MEDIA ROOM
ATHENS, 2026
We recently celebrated the 12th edition of the Art and Olfaction Awards in Athens, in Greece.
Photo set here (opens Google folder)
June 9: The 7th Experimental Scent Summit
at ImpactHub, Athens
June 11: The 12th Art and Olfaction Awards
at Gazarte, Athens
Our Instagram handle is: @artandolfaction
Our hashtag is: #AOAwards, #AOAwards2025
For media inquiries, please email hello@artandolfaction.com
DOWNLOADS
Please find logos for the 2026 Art and Olfaction Awards as a downloadable zip file, below.
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 Sadakichi 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. Past locations have included Athens, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Miami, Lisbon, and Los Angeles.
The Art and Olfaction Awards held its first event in 2014.
The awards were founded in 2013 by Saskia Wilson-Brown, based on an idea proposed by perfumer Bruno Fazzolari.
The awards judges are selected from the IAO's global community of perfumers and fragrance industry professionals. They assess the submissions blindly, and adhere to a strict code of ethics.