2024 Art and Olfaction Awards
Submission Rules

The 10th edition of the Art and Olfaction Awards will take place in late Spring, 2024. We're excited that you're choosing to participate in this global celebration of independent perfume. Whether you are a finalist or not, whether you win or not, you’re part of a movement that is impacting perfumery as a whole. For that, we salute you. 

Please take a moment to read through this important information about submitting.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES
ONLINE SUBMISSIONS OPEN: To be announced
ONLINE SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: To be announced
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF SAMPLES: To be announced

Please note that we have to be strict about receiving the submissions samples in time. Please plan for shipping delays and get them in the mail right away. Instructions about where to send them will be shared once you fill the submission form. 

CATEGORIES
We accept submissions in three categories. Additionally, we award several disretionary awards. Please take a moment to read the qualifiers and rules for each category and award.

SUBMISSION FEES
Submission fees are in USD, and cover our substantial administration costs, submission preparation costs, storage costs, transportation costs, and the production of the award event itself. We are a non-profit organization and we rely on these fees to run this mechanism. 

Artisan Category: The submission fee is $90.00 per entry
Aftel Award for Handmade Perfume: Submit as artisan (see fee above) and tick the box that asks if the project qualifies for the Aftel Award. There is an extra $10.00 fee to submit to the Aftel Award, above the Artisan submission fee.
Independent Category: The submission fee is $90.00 per entry
Sadakichi Award for Experimental Work with Scent: The submission fee is $35.00 per entry

Septimus Piesse Award: This is a discretionary award, and does not accept submissions. There is no fee to be considered for this award.
Contribution to Scent Culture Award: This is a discretionary award, and does not accept submissions. There is no fee to be considered for this award. 

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SUBMISSION PROCESS
There are two steps to submitting to the Art and Olfaction Awards.

Step 1: Fill out the online submission form
Fill out the online submission form and pay the submission fee.
You can find the link to the submission forms at the bottom of this page.

Step 2: Send us a sample
In order to assess your submission, we need 20ml of the physical perfume or scent submitted.
Once you submit your online form, you will receive an email with instructions about where to send your physical submission in the mail. We require a minimum of 20ml of each perfume in the artisan and independent categories.

In the Sadakichi Award, we can make special dispensations when the scent component is not in perfume form, or where there was too small a quantity made. Email us ([email protected]) if this is the case.

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WHO CAN SUBMIT

We accept submissions from independent and artisan perfumers, and experimental practitioners with scent from all countries. 
The company producing the perfume must be either privately-owned, or owned by another privately-owned company with no more than four fine fragrance holdings in its brand portfolio.

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SUBMISSION RELEASE DATE
We are accepting submissions that were first made available for sale to the public between the dates of Jan 1, 2023 and Dec 31, 2023. Entries for the Sadakichi Award must have been exhibited to the public between the dates of Jan 1, 2023 and Dec 31, 2023.

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SUBMISSION QUANTITY

There is a maximum amount of 3 (three) entries in each category (artisan, independent or experimental) per perfume brand that can be submitted for the award.

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REFORMULATIONS

We do not accept reformulations or re-releases of existing scents, released to market prior to January 1, 2022 under the same name, by the same company, and in the same form. Please review our FAQ section for more information.

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DISQUALIFICATIONS

Submissions that do not comply with the criteria defined herein shall be deemed as void and disqualified at the Institute for Art and Olfaction’s sole discretion. Please take a moment to email us at [email protected] if you have any questions about which category your submission falls under.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
All submissions are subject to the terms and conditions, which you must review before submitting.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

LEGAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
By participating in the Art and Olfaction Awards (“Contest”), entrants agree to be bound by both the Official Rules of Entry, including all eligibility requirements and IAO's decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest, and these Terms and Conditions.  Hereafter, the Rules of Entry and these Legal Terms & Conditions shall be referred to collectively as, the “Rules.”

AGREEMENT TO RULES
Entrants agree to abide by the terms of the Rules and the decisions of the Judges, which are final, and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Rules. 

PUBLICITY
Except where prohibited, participation in the Contest constitutes finalists' and winner’s consent to IAO’s and its agents’ use of finalists' and winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state or country for promotional purposes in perpetuity in any media now known or hereafter developed, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
IAO reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond IAO’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by IAO in its sole discretion. IAO reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or acts in violation of the Rules, or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any Entrant who has been disqualified from an IAO Contest may be rejected by IAO as an Entrant in any future Contest, such decision shall rest solely with IAO. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the IAO and/or the Contest may be a violation of criminal and/or civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, IAO reserves the right to seek appropriate remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. IAO’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules on any one occasion shall not constitute a waiver of that provision on any other occasion. These Rules may be modified at any time by an amendment by IAO and notification shall be by publishing such modified Rules online on the IAO website.

CHOICE OF LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
The construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of the Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and IAO in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California as applied to agreements made, entered into and performed solely in California by California residents, notwithstanding the actual residence of any party.  Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, the Rules, or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate California State Court or Federal Court located in Los Angeles County, California.

RELEASE FROM LIABILITY
By entering the Contest, entrant agrees to release and hold harmless IAO and the Contest judges, and each of their respective affiliates and parent companies (“Affiliates”) as well as each of the IAO’s, Judges’ and Affiliates’ officers, directors, members, advisors, partners, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, demands, debts, damages, actions or cause of action of any nature or kind arising out of entrant’s preparation to enter and entry  into the Contest however arising and under any theory of liability including, by way of example and without limitation, any injuries that the Contestant may suffer or sustain as the result of: (i) exposure to any constituent ingredients of fragrance (“Ingredients”); (ii) the development or creation of any project intended for submission to the Contest; (iii) the misuse, illegal use, or negligent use of Ingredients, or (iv) the Contestant’s design, development or construction of any art project intended for submission to the Contest.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
To the extent permitted by applicable law: (A) any and all claims, judgments and awards against the Released Parties shall be limited, in the aggregate, to the entrant’s Contest entry fees actually paid; and (B)  under no circumstances will the Released Parties be liable to the entrant for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, any and all special, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages or any other damages in connection with the conduct of the Contest or the Rules, however arising and under any theory of liability, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased.  Without limiting the foregoing, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Contest; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail or submissions; or (6) or any injury or damage to entrant which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest. If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted by IAO, entrant’s sole remedy is a refund of the entrant’s Contest entry fees.  No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded annually.  

INDEMNITY
All entrants hereby indemnify, defend and hold the Released Parties harmless against any and all actions, causes of action, in law, equity or otherwise, and any loss, damage, cost or expense suffered by the Released Parties, in relation to: (1) any breach of the Rules by entrant; (2) any threat, claim, actions, causes of action, demands or proceeding by a 3rd party that the entrant’s Submission infringes, or may infringe, the rights, including, without limitation, intellectual property rights, of a 3rd party; or (3) their participation in the Contest, or the announcement and/or determination of finalists, winners or receipt of any awards.

NOT A LOTTERY OR SWEEPSTAKES
The Art and Olfaction Awards are a skills and talent-based competition, with award winners selected by qualified judges.

NO PRIZES
The Art and Olfaction Awards seek to bestow public recognition to award winners.  No cash prizes or any other prizes having monetary value are awarded.  IAO makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the effect or impact that entry in the Contest or the granting of an award may have on an entrant’s career or livelihood.

All read? All understood?

Fantastic! It's time to submit. Please click the button below to go to our submission forms, where you will be able to choose between Independent Category, Artisan Category and the Sadakichi Award for Experimental Work with Scent. If you want to submit to the Aftel Award for Handmade perfume, submit in the Artisan Category and follow the instructions there (you will be in the running for BOTH artisan award and Aftel Award).

Coming soon