The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO) is pleased to announce the winners of the 12th Annual Art and Olfaction Awards, revealed June 11, 2026, at the Gazarte Cultural Center in Athens, Greece.
The ceremony brought together perfumers, artists, journalists, educators, and fragrance enthusiasts from around the world for an intimate and friendly celebration of excellence in global independent, artisan, and experimental practices with scent.
For Its twelfth year, the Art and Olfaction Awards continued to champion creative innovation and artistic risk-taking in perfumery and olfactory art. Through a rigorous, three-stage, blind-judging process conducted by an international panel of experts, the awards recognize work distinguished by originality and craftsmanship.
Please join us in congratulating the winners.
Artisan Category Winner
Artisan Category Winner
Artisan Category Winner
Aethi Opum by Maya Njie
Maya Njie (perfumer)
U.K.
A scent of the familiar, yet just out of reach - moving through generations as cool rain and earth warms into incense and spice on skin.
Artisan Category Winner
Artisan Category Winner
Artisan Category Winner
Death by Vanity by Rivendare
David Clarke (perfumer)
Australia
A fragrance inspired by the poisonous makeup powders used by noble women in the 16th century.
Independent Category Winner
Independent Category Winner
Independent Category Winner
Ici, le pas s’arrête by TERRA•T
Kaiwei Hsieh (perfumer) / Terrence Chen (CD)
Taiwan
Using Taiwan’s incense cedar to capture quiet grandeur, this scent evokes a serene temple where wood absorbs and transforms, creating a grounded sense of protection.
Independent Category Winner
Independent Category Winner
Independent Category Winner
Nuit Elastique by Première Peau
Ugo Charron (perfumer) for Pierre Mergui (CD)
With Susan KLOP, Micol Guieu, Anastasia Vorontsova
France
Pushing indole to its limit, jasmine becomes something rubbery, elastic, industrial. This isn’t a progression: It is a loop.
Newcomer Award Winner
Sadakichi Award Winner
Sadakichi Award Winner
Water Moon by Oneiros
Anh Ngo (Perfumer, IFF) for Thanh Dang (CD)
Vietnam
Water Moon draws inspiration from the proverb “the moon in the bottom of the well,” a poetic vision of a beauty so illusory it can be seen and felt, yet never touched. Beneath this imagery lies a subtle metaphor for the ephemeral elegance of fragrance itself.
Sadakichi Award Winner
Sadakichi Award Winner
Sadakichi Award Winner
Goavve-Geabbil (Hyundai Commission)
Nadjib Achaibou (perfumer, Givaudan) for Máret Ánne Sara (artist)
Norway
Goavve–Geabbil, the Hyundai Commission by Sami artist Máret Ánne Sara for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, transforms this monumental space into a powerful multisensory environment.
Contribution to Scent Culture Winner
Contribution to Scent Culture Winner
Contribution to Scent Culture Winner
Grant Osborne
for Basenotes
Visionary Award Winner
Contribution to Scent Culture Winner
Contribution to Scent Culture Winner
L'Osmothèque
Conservatoire International des Parfums
People's Choice
People's Choice: Independent
People's Choice: Independent
People's Choice: Independent
Verdant by Ilé Olomu
Andreas Wilhelm (perfumer) for Bawo Ijirigho (CD)
USA
Inspired by plantain, this green composition captures a photorealistic freshness, blending crisp vegetal notes with a musky, starchy softness that feels entirely new.
People's Choice: Artisan
People's Choice: Independent
People's Choice: Independent
Dandelion Butter by Clue Perfumery
Laura Oberwetter (perfumer), Caleb Vanden Boom
USA
A centuries-old folk game: a pollen-dusted dandelion, a sap- dripping stem, and an outstretched chin.
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