ATHENA IOOC is international and open to all olive oil producing countries of the world, from both the northern and southern hemispheres, provided that the participating entries are Extra Virgin Olive Oils. Flavored (infused) olive oils and those with condiments are also eligible to compete and are individually evaluated by judges using distinct assessment criteria, through a specialized evaluation tasting sheet developed by ATHENA. This tasting sheet, and the one used for the non-flavored EVOOs, is digitally supported by proprietary software specifically designed for the competition.

All of the following criteria must be met in order to participate in the competition:

• Samples submitted must contain olive oil produced by crop of the most recent harvested season.
• Samples must be submitted in their normal retail packaging and brand labels.
• Samples must bear a commercial label compliant with the laws of their country of origin or the country they were bottled in.
• The largest eligible sample size is 1 liter.
• Every sample must be from a single homogeneous batch of at least 500 kilograms.
• The entry form must be submitted to the organizers no later than 07/04/2025.

A fully completed entry form must be submitted through the online registration tool on ATHENA IOOC's website. After payment has been submitted the participant will receive a receipt and an entry confirmation from the organizers.

The entry form for each sample must be followed by the submission of a chemical analysis certificate issued by an accredited (ISO 17025 compliant) testing lab indicating free fatty acids, peroxides and absorption characteristics (Κ232nm, Κ270nm and ΔΚ) and dated no more than 120 days prior to submission.

The certificate of chemical analysis must either be uploaded to the electronic participation tool or sent via email to the organizing company, Vinetum, at info@vinetum.gr, within a reasonable timeframe from the date of submitting the participation application, and in any case, before or at least together with the submission of the samples (the same applies to the certificate for organic olive oil). It is recommended that the chemical analysis certificate be in English, specifically for olive oils from countries like the Middle East, Asia, or other Arabic-speaking regions.

The participation fee for a single sample is €230 (before VAT, if applicable). However, by making use of the early bird discount period, this fee can be reduced to €190. More discounts are available for larger number of samples, starting from the 2^nd one; participants can combine both discount policies (time-based and quantity-based) for maximum effect.

Discount policy in detail:

• TIME-BASED DISCOUNT (early bird period)

Those who register during the early bird period (until 03/02/2025) benefit from a 20% discount; therefore, the participation cost for one sample during the early bird period is €190.00 (before VAT, if applicable). This discount can be combined with the following, quantity-based discount, depending on the number of participating samples:

• QUANTITY-BASED DISCOUNT

For participants with up to 5 samples the fee structure is as follows:

Therefore, total participation cost for up to 5 samples is as follows:

For participants with more than 5 samples the discount per sample is 30%, regardless of the number of samples and the last sample, regardless of its number, is always accepted for free. The fee structure is as follows (example with 7 samples):

Therefore, total participation cost for participants with more than 5 samples is as follows (example with 7 samples):

Important clarification: Only companies with a Greek VAT number and individuals from abroad who are not incorporated as companies (they have no VAT number) are subject to VAT.

1. By direct bank deposit to*: EUROBANK (IBAN): GR0502600360000650200340705 SWIFT: ERBKGRAA*
2. With a prepaid or credit card, through the securely guaranteed system developed by the competition.
3. By credit card through Paypal.

*Important notice: In the case of payment via bank deposit or wire transfer it is necessary to include the company name on the deposit slip and not the name of the person making the deposit. Additionally, the deposit slip should be uploaded or sent to Vinetum via email at info@vinetum.gr.

Depending on your bottle size the required number of samples for every submission is as follows:

1. For 500ml, 750ml or 1 liter bottles: 3 samples.
2. For 350ml bottles: 4 samples.
3. For 250ml or smaller bottles: 5 samples.

Samples must be shipped “door to door” and the use of a freight forwarder or courier company is recommended. Participants are responsible for all shipping costs and any customs duties. The competition organizer cannot be held responsible for the condition of the samples or any breakage prior to their receipt. Moreover, the organizer bears no responsibility for late shipments or delays by the shipping/forwarding company. Once samples are received, the organizer guarantees their secure warehousing in a climate-controlled facility and their safe and proper transfer to the event venue.

Caution: All invoices from companies accompanying samples of olive oils from non-European countries that require customs clearance must be electronic and written in English.

Very important notice:

All packaging must be clearly labeled “SAMPLE WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE – NOT FOR SALE” and must be accompanied by an invoice with a nominal value anywhere from €1 to €20 (US$22). Also, if mailing from outside the EU, it is very important to send your samples in packages that do not exceed 5-6kg, otherwise Greek customs impose duties. Competition participants must submit a copy of the shipping manifest of their samples to the competition organizer.

Samples should be shipped to the following address:

VINETUM Ltd.,

41 Kareas Ave,

162 33 Vyronas, Athens, Greece

EL099109670

Telephone: (+30) 210 766 0560

Samples must be received by the competition organizer no later than 11/04/2025. The organizer cannot guarantee the evaluation of samples that are received after that date. Late sample entries that are not assessed will not be returned. Entry fees are not refundable.

