Every Olive Oil Has Won an Award. Here's How to Tell Which Ones Actually Matter
Dela
If you've ever stood in the olive oil aisle trying to choose a bottle, you've probably noticed something strange: every single one has won an award.
Gold medal. Silver medal. Best in class. Recognized at some competition in Italy, Spain, New York, or Japan. Sometimes multiple medals on the same bottle.
So either every olive oil is phenomenal, or the award system is complicated.
It's the second one.
Why So Many Bottles Have Gold Medals
Here's what most people don't know: olive oil competitions don't work like the Olympics. There's not one winner per category.
Instead, competitions use a threshold system. If an oil scores above a certain number of points, it gets a medal. If ten oils in the same category all score high enough, they all get gold.
In 2022, the NYIOOC (the world's largest olive oil competition) had 1,267 entries and awarded 543 gold medals. That's not grade inflation—that's how the system works.
Oils are judged blind by expert panels. Each oil gets scored on its own merits: fruitiness, balance, complexity, and whether it has any defects. If it meets the standard for gold, it gets gold. Period.
This is actually better for consumers than a winner-takes-all format. It means more high-quality products get recognized.
But it also means you need to know which competition awarded that shiny medal on the label.
The Competitions That Actually Matter
Not all awards are created equal. Here are the ones professionals respect:
NYIOOC (New York International Olive Oil Competition)
The largest and most prestigious competition in the world. Blind tasting by international expert judges. Thousands of entries from over 30 countries. Winning here is legitimate.
Olive Japan
Run by Japanese sommeliers with a reputation for being extremely rigorous. Japan takes food quality seriously, and this competition reflects that. A gold here means something.
Premios Alimentos de España
Spain's official Ministry of Agriculture award. Only accepts oils from the current harvest season, evaluated by an official panel of tasters. It's one of the most serious recognitions in the industry because it certifies both origin and quality.
FLOS OLEI
Not a competition, but a guide. Think Michelin for olive oil. Oils are scored out of 100 by expert tasters. Anything above 95 is elite. The guide is selective—if a producer is listed, they're doing something right.
Mario Solinas (International Olive Council)
Organized by the International Olive Council—the actual intergovernmental body that sets global olive oil standards. One of the oldest and most technical competitions. Winning here is rare.
There are hundreds of other competitions. Some are legitimate regional contests. Others are pay-to-enter marketing opportunities where just showing up gets you something.
The real competitions want you to know who they are. They put their name on the label clearly. If the competition name is vague or buried in tiny print, treat it as noise.
How Judging Actually Works (At Serious Competitions)
Let's take NYIOOC as an example, since it's the gold standard:
Blind Tasting
Judges taste samples with no idea which producer they're evaluating. No labels, no brands, just the oil.
Sensory Evaluation
Each oil is scored on specific characteristics: fruitiness, bitterness, spiciness, balance, complexity, harmony. Judges look for positive attributes (fresh-cut grass, green almond, tomato leaf) and check for defects (rancidity, mustiness, fermentation).
Score-Based Awards
Oils that score 90+ points get gold. 85-89 gets silver. Below that, bronze or nothing. This is why multiple golds exist—it's not a ranking, it's a threshold.
Category Assignment
Oils are grouped by intensity: delicate, medium, or robust. A delicate oil and a robust oil aren't judged the same way. They're evaluated within their style.
Independent Judging
Each judge scores independently, with no influence from organizers or other panelists. The goal is objectivity.
Premios Alimentos de España works similarly, but only accepts oils from the current harvest—which automatically filters out older, lower-quality entries.
The Competitions That Mean Less
Then there are the others. Hundreds of them.
Some are small regional contests with loose standards. Some are industry events where nearly everyone who enters gets recognized. They're not necessarily scams—they're just not selective.
The problem? Most labels don't clarify which competition awarded the medal. You'll see "Gold Medal Winner" in huge letters, but the competition name is tiny or missing entirely.
That's intentional. Because if the competition name doesn't mean anything, hiding it makes the medal look more impressive than it is.
3 Things to Check When You're Holding a Bottle
Forget everything else. When you're in the store trying to decide, here's what matters:
1. Which competition awarded the medal?
Look for these names specifically:
- NYIOOC (New York)
- Olive Japan
- Premios Alimentos de España
- Mario Solinas
- FLOS OLEI (if it shows a score, look for 95+)
If the competition name isn't clearly visible, or you've never heard of it, assume it doesn't mean much.
2. Check the year of the award AND the harvest date
An oil that won gold in 2020 doesn't tell you anything about the bottle in your hand today.
What you want:
- Award from the current or previous year
- Harvest date from the most recent season (Northern hemisphere: October–November)
Serious competitions like Premios Alimentos de España only accept oils from the current harvest. If a bottle says "Award Winner 2019" with no harvest date? Walk away. That oil is old.
3. Dark glass or tin + reasonable price
Clear glass bottles destroy oil. If a producer won a real medal but bottles in clear glass, something's off.
And good olive oil costs money. If it won a legitimate gold medal but costs €8 per liter, either it's heavily subsidized or the numbers don't add up. Expect €15-30+ per liter for genuinely award-winning oil.
The 30-Second Bottle Check
Your quick mental checklist:
✅ Does it list a specific, recognized competition?
✅ Is the award from this year or last year?
✅ Is there a harvest date within the last 12-18 months?
✅ Is it in dark glass or tin?
✅ Does the price match the quality claims?
If you can check most of those boxes, you're probably holding something real.
If you can't, there are plenty of other bottles on that shelf.
What Actually Matters More Than Awards
Awards are useful signals, but they're not the whole story. Here's what tells you more:
- Harvest date: Fresh is everything.
- Producer reputation: Small estates controlling the whole process tend to make better oil.
- Packaging: Dark glass or tin protects the oil.
- Price: Quality costs money.
- Where you're buying: Specialty shops curate. Supermarkets stack whatever moves.
The Takeaway
Awards aren't meaningless. But they're not a shortcut, either.
A gold from NYIOOC, Premios Alimentos de España, or Olive Japan is a real signal. But "award-winning" without context is just marketing.
Once you know which competitions matter and what else to check, it takes about 30 seconds to spot the real stuff. Look for the big names. Check the dates. Ignore the noise.
And once you taste the difference between genuinely great olive oil and the "award-winning" bottles that clutter supermarket shelves, you won't need to read labels as carefully anymore.
You'll just know.