised by the Australian olive industry, growers, producers and consumers on the world stage.
Major award winners will be publicly announced via an official AOA media release, with all awards and medal winners listed in the 2026 results book, on the Australian Olive Association and AIOA websites, Friday Olive Extracts and other media.
Key dates
Entries open: 1 June 2026
Entries close: 21 August 2026
Medal winners announced: 28 September 2026
(All entrants will be emailed their personal results and decal order link)
More information
Take a look behind the AIOA judging curtain for the first time.
This brand new video provides a backstage pass to the complex processes and practices used to ensure that every aspect of the AIOA reflects the highest management standards.
For more information or to view the 2025 results book, featuring judges’ feedback and profiles, entry statistics and more, visit the AIOA website.