Eligibility
- All water businesses in Victoria are invited to participate in the Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water in Victoria.
- Each water business is asked to nominate one preferred sample for inclusion in the competition.
- Where businesses operate multiple water supply systems, the decision regarding which water sample to enter is left up to each water business.
- All entries must have incurred no serious state or federal drinking water violations during the past year*.
Requirements
- Samples must be submitted by 4.00pm on Tuesday 28 March 2023 in a clearly marked container with the name of the water business it represents and the location/town from where the sample is derived.
- We require 3 litres of the sample water which must be provided in a sealed container.
- Samples need to be delivered to the conference venue at room temperature. Cooled samples will not be admitted.
- Samples will be served at room temperature, to help the judges better taste, appreciate and rank each sample.
Competition Judging
Heats
- Heats will be conducted at the WIOA Welcome Reception held in the afternoon (from 4.45pm-6.00pm) of Tuesday 28 March 2023 at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre.
- The competition will be divided into heats, with entries placed in each heat randomly drawn by WIOA staff.
- Each heat will have a heat coordinator.
- 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.
- 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.
- In the case of a tie in the heats, the winner will be chosen by the heat coordinator from those that are tied.
- 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
- 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.
- Samples will be judged on a point scale from good to best.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 the WIOA Office on 03 5821 6744, or email info@wioa.org.au