The technical committee is responsible for the reception of submitted samples, the review of all associated documents, of the legal compliance of product labels and the recording, classification and encoding of samples as well as the formation of the panel of judges. Upon receipt of your sample(s), the technical committee will review all submitted and accompanying documents and will notify you as to their adequacy.

The panel consists of judges with many years cumulative experience in the organoleptic assessment of olive oil; judges are accredited by the International Olive Council (IOC) or by other international or national bodies. These bodies are, in turn, accredited either by the IOC or by other recognized educational institutions offering relevant training according to IOC standards. The total number of judges depends on the number of samples submitted to the competition. In any case, two thirds (2/3) of the judges are foreign nationals. Judges are assigned to panels comprised of 5 to 7 members. Each panel has a president who is responsible for the panel’s compliance with the appropriate organoleptic assessment procedures and the competition’s rules.

The evaluation procedure takes place in the morning only and each panel assesses a maximum of 35 samples per day. All entries are sampled in the opaque cobalt blue tasting glasses that have been certified by the IOC as the official vessels for the organoleptic assessment of olive oil. ATHENA panel leader for all committees is Mr José-Maria Penco from Spain.

Samples are assessed using the blind tasting method with each entry identified only by a random code number. Sample classification –the order in which samples are assessed– is organized so that all samples are judged on a fair and equal basis. Each panel of judges clearly identifies on the assessment sheet the organoleptic qualities of olive oils as well as any negative qualities. After the awards ceremony, all participants, gradually receive electronically the feedback and comments from the judging panel regarding their olive oil.

Olive oil entries are assessed using a scoring system with a maximum score of 100. Awards are based on the following table:

65,0/100 to 74,9/100: Bronze medal
75,0/100 to 84,9/100: Silver medal
85,0/100 to 94,9/100: Gold medal
95,0/100 to 100/100:  Double Gold or Grand Gold medal

To further reward specific efforts, ATHENA IOOC presents the following special awards:

1. Best of show (highest score).
2. Best olive oil per country of origin (minimum of 5 entries required).
3. Best single varietal olive oil.
4. Best entry per varietal (minimum of 5 entries required).
5. Best blended (multi-varietal) olive oil.
6. Best olive oil from the Koroneiki varietal, worldwide.
7. Best Greek olive oil from the Koroneiki varietal.
8. Best organic extra virgin olive oil, worldwide.
9. Best Greek organic extra virgin olive oil.
10. Best Greek olive oil per region: Crete, the Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace, Ionian Islands, the Aegean Islands.
11. Best flavored or infused olive oil.
12. Best olive oil produced by winemaker (if at least 5 samples entered).
13. Special award for “best olive oil restaurant” in Greece and other countries that offer an olive oil list or menu with combinations of different olive oils.

The announcement of the awards for the ATHENA IOOC is made online, specifically on the website www.athenaoliveoil.gr. For the 2025 edition, the results will be announced on 23/05/2025 at 12:00 noon.

Within 30 days after the awards ceremony winners will receive, by registered mail and without any additional charge the following: printed certificates of medal obtained with special embossed printing, a metallic embossed plaque “Award Winner”, a large “Award Winner” decal, medal(s) for bronze, silver, gold and double gold distinctions. Additionally, the organoleptic profile of each participant's olive oil is sent to them electronically. Upon request, the winners can also purchase special stickers for their award-winning olive oils from the organizers for a small additional fee.

The organizers of the Athena International Olive Oil Competition trust that all participants will provide accurate declarations about their olive oil, both on the registration form and in the chemical analysis they send. However, they also retain the right to re-evaluate any award-winning olive oil through chemical analysis and cross-organoleptic testing with the appropriate procedures and means. This reassessment will compare the sample sent to the competition with the same olive oil acquired directly from the producer or from market, in order to ascertain that the products are identical.

For sampling and statistical reasons, approximately 10% of the awarded samples are reevaluated. This is done by comparing a new laboratory-chemical analysis with that of the same sample sent to the competition and with a sample of olive oil received from the organizers or their representatives from the producer’s facilities to verify their identity. 

ATHΕΝΑ IOOC includes a special awards ceremony for all competition winners, which is attended by official representatives of major organizations from the olive oil industry and the media, olive oil and food professionals, growers and olive oil aficionados. The ceremony is preceded by a day-long tasting event featuring winning entries, for HoReCa professionals, food writers, growers and olive oil tasters. 

The ATHENA 2025 award ceremony will take place on June 7, 2025, in Athens, at the Zappeion Megaro.

14/11/2024: Competition opens for registration.
03/02/2025: Last day for early bird registrations.
07/04/2025: Last day for all registrations.
11/04/2025: Final deadline for samples to reach Vinetum.
08-10/05/2025: Evaluation process.
23/05/2025: Announcement of results.