Jury Composition

Entries to Choco Mania reflect the breadth and diversity of the Indian chocolatiering community. Therefore, they must be adjudged by a reflectively diverse panel that enhances the deliberation process by bringing multiple perspectives to the table. With this in view, our jury has been put together to represent a wide spectrum of talents and interests from various occupations. This Preliminary Jury consists of knowledgeable food professionals including chefs, restaurateurs, culinary experts, food writers, bloggers, academics, and category buyers, in addition to non-food professionals and general chocolate consumers from various walks of life. This mixed level of knowledge is a good thing because it brings viewpoints from both within and outside the food industry, clubbing wider consumer tastes together with the opinions of the chocolate experts in the Grand Jury. A tough but exciting task lies ahead for the jury as they will winnow down what will undoubtedly be a large pool of great recipes from our participating chocolatiers to select those that truly stand out and represent the best. The winners will be chosen based on the combined total number of votes received for each entry from the Judging Panel.

Chocolate Rubrics

The scoring is subjective, based on the personal opinions of the jury members. However, the system is designed to make the selection process as controlled and consistent as possible. Given that the panel consists of a mixed level of knowledge among the judges, our set of rubrics ensures that the judges evaluate the entries on standard criterion:

Originality: 10 points
How new is the chocolate concept?

Ingredients: 10 points
Does the preparation use quality ingredients?

Technique: 10 points
What is the level of craftsmanship of the product?

Aesthetics: 20 points
Is the product appealing in appearance?

Taste: 50 points
How good does the preparation taste?

Assessment Process

Judging will be done in two rounds:

Elimination Round
Date: Friday, 30th August 2019
Judging Panel: Preliminary Jury
All entries will be presented to the Preliminary Jury for shortlisting of the top contenders.

Selection Round
Date: Saturday, 31st August 2019
Judging Panel: Grand Jury
Entries that pass the elimination round will be presented to the Grand Jury for final selection of the winners.