Awards

The MCA
2026 Awards.

Six categories. Open community voting. No account required.

Voting opens 1 Oct
Methodology

Assessed by SCA-certified judges and Q-Graders.

Every category is reviewed against verifiable technical criteria, following international methodology used across the specialty trade. Scores are documented and the criteria are public.

The point isn't who "wins". It's participation — being measured at all is what raises the floor of the trade. Recognition is the by-product.

The Coffee Beans category is our own brand-owned, criteria-based evaluation framework — not an industry standard or certification. It runs alongside the SCA-graded categories with its own transparent rubric.

Status
Voting opens 1 October 2026.

The ballot below previews the categories. You can vote once per category, per device, when voting opens.

Coffee Shop Experience

0 votes

The whole — service, product, ritual. The shop you tell people about.

    Best Roaster

    0 votes

    Consistency, sourcing and craft across a roaster's line-up.

      Revelation Coffee Shop

      0 votes

      The newcomer that reset expectations this year.

        Coffee Education

        0 votes

        Schools, programmes and educators raising the floor of the trade.

          Pastry & Bakery

          0 votes

          The pastry programme that earns its place next to the coffee.

            Design & Atmosphere

            0 votes

            The room itself — architecture, light, material, the way it holds you.

              Coffees assessed by our own system (Coffee Beans)

              0 votes

              A brand-owned, criteria-based evaluation framework. Not an industry standard or certification — our own house methodology, applied transparently.

                Judges

                The panel.

                • Marta López
                  Barista · Right Side Coffee

                  Spanish barista, finalist 2024.

                • Hidenori Izaki
                  World Barista Champion · Samurai Coffee

                  2014 WBC champion, judge and educator.

                • Anette Moldvaer
                  Roaster · Square Mile Coffee

                  Co-founder, World Cup Tasters champion.

                • Talor Browne
                  Roaster · Talor & Jørgen

                  Founder, Oslo. Writer and trainer.

                • Lem Butler
                  Roaster · Black & White Coffee

                  Roaster, 2016 USBC champion.

                • Klaus Thomsen
                  Roaster · Coffee Collective

                  Co-founder, 2006 WBC champion.