EVOOLEUM TOP20 Southern Hemisphere

The EVOOLEUM TOP20 Southern Hemisphere category is an extension of the International Competition for the Quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oils-EVOOLEUM AWARDS whose sole objective is to recognize and reward the 20 best Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs) produced exclusively in countries of the Southern Hemisphere, whose harvest season is later than that of the Northern Hemisphere. 

COMPETITION RULES 

1. Requirements.

Producers, packers, or distributors of extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) whose origin or main headquarters are located in a country geographically situated in the Southern Hemisphere are eligible to participate.

The oils submitted must be from the harvest season 2025/26 in the Southern Hemisphere.

The EVOO entered in the competition must be 100% olive juice, obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means.

Samples must be accompanied by a physicochemical analysis report prepared by a laboratory recognized by the International Olive Council (IOC) or, failing that, certified under ISO 17025, specifying the following parameters: Acidity, Peroxide Value, K270, and K232.

The EVOOs submitted must come from a batch with a minimum volume of 2,500 liters, stored at the submitting mill. The volume of this batch must be indicated on the registration form.

The candidate must certify the sampling at the source in the presence of a notary public or a public official who will draw up a document indicating the batch, storage facility, variety, and volume of oil, along with the alphanumeric code assigned upon registration with EVOOLEUM. These samples will be labeled with the alphanumeric code designated during registration and sent to the competition. 

2. Participation.

Producers in the Southern Hemisphere have two avenues for participation:

1. EVOOLEUM TOP100 (general category):

It involves entering the main EVOOLEUM Awards competition, but must meet the Northern Hemisphere’s submission deadlines. 

1. EVOOLEUM TOP20 Southern Hemisphere (specific category):

It is eligible to be chosen as one of the 20 best EVOOs in the Southern Hemisphere for the season, but it cannot compete in any other category of the main competition. 

3. Registration method.

The following steps must be followed:

3.1 Complete the online registration form in full under REGISTRATION. If you are registering multiple samples, you must complete a separate registration form for each one.

3.2 Once the registration form has been completed, the form will request payment of the participation fee for the competition, which is set at 245 euros (taxes included) per sample submitted.

3.3 Shipping the following materials via courier to the address below:

• Bulletin signed by an accredited laboratory with the results of the physicochemical analysis referred to above in section 1;
• Four 500 ml bottles or containers in opaque glass (or cans) of the same capacity, as sold, for each sample submitted. The back of each container must bear a label with the reference or alphanumeric code assigned upon registration for the EVOOLEUM Awards, which will have been sent to your email address on the registration form.

All of this should be sent to: 

EVOOLEUM Awards

REF.No: (Include the reference number assigned during the online registration).

Avda. Menéndez Pidal, s/n. Alameda del Obispo. Edificio 3. Despacho 213-AEMO

14004 Córdoba

Tel.: (+34) 957 040 774

Móv.: (+34) 654 118 418

E-mail: difusion@evooleum.com

Contact: Pilar Marín

 

Sample reception hours: 09:00-14:30h (Monday to Friday) 

• Since these are shipments outside the European Union, the following aspects must be considered:
• The sender (participant/exporter) must indicate to their transport agency (preferably DHL), before each shipment, that they will cover all costs, indicating “shipment with DDP” or “Delivery Duty Paid”; this means that the sender assumes all associated costs, including unloading the goods and any applicable customs procedures and costs.
• The package must display -prominently on the surface- the following documents:
  Destination label:

EVOOLEUM Awards

AEMO

Avda. Menéndez Pidal, s/n. Alameda del Obispo. Edificio 3

14004 Córdoba

Tlf.: +34 957040774 / +34 654118418

E-mail: difusion@evooleum.com

2.- Invoice, like this model, also affixed to the surface of each box that is shipped, in a very visible place for customs control.

The EVOOLEUM Awards organization will not be responsible for any customs charges or expenses generated in international shipments.

Shipments outside of Europe are subject to border security controls and certain import procedures necessary for customs clearance.

The sender is responsible for understanding the export requirements and providing the necessary documentation for entry into the destination country. 

4. Registration deadlines and sample submission deadlines.

Given the later date of the campaign, the submission deadline will be extended until April 30, 2026.

The organization is not responsible for delays or expenses arising from transportation and/or customs inspections. Therefore, the participation fee will not be refunded if the samples do not arrive by the indicated date. Similarly, the EVOOLEUM Awards organization is not responsible for any loss of merchandise during transit or for any breakage, which must be replaced by the participant. 

NOTE: It should be noted that, taking into account delays in the inspection of Spanish customs, samples are usually held for at least 3 weeks. 

5. Sample selection and evaluation process.

Once the sample submission period has ended, the competition organizers will deliver two bottles of each oil, each bearing its reference number, to a certified notary. One bottle will be kept in reserve to determine the Overall Quality Index in case of a tie; the third bottle will be used for photography and marketing purposes.

The notary will seal the bottles, caps, and labels with the competition reference number and identify each bottle with a secret code, which will be returned to the organizers. The correspondence between the samples and the secret codes will be kept safe by the notary and will not be known to any member of the organization.

After the jury’s organoleptic evaluation, the organizers will provide the notary with a list of the secret codes and their corresponding scores. The notary will then return a list of the original reference numbers with the score assigned to each, all in a sealed envelope.

The candidate oils will be organoleptically evaluated by a jury of renowned experts using the competition’s evaluation sheet, which is based on the one used by the IOC for assessing quality oils. The arithmetic mean of the jury members’ total scores will be calculated, discarding the highest and lowest scores, resulting in a final score from 0 to 100 points. This mean will be rounded to two decimal places.

The 20 extra virgin olive oils with the highest scores will then be selected, based solely on their sensory attributes and quality, without regard to variety or country of origin.

In the event that two or more oils obtain the same total score, rounded to two decimal places, they will be ranked according to the Overall Quality Index determined in the analysis.

6. Awards.

The 20 highest-scoring extra virgin olive oils will be recognized as members of the EVOOLEUM TOP20 Southern Hemisphere, and will be featured in the EVOOLEUM World’s TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide. The selected oils will be promoted through EVOOLEUM Awards’ digital channels and press releases.

The winners will receive a digital seal for commercial use, certifying their recognition as members of the EVOOLEUM TOP20 Southern Hemisphere. 

7. Acceptance.

Participation in the EVOOLEUM AWARDS International Competition for the Quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oils implies acceptance of these rules. The jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed; participation in this competition constitutes acceptance of said decision. Furthermore, acceptance of these rules implies that the selected oils will be included in the EVOOLEUM World’s TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide.