A moment
to remember.

Official statement regarding the final result

PCA Australia sincerely apologises for an error made during the announcement of the 2026 PCA Australia Latte Art Competition final result.

During the final result verification and communication process, an internal error caused Ming to be initially announced as Champion, with Deft announced as Runner up. After the judging panel completed a second review, the official result was confirmed as Deft as Champion and Ming as Runner up.

We fully understand the confusion, disappointment and emotional impact caused by this situation. The first result was shared immediately by competitors, supporters and members of the coffee community. Having that announcement corrected afterwards created a very difficult experience for both competitors and everyone who witnessed the presentation.

Neither competitor was responsible for this error. Both Deft and Ming handled an extremely difficult situation with professionalism, patience and respect.

After speaking directly with both competitors and discussing the situation with PCA Headquarters, PCA has decided that both Deft and Ming will represent Australia at the PCA Grand Final. The official Australian competition result remains Deft as Champion and Ming as Runner up.

PCA Australia takes responsibility for the result announcement process. We will introduce a mandatory two step result verification process and require written confirmation from the judging team before future results are announced on stage.

To Deft, Ming, their teams, supporters, the audience and everyone affected, we are truly sorry.

PCA Australia
29 October 2026 · Melbourne, Australia