Interesting and challenging: This is how I would sum up the judging process for the PFW Patchwood Perfumery Contest. The competition proved to be very popular—the response was overwhelming. In total, we had requests for more than 150 samples of Patchwood and received more than 50 entries for the competition. Interest was shown from around the world, from Japan to Canada to Australia and many countries in between.
The challenge was consciously made as open as possible, keeping any restrictions to a minimum so that no perfumers felt excluded. As a result, contest rules did not give any specific types of direction, specific product category or amount of Patchwood that could be used in the fragrances. This created a level playing field in which perfumers working in any product area were able to compete equitably.
