Final results announced for 2026 NYIOOC Northern Hemisphere edition

The 2026 Northern Hemisphere edition of the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition concluded with producers from 29 countries earning 464 Gold Awards and 234 Silver Awards from 1,021 entries.

Italy led all countries with 166 awards, followed by Croatia with 128, Greece with 106, the United States with 95 and Spain with 85. Together, the five countries accounted for most of the awards in this year’s contest.

Croatia again stood out among the leading countries, earning 103 Gold Awards and 25 Silver Awards from 144 entries, while Greece reached a record 106 awards despite a difficult harvest season marked by pests, labor shortages and late rains.

Other Balkan producers also recorded strong results. Bosnia and Herzegovina earned 16 awards, including 15 Gold Awards, while Montenegro reached a record nine awards.

Among individual producers, The Master Miller earned ten Gold Awards, the most ever won by a single producer in one year, and moved into the top position in the Olive Oil Times World Rankings.

The results also reflected broader trends in high-quality olive oil production. Organic entries earned 262 awards from 375 submissions, while monovarietals continued to outperform blends, with a success rate of 78 percent compared with 63 percent.

Despite weather extremes, market volatility and rising production costs, producers across the Northern Hemisphere described the recognition as a milestone in seasons that often required earlier harvests, tighter selection and faster milling.