EspressoDrop covers nineteen specialty coffee competitions, from world championships to national and regional roasting titles, plus a roundup of independently judged magazine awards. Each page lists recent winners with direct links to their coffee for sale. Use the buttons below to jump to the category that interests you.
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Global
Coffee Masters
LondonCoffeeFestival.com
A multi-discipline barista tournament held at the London Coffee Festival. First held in 2015, Coffee Masters tests competitors across six disciplines in a fast-paced knockout format. (no purchasable competition coffee)
Cup of Excellence
AllianceForCoffeeExcellence.org
Non-profit, juried coffee competitions since 1999. Holds competitions in producing countries throughout the world and hosts online auctions for the winning farm lots. (no espresso competition)
Global Coffee Awards
GlobalCoffeeAwards.com
An independent world roasting championship organized by Perfect Daily Grind and Coffee Intelligence. Regional editions across North America, Europe, and producing countries feed into an annual World Championship at the Producer & Roaster Forum.
World Coffee Championships
WCC.coffee
The governing body for the world’s major coffee championships, organized by the Specialty Coffee Association. Includes the World Coffee Roasting Championship, World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, and others, held annually at World of Coffee. (no espresso competition)
National
Australian Coffee Roasting Championship
ASCA.coffee
Australia’s national roasting competition, organized by the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA). The annual championship selects Australia’s representative for the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
Belgian Coffee Roasting Championship
SCA.coffee
Belgium’s national roasting competition, organized by the SCA Belgium chapter. Inaugurated in 2025, the annual championship selects Belgium’s representative for the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
Best of Panama
BestOfPanama.org
Panama’s national coffee competition, organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP). First held in 1996. Judges Geisha Washed, Geisha Natural, and Varietals categories, plus a Copa Panamá award for the highest accumulated score across every lot entered. (no roasting competition)
Japan Coffee Roasting Championship
SCAJ.org
Japan’s national roasting championship, organized annually by the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (SCAJ). Finals are held in January or February; the winner represents Japan at the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
Korea Coffee Roasting Championship
korea.sca.coffee
South Korea’s national roasting championship, organized by the SCA Korea Chapter. Held annually at the Cafe & Bakery Fair; the winner represents Korea at the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
Norwegian Coffee Roasting Championship
SCAE.no
Norway’s national roasting competition, organized by SCA Norway. The annual championship, known locally as NM i Kaffebrenning, selects Norway’s representative for the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
SCA UK Coffee Roasting Championship
scauk.coffee
The UK’s official national roasting championship, organized by the Specialty Coffee Association UK Chapter. Annual competition held in London; the winner represents the UK at the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
Thailand National Coffee Roasting Championship
ThailandCoffeeFest.org
Thailand’s national roasting competition, organized by Thailand Coffee Championships, the country’s official World Coffee Championships (WCC) partner. The winner represents Thailand at the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
United States Coffee Championships
USCoffeeChampionships.org
Organized by the Specialty Coffee Association. Includes the U.S. Coffee Roasting Championship, which selects America’s representative for the World Coffee Roasting Championship. (no espresso competition)
Regional Festivals
ASEAN Coffee Roasting Championship
AseancCoffee.org
Regional roasting championship for Southeast Asia, organized by the ASEAN Coffee Federation. Inaugural competition held in Bangkok, 2026. Open to roasters from all ten ASEAN member nations.
Belgian Roast Masters
BrusselsCoffee.show
Annual roasting competition at the Brussels Coffee Show, held each November at Gare Maritime. Belgian roasters compete with coffees from their own existing range — filter and espresso — making the winning coffees directly available for purchase.
Coffee Fest
CoffeeFest.com
A long-running independent trade show with competitions in three categories, hosted in three major US cities every year since 1992. This is the only competition listed here with Espresso as its own category.
Glasgow Coffee Festival
GlasgowCoffeeFestival.com
Annual specialty coffee festival held at The Briggait in Glasgow, Scotland. Home to the Best Roaster UK competition, a peer-judged national roasting showcase open to roasters from across the United Kingdom, launched in 2026.
Golden Bean
GoldenBean.AwardsPlatform.com
The world’s largest coffee roasting competition, run as independent regional editions (Australasia, The Americas, East Asia) that feed into an annual World Series. Judges roasted coffee across Espresso, Filter, and Milk categories on a blind, medal-based system.
Nordic Coffee Fest
NordicCoffeeFest.com
Annual specialty coffee festival held in Gothenburg, Sweden. Home to the Nordics Best Roaster competition, the region’s most prestigious roasting championship, open to roasters from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the North Atlantic territories.
Magazines
These aren’t head to head competitions. Trade publications and industry foundations run their own judged awards each year, and the winners are just as purchasable as any competition coffee.
Good Food Awards
GoodFoodFdn.org
Run by the Good Food Foundation, part of the Specialty Food Association. Judges U.S. roasters on flavor, traceability, and sourcing practices, including pay that meets or exceeds Fair Trade minimums. The 2026 awards recognized 15 coffees from 13 roasters, including Driftaway Coffee, Partners Coffee, and Equator Coffees.
Roaster of the Year
RoastMagazine.com
Roast Magazine’s annual award for U.S. roasters, split into Micro and Macro categories by roasting volume. The 2026 Micro winner was Kafiex Roasters of Vancouver, Washington; the Macro winner was Driftaway Coffee of Brooklyn, New York.