Competition
The competition
Caviar, judged on taste alone.
Founded and hosted in Gstaad, The Black Pearl Awards are the only independent, chef-led competition dedicated solely to caviar. No industry panel: the jury is made of Michelin-starred and GaultMillau-recognised chefs, so every decision rests on craftsmanship and flavour.
The awards
One medal for every species
Gold
Outstanding excellence
Silver
Remarkable quality
Bronze
Distinguished achievement
The highest distinction
Black Pearl Award · Master of Excellence
Reserved for the most outstanding entry of the competition, across every species and typology.
Special distinctions
Beyond the tin
Rising Star
For producers who started farming within 15 years before the Awards.
Innovation & Design
Creativity, innovation and brand personality in packaging.
Green Pearl
Sustainability, ethics and responsibility in sturgeon farming.
Scoring
A 100-point grid, six dimensions
Appearance
Colour and natural tone, lustre, uniformity of the grain.
Grain & texture
Firmness, clean pop, membrane integrity, creaminess.
Aroma
A fresh, clean marine nose; complexity and elegance.
Flavour
Balance of salt and fat, purity of the species, depth.
Aftertaste
Length, persistence and a clean evolution.
Processing & freshness
Ripeness at harvest, precision of salting, overall freshness.
Tasting dynamics
Blind, coded, unhurried.
Each tin is opened in optimal conditions in a separate room, then served on identical mother-of-pearl plates marked only with a code, to show colour and shine at their best.
Each entry competes within its species and its typology: fresh, or fresh with preservatives (E285).
No brand, no tin, no origin at the table
One code per plate
Points, culinary quality only
Michelin and GaultMillau kitchens
Eligibility
Open to the whole world of caviar
Farms, maisons, brands, merchants and distributors, from every origin and every species. If your tin carries a CITES code, the chefs want to taste it.
CITES traceability
Every tin carries its CITES code: species, origin, year, licensed producer or repacker, lot. No code, no entry.
Legal trade
Compliance with export and import rules, shipping documents included.
Cold chain
Samples delivered to Switzerland under cold-chain conditions.
Packaging
Sealed tins, jars or containers of 100 g minimum.
The 2027 edition · 16 March · Gstaad
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