Best oliebol in the Netherlands: entries open until 8 December

The contest for the best oliebol in the Netherlands 2026 is open. The Nederlands Bakkerij Centrum (NBC), the Dutch bakery centre in Wageningen, is running it with FoodBase, its knowledge and expertise centre for product quality in the bakery sector, the NBC announced on 12 November. Bakers and oliebol sellers can enter until 8 December.

The competition is open to anyone who sells the Dutch New Year's Eve doughnuts from a bakery, a stall, a fair or an event. Only filled oliebollen (gevulde oliebollen) are eligible, according to FoodBase's rules. The contest is part of Bekroond met Goud (Crowned with Gold), the product assessment FoodBase runs year-round for bread, pastry and seasonal products.

How the best oliebol in the Netherlands is chosen

Every entrant must be able to supply the same oliebol again on 28 December for the national round.

Entrants do not deliver their own product. After registration, a FoodBase sampler collects the oliebol from the address on the entry form, and the judges assess it the same day. Tasting is blind and anonymous and follows a fixed inspection protocol. The judges look at taste, colour, structure and softness, among other things, and score each element on a five-point scale of gold medals.

An oliebol that earns five medals on at least three elements and at least four on the rest receives the Bekroond met Goud label. That is not the same as winning: the best-scoring entrants are announced per province, and the top ones compete for the national title. Every entrant must be able to supply the same oliebol again on 28 December for the national round. Each participant receives a report listing strengths and points to improve.

What entering the oliebol competition costs

The first product costs €155.15 and each additional product in the same sampling round €67.50, according to FoodBase. A gold award comes with a certificate for the shop, a press release for local media and a listing on bekroondmetgoud.nl. Promotional material such as stickers and posters costs extra.

Oliebol rankings are nothing new. In late December 2025, Omroep Brabant reported that Richard Voets of Tilburg, with his stall on the Heyhoefpromenade, had been named best in Brabant and second in the country in a different test. The NBC wants the best oliebol in the Netherlands to be picked by trained judges using a fixed protocol. Recently the Bossche bol was also recognised as intangible heritage; the Dutch baking trade takes visibility where it can find it.

For a stall that only trades in the winter months, €155.15 is a real expense. The arithmetic is simple: a gold sticker has to pay for itself in a short season, and that only works for bakers still frying the same oliebol on 28 December.