The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce the Winners of the 2026 DACH and Eastern European Craft Chocolatier competitions, which were judged in person in Vienna from 22-23 January.
The DACH and Eastern European competitions judged craft chocolatier entries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and countries of Eastern Europe with the help of our local partner and judge Lilla Toth-Tatai from Taste.Better.Chocolate in Vienna, Austria. The in-person judging and the winners’ announcement took place at the Schokoladefestival in Vienna.
The Grand Jury Finalists are listed here.
Winners of these rounds will pass through to the World Final organized in October-November 2026.
This craft competition awards prizes for craft chocolatier products including filled chocolates/bonbons, pralines, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads made with bean-to-bar chocolate as well as flavoured bars made with couverture.
Plain/origin and flavoured bean-to-bar products from European chocolate makers are judged at the 2026 European, Middle Eastern and African Bean-to-Bar Competition in April-May 2026.
Judges
The judges were drawn from local experts, food journalists, our IICCT Alumni and members of our permanent international Grand Jury.
Prizes
The categories judged included filled chocolates, enrobed fruits and nuts and chocolate spreads, as well as flavoured bars (not bean-to-bar). All judging is anonymized, including at the Grand Jury final session, where Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes are awarded by private voting.
Awards are awarded only to entries that meet the required standard for each prize.
The 2026 DACH Craft Chocolatier Winners are:
(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)
Flavoured bars
White chocolate bars with an infusion or flavouring
Bronze: Chocolate Vision (Germany) – Houjicha (86.5)
Combination chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces
Bronze: Trüffel Güse Hannover (Germany) – Best Taste Ever (86.3)
Nuts
Milk chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Bronze: AHERZ (Austria) – Umami Hazelnut Dragee (85.6) (**)
(*) Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.
(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.
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The 2026 Eastern European Craft Chocolatier Winners are:
(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)
Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines and truffles
Unflavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles
Silver: Maria Magdalena Bizgan (Romania) – Ecuador Dark Chocolate Water Ganache (87.7)
Nuts
Dark chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Bronze: chocoMe (Hungary) – Piemonte hazelnut, salted dark gianduja (86.7) (**)
Nut based pralines with milk chocolate
Bronze: Maria Magdalena Bizgan (Romania) – Walnut Whipped Praline (85.7)
(*) Â Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.
(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.
