TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026

The TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026 will be held on May 15th, 2026, in Montreal, Canada.

A five-judge panel of professional, experienced international water sommeliers will be the jury of the TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2026.

Water is not just water. It has terroir, comes from a real place, and has character. Representing the Fine Water Category, FineWaters and the Fine Water Society developed the blueprint for conducting water tastings, which is the professional industry standard.

The events in Montreal are supported locally by CellArt @cellart.ca - creating tailor-made wine & water spaces that challenge the ordinary.

ENTRY FEE

There is no entry fee for current members of the Fine Water Society. The cost for non-members is $ 900 per brand for all applicable categories (still/sparkling/design/..)

Register non-member Water Brand

To become a member of the Fine Water Society, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

RULES

• 5-6 water sommelier and expert jury
• Multiple competition categories (see below).
• Blind tasting at room temperature for all waters
• Sparkling water will be opened within 2 minutes of tasting
• Dedicated premium water-specific stemware
• Minimum points are 90, and maximum points are 100 for both TASTE & DESIGN categories, with one number representing the overall TASTE and one representing the brand's DESIGN.
• Awards: In each category, Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards are given to the brands with the highest score.
• Only natural, unprocessed waters as defined by the Fine Water Society, are eligible. 
• Participating brands need to be approved by the Fine Water Society.

COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

TASTE AWARDS

STILL Waters are separated into categories according to the Minerality (TDS)

SUPER LOW Category (<50 mg/l) 
LOW Category ( 50 - 250 mg/l)
MEDIUM CATEGORY (250 - 800 mg/l)
HIGH CATEGORY (800 - 1,500 mg/l)
VERY HIGH CATEGORY ( < 1,500 mg/l)

SPARKLING Waters are separated by the Source of Carbonation and Minerality (TDS)

ADDED CARBONATION

SUPER LOW Category (<50 mg/l) 
LOW Category ( 50 - 250 mg/l)
MEDIUM CATEGORY (250 - 800 mg/l)
HIGH CATEGORY (800 - 1,500 mg/l)
VERY HIGH CATEGORY ( < 1,500 mg/l)

NATURAL CARBONATION

SUPER LOW Category (<50 mg/l) 
LOW Category ( 50 - 250 mg/l)
MEDIUM CATEGORY (250 - 800 mg/l)
HIGH CATEGORY (800 - 1,500 mg/l)
VERY HIGH CATEGORY ( < 1,500 mg/l)

CURATED WATERS 
This is a category consisting of waters from a natural source that have been curated for new experiences.

ESTER WATERS 
This is a new category for waters infused with esters.

DESIGN AWARDS

With Fine Waters, the bottle design represents the brand and connects the consumer emotionally to the source of the water. The bottle is an essential aspect of a story told in PET, GLASS, ALUMINUM, and Bag in a Box. 

Awards are given in each design category.