The International Chocolate Awards is pleased to announce the Winners of the Scandinavian Craft Chocolatier competition, which was judged in-person in Bordeaux, France on 30 April and 1 May 2026 at the Show/Colat Festival.
The winners’ announcement was held at Show/Colat in Bordeaux, France on Saturday, 2nd May during a fun live event where many of our entrants came together to celebrate award-winning European craft chocolate. Our co-founders Monica Meschini and Martin Christy hosted the event together with Grand Jury members and some of our local judges.
Winners of this 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 were judged at the 2026 European, Middle Eastern and African Bean-to-Bar Competition in April 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 Scandinavian Craft Chocolatier Winners are:
(Prizes are shown in score order for each medal)
Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines en truffels
Ganaches of truffels van donkere chocolade met toegevoegde smaak
Silver: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Cardemomme Dark Chocolate Ganache (87.5) (**)
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Coffee Ganache (86.6) (**)
Ganaches of truffels van melkchocolade
Bronze: Gånsviks Choklad (Sweden) – Anais (86.7) (**)
Ganaches of truffels van witte chocolade
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – ABSINTHE (85.9) (**)
Ganaches of truffels met een coating of vulling van gemengde donkere/melk/witte chocolade
Silver: Gånsviks Choklad (Sweden) – Magnus (87.1) (**)
+ Special: Local ingredients
Bronze: Ett kilo socker (Sweden) – Vätternrundan (85.7)
Noten
Melkchocolade dragees, omhulde hele noten
Silver: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Liquorice Dragée (87.1) (**)
+ Special: Reinterpretation
Karamels
Karamel omhuld met donkere chocolade
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Star Anise Caramel (85.7) (**)
Karamel omhuld met melkchocolade
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Winter Caramel (86.6) (**)
Overige – fruit/suiker/boter/crème
Met donkere chocolade omhulde manon/boter/crème
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Jamaica Rum (86.1) (**)
Met witte chocolade omhulde manon/boter/crème
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Rhubarb Creme (85.8) (**)
Bronze: Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) – Sour Cherry Creme (85.5) (**)
(*) Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.
(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.
