Contest
How Melody Is Born: the European Contest for the 2026 Flavour of the Year
The official Melody recipe will be chosen through an exciting European contest open to professional gelato makers, held during SIGEP WORLD – The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence, from 16 to 20 January 2026 at Fiera di Rimini.
In this prestigious international setting, gelato professionals from all over Europe will have the opportunity to showcase their creativity, technical skills, and gastronomic sensibility, developing proposals inspired by the 14th Gelato Day theme:
“The Gelato that Makes Europe Sing”.
Participants will be invited to create a unique flavour that:
- represents European identity through a harmony of tastes;
- highlights iconic ingredients from one or more EU countries;
- uses accessible raw materials, allowing all gelato makers in Europe to reproduce it;
- respects and celebrates local gastronomic traditions, fostering discovery and cultural dialogue.
A qualified panel of international experts will judge the creations based on taste, balance, creativity, interpretation of the theme, and replicability. The winning flavour will become Melody, the official protagonist of Gelato Day 2026, and will be celebrated on 24 March in gelato shops all over Europe.
This contest is more than a professional challenge: it is an invitation to sing through taste, sharing a universal language that starts from a scoop of gelato and reaches straight into the hearts of people across Europe.
Participation form
If you are an ice cream maker and want to participate in this unique event dedicated to the Jubilee, fill out the form with your details. The organization will get back to you via a WhatsApp group.
Let's celebrate the European Day of Artisanal Gelato together!
We are excited to invite you to an extraordinary event dedicated to ice cream and solidarity:
Where: Piazza Pio XII, Rome
When: Sunday, March 23, 2025
Time: From 09:00 To 19:00
This year, on the occasion of the Jubilee, we invite you to serve the official flavor of the day: Hallelujah, an explosion of flavors that celebrates the art and passion of artisanal ice cream.
An event dedicated to charity: the proceeds of the day will be donated to support important solidarity initiatives.
Join us in promoting the values of sharing, excellence and solidarity that make our work unique