2027 GOLDEN BOBA AWARDS
One competition drink. Professional blind tasting. National recognition. A live celebration at the Canada Bubble Tea Festival.
Organized by Boba Lab. Hosted live at the Canada Bubble Tea Festival.
A New Standard for Bubble Tea Recognition
The Golden Boba Awards is a professionally structured competition created to recognize beverage quality, craftsmanship and originality. Each participating business enters one competition drink, which is evaluated through professional blind tasting without visible brand identification.
Professional award recipients are formally recognized on stage at the Canada Bubble Tea Festival, while festival guests take part in a separate live tasting experience to help decide the People's Choice Award.
Competition drinks are evaluated without visible brand identification.
Each participating business enters one official competition drink.
Award recipients are recognized in front of the festival audience.
JUDGED BY PROFESSIONALS
Competition drinks are evaluated through a structured blind-tasting process using standardized judging criteria. Brand names, logos and marketing materials are not shown to judges during scoring.
DECIDED LIVE AT THE FESTIVAL
Festival guests will have the opportunity to taste competition drinks through a controlled blind-tasting experience and help determine the People's Choice Award.
Tasting access, session details and ticket information will be announced closer to the festival.
Get Festival UpdatesSeptember 2026
Eligible food-service businesses can register for the 2027 Golden Boba Awards.
January 31, 2027
Registered businesses may finalize their competition drink by the separate product submission deadline.
March–April 2027
Competition drinks are prepared and evaluated through the professional judging process.
April 30, 2027
Professional award recipients are announced as part of the Canada Bubble Tea Festival media launch.
2027 Canada Bubble Tea Festival
Professional award recipients are formally recognized on the festival stage.
Live at the Festival
Festival tasting participants help determine the People's Choice Award, which is announced at the event.
Five professional awards recognize different qualities of an outstanding competition drink. A separate People's Choice Award is determined live by festival tasting participants.
PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Recognizing balance, tea character and craftsmanship in a classic milk tea.
PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Recognizing freshness, aroma and balance in a fruit-forward tea drink.
PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Recognizes the competition drink that demonstrates the strongest originality, creativity and product innovation while maintaining a high overall standard of taste and execution.
PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Recognizes an outstanding drinking experience created through pearls, toppings, foam, jelly, mouthfeel or other textural elements.
PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Recognizing the strongest overall competition drink across judging criteria.
FESTIVAL AWARD
Determined live by festival guests through a controlled blind-tasting experience at the Canada Bubble Tea Festival.
Professional awards are determined exclusively through professional blind tasting. The People's Choice Award is determined separately through live consumer tasting at the Canada Bubble Tea Festival.
See Full Award DefinitionsThe Canada Bubble Tea Festival gives the Awards a public stage. Award recipients are introduced to festival guests, recognized during the official presentation and connected with consumers through the live People's Choice experience.
See professional award recipients formally recognized on the festival stage.
Join a controlled tasting experience designed to focus attention on the drink itself.
Cast your tasting response and help determine the festival's consumer-selected award.
FOR BUBBLE TEA BUSINESSES
The Golden Boba Awards is open to eligible bubble tea shops, restaurants, cafés, dessert shops and other food-service businesses offering—or preparing to launch—an eligible bubble tea beverage in Canada.
Competition eligibility, terms, deadlines and participation requirements are governed by the official Golden Boba Awards information published by Boba Lab.
ORGANIZER
Boba Lab develops year-round programs that help people discover, experience and engage with bubble tea culture. It organizes the Golden Boba Awards, manages the competition framework and oversees brand participation and professional judging.
Visit Boba LabOFFICIAL FESTIVAL HOST
The Canada Bubble Tea Festival provides the live public stage for the professional awards presentation and hosts the festival's People's Choice tasting experience.
Explore the 2027 FestivalExperience the Golden Boba Awards live at the 2027 Canada Bubble Tea Festival—and help choose the drink that earns the People's Choice title.
Organized by Boba Lab. Official Festival Host: Canada Bubble Tea Festival.
