Sydney Rock Oyster farmers encouraged to enter their products into national Aquaculture competition

Australian Sydney Rock Oyster farmers are being encouraged to put their oysters in front of the who’s who in the aquaculture industry by entering the 2025 Sydney Royal Aquaculture competition, with entries now open.

Celebrating the Australian oyster industry, the competition will bring together some of the country’s top chefs, fishmongers, retailers, and industry media to conduct live judging during the iconic Sydney Royal Easter Show in April with the aim of determining Australia’s best oysters.

Thanks to the live judging format, exhibitors are given exposure to the Sydney Royal Easter Show audience while also having the opportunity for their product to be assessed by some of the best in the business and pick up a gold, silver, and bronze medal based on the quality of their product.

In addition to the gold, silver, and bronze medals, two champion medals will also be awarded to the best of the best in two categories, these are:

Champion Boutique Sydney Rock Oyster
Champion Commercial Sydney Rock Oyster, trophy supported by the NSW Food Authority  

Sydney Royal Aquaculture Chair of Judges, John Susman says the competition offers farmers a chance to evaluate their products in the market.

“The Sydney Royal Aquaculture competition offers farmers a unique opportunity to check in with the industry and see where their product sits against their competitors, while also gaining independent expert feedback,” Susman said.

“By winning a champion, gold, silver, or bronze medal it signals to consumers, buyers, and the industry that a product is of exceptional quality which can lead to increased sales and marketing opportunities which are invaluable to farmers.

“The 2025 competition will be our last at the Sydney Royal Easter Show so I encourage farmers to get involved and take advantage of the public-facing judging to get their names out there.”

During judging, exhibits are assessed on a 100-point system with points deducted according to an oyster’s uniformity, shape, and presentation, as well as its condition, colour, meat fullness, flavour, texture, and richness.

Interested Sydney Rock Oyster farmers will need to get their entries in by Wednesday, 12 February 2025.

The 2026 Sydney Rock Oyster judging will make a shift to earlier in the year, being judged in February alongside the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show. The remaining Aquaculture classes will be judged in spring as part of Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.