MEDIA ROOM
2025
We’re excited to bring the 11th edition of the Art and Olfaction Awards back to our hometown of Los Angeles.
In celebration of eleven years of celebrating exceptional work with scent, we'll be programming several exciting programs around the awards in the form of our second Scent Week. Programs will include Scent Fair Los Angeles, the Experimental Scent Summit, parties and so much more.
More information to come.
Our Instagram handle is: @artandolfaction
Our hashtag is: #AOAwards, #AOAwards2025
For media inquiries, please email hello@artandolfaction.com
MISSION
The Art and Olfaction Award is a highly competitive and selective international award that is designed to raise interest and awareness for active independent, artisan and experimental perfumers from all countries.
Our hope is that by shining a spotlight on perfumery’s most outstanding creators, we will help generate support for independent practices with scent, as a whole.
The Art and Olfaction Awards are a program of The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO), a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, CA.
AWARDS AND CATEGORIES
Art and Olfaction Award for Independent Perfume
Judged blindly, there are ten finalists and two winners in this category
Art and Olfaction Award for Artisan Perfume
Judged blindly, there are ten finalists and two winners in this category
Art and Olfaction Award for Experimental Work with Scent
There are five finalists and one winner in this category
Art and Olfaction Newcomer Award
Judged blindly, there is one winner in this category
Art and Olfaction Contribution to Scent Culture Award
This is a discretionary award. There is one winner in this category.
Art and Olfaction Visionary Award
This is a discretionary award. There is one winner in this category.
QUICK FACTS
The yearly event is called 'The Art and Olfaction Awards'
The award statuette is called 'The Golden Pear'
We announce the finalists in a special event that takes place in March or April, of each year.
We announce the winners in a public award ceremony in May or June of each year.
The award ceremony changes locations on a yearly basis, alternating between Los Angeles and other locations in the world. Past locations have included London, Amsterdam, Berlin, online (during the Covid years), Miami, and Lisbon.
The Art and Olfaction Awards had their first event in 2014, and were founded by Saskia Wilson-Brown, based on an idea proposed by Bruno Fazzolari. They have since evolved to be run by the entire staff at the Institute for Art and Olfaction, with the dedicated help of a rotating roster of international judges.
