Eligibility

1. All water providers/councils in NSW & the ACT are invited to participate in the Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water in NSW/ACT.
2. Each water provider/council is asked to nominate one preferred sample for inclusion in the competition.
3. Where water providers/councils operate multiple water supply systems, the decision regarding which water sample to enter is left up to each water business.
4. All entries must have incurred no serious state or federal drinking water violations during the past 12 months*.

Requirements

1. Samples must be submitted at the conference venue by 4.00pm Tuesday 5 April 2022 with a completed entry form.
2. We require 1 litre of the sample water which must be provided in a sealed container (preferably hard plastic).
3. Samples must be provided at room temperature (not cooled).
4. Samples will be served at room temperature, to help the judges better taste, appreciate and rank each sample.
5. All entries must provide a completed entry form.

Competition Judging

Heats

1. Heats will be conducted at the WIOA Welcome Reception held on the afternoon (from 4.45-6.00pm) of Tuesday 5 April 2022 at the New South Wales conference venue.
2. The competition will be divided into heats, with entries placed in each heat randomly drawn by WIOA staff.
3. Each heat will have a heat co-ordinator.
4. Heat judging will be undertaken by guests at the welcome reception who shall taste all samples and select their most favoured water sample by giving it one vote.
5. The sample with the most votes will be judged the heat winner and the winner will proceed to the Grand Final to be held on the main stage during the conference lunch break on Wednesday afternoon.
6. In the case of a tie in the heats, the winner will be chosen by the heat co-ordinator from those that are tied.
7. The four Grand Finalists will be announced on Tuesday evening and we would appreciate a representative from each business being available for the main judging on Wednesday and at the winner’s presentation at the Awards Dinner on Thursday evening.

Grand Final

1. As with the heats, the origin of each sample will not be revealed. The samples will be judged by a panel nominated by WIOA comprising technical water experts and water industry connoisseurs.
2. Samples will be judged on a point scale from good to best.
3. Scores will be aggregated and the winner will be the sample with the highest combined score. The winning water business and water supply location will be announced at the lunch on Wednesday and the presentation made at the WIOA Conference Awards Dinner on Thursday night.
4. Only the identity of the four grand finalists and the supplier of the winning sample will be announced – Grand Final or Heat samples will not be ranked, nor will any of the scores be released.
5. The decision of the judges is final.

*A “serious” water quality incident includes protracted periods of poor water quality or boiled water alerts, an event leading to immediate potential public health risks or other break-down of risk-management protocols.

For more information, please contact Craig Mathisen at WIOA on 03 5821 6744, mobile 0457 846 008 or email craig@wioa.org.au