The panel consists of judges with years of experience in the organoleptic assessment of olive oil, judges accredited by the International Olive Council (IOC) or by other international or national bodies. These bodies are in turn accredited either by the IOC or by other recognized educational institutions offering relevant training according to IOC standards. The total number of judges will depend on the total number of samples submitted to the competition. In any case, two thirds (2/3) of the judges will be foreign nationals. Judges will be assigned to panels comprised of 5 to 7 members. Each panel will have a panel leader who will be responsible for the panel’s compliance with the appropriate organoleptic assessment procedures and the competition’s rules. The evaluation procedure will take place in the morning, and each panel will assess a maximum of 35 samples each day. All entries will be sampled in the opaque cobalt blue tasting glasses that have been certified by the IOC as the official vessels for the organoleptic assessment of olive oil.