By submitting an entry to participate in the GIOOC World Olive Oil Competition (GIOOC) — the world’s premier olive oil competition and a prestigious gathering of four international competitions: the Scandinavian, Afro-Asian, European, and United States International Olive Oil Competitions — each participant agrees to these Terms and Conditions. Each participant must read these Terms and Conditions carefully.
Olive oil producers and distributors are entitled to participate in the GIOOC. By joining an olive oil competition in the GIOOC, the participant endorses that they have full ownership of the olive oil and all intellectual property associated with it, including the brand name, packaging, and any intellectual property rights associated with such olive oil. Only producers who have produced a minimum quantity of 500 kg for the 2024/2025 olive growing campaign are eligible to participate.
All participants must complete and submit the online joining form to the GIOOC. By submitting the joining form and paying the entire fee, each participant will receive an email containing a joining confirmation and a packing document to be included with the participant’s shipment of oil samples to the GIOOC.
Each participant must provide the GIOOC with two separate samples of each olive oil that they enter into the GIOOC. Each sample must be submitted in its normal packaging and with its normal brand label. This rule applies to all, regardless of the normal packaging size of the sample (i.e., whether the normal packaging size is 250 ML, 500 ML, or any other size, the participant must submit two samples). Once received by the GIOOC, samples will be masked with a transparent cover and assigned a random code to ensure anonymity during judging. With each submitted olive oil, participants must send its chemical analysis proving that it is extra virgin olive oil (acidity, PV, K232, K270) released by an accredited laboratory. The GIOOC has the right to assign a third-party olive oil chemistry testing provider to perform chemical tests on submitted samples to assess their purity and sensitive quality. If a sample fails any such chemical test, the sample will be disqualified, the participant will be notified of the failure, and, upon written request, the GIOOC will provide the participant with a copy of the test results. The participant agrees to hold harmless the GIOOC for the results of such testing by the third-party provider. All testing is subject to the testing provider’s terms of service.
Samples must be received by the GIOOC between February 15th to March 31st. Samples submitted after the stipulated deadline will not be eligible for judging in the GIOOC. Samples that are not received on time will not be returned to the participant.
Participants are responsible for packing their samples in a way that prevents breakage during transit. If the GIOOC receives a broken sample, the GIOOC will use reasonable efforts to promptly notify the participant of the broken sample. The participant will be required to re-send any broken sample (or samples) at their own expense. The above-described deadlines will be applicable to any re-sent samples as though the initial, broken sample had never been received by the GIOOC. The GIOOC will not be liable for any failure to timely notify a participant of a broken sample.
The GIOOC will not be responsible for any customs charges or ensuring compliance with any laws, rules, or regulations related to shipping goods in international commerce. Participants will bear the risk of loss of any samples in transit and will be solely responsible for ensuring that samples are received by the GIOOC. Shipping costs will not be refundable by the GIOOC under any circumstances. However, the GIOOC will use reasonable efforts to confirm receipt of samples from participants.
Organic entries must be accompanied by organic certification. If proof of organic certification satisfactory to the GIOOC, in its sole discretion, is not received by the GIOOC prior to March 31st, the sample will be judged in the non-organic category.
The decisions of the judging panel and the GIOOC president are final. Judges are not affiliated with the GIOOC and are comprised of independent industry-recognized experts in their particular discipline. At the discretion of the GIOOC, any particular participant will receive a summary of the judges’ assessment of its olive oil entry beyond whether it won or did not win.
The results will be announced and certified only by the president of the GIOOC. The winners may mention their accomplishment only on labels of extra virgin olive oil bottles from the same batch as the winning sample. The GIOOC will use reasonable efforts to avoid disclosing the scores of non-winning samples, but the GIOOC makes no guarantee that such scores will remain confidential. All results are final.
By submitting an entry to the GIOOC, each participant hereby grants a perpetual, royalty-free license to the GIOOC and each of their affiliates to use winners’ names, likenesses, recordings (whether audio or visual), and other information submitted to the GIOOC, as well as images and information related to such participant’s olive oil entry(ies), for advertising, promotional, and educational purposes without compensation to the participant.
Each participant hereby assigns ownership of all samples submitted to the GIOOC and the associated right to publicize such samples, with the understanding that all such entries will remain the property of the GIOOC before, during, and after the competition. For clarity, the GIOOC does not purport to own the intellectual property in the samples submitted to it by participants. Participants shall be solely liable for any claims arising out of or relating to any samples submitted to the GIOOC.
Submitted samples will not be returned to participants before, during, or after the competition for any reason, except at the GIOOC’s sole discretion.
For the products that participated, we may request photos and promotional videos from the participants. Additionally, we can arrange shooting sessions for the winner’s products.
The GIOOC will not be responsible for lost, interrupted, or unavailable communications, network servers, or other connections, or failed telephone communications, computer transmissions, or other errors of any kind, whether human, mechanical, or electronic. The GIOOC assumes no responsibility for any error, defect, delay, theft, or unauthorized access to or alteration of entries. Subject to applicable law, if for any reason, including, but not limited to, acts of God, wars, acts of terrorism, revolution, civil commotion, acts of public enemy, embargo, acts of government in its sovereign capacity, labor difficulties, or any other circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the GIOOC, the GIOOC is not capable of operating the competition as planned, the GIOOC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the competition, and the GIOOC shall not be liable for any losses, causes of action, claims, or damages arising from any such cancellation, termination, modification, or suspension.
Winners will be permitted to order adhesive labels only through the GIOOC’s approved vendor(s). Winning participants will be permitted to affix the award logo labels only to bottles containing the same oil (same harvest, olive varieties, and production batch) and in the same packaging as the winning sample. Alterations, modification, or digital manipulation of GIOOC logos, award artwork, seals, certificates, or other designs are not allowed. Any other use of the GIOOC award logos or other GIOOC intellectual property is strictly prohibited.
Award trophies are not included in the entry fee. Trophies can be ordered by verified winners on the GIOOC website immediately following the competition for a period of sixty (60) days. Participants are responsible for all costs associated with obtaining, publicizing, or using any trophy or award, including any taxes or other fees that may be charged to any participant in relation to such a trophy or award. The GIOOC offers each winner certificates as well as digital stickers of excellent resolution.
If a participant has any questions regarding the GIOOC, please contact the GIOOC at: info@giooc.com.
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