A strong debut among international champions
Australian Oyster Shucking Champion Zoe Jacobson is among the top 16 oyster shuckers in the world following her World Oyster Opening Championships debut in Galway, Ireland on Saturday, September 26.
Zoe, who arrived in Ireland and opened her first Irish oyster just days before the competition, placed 13th overall.
Facing an unfamiliar species and a field of competitors with decades of experience, Zoe is being celebrated for her skill, technique and camaraderie by the oyster community both internationally and back home.
She was among five first-time competitors for 2026 including Boris Van Der Noord from the Netherlands, Grace Murray from Scotland, Hiroshi Nakamura from Japan and Cedric Bejaoui from France.
Finland’s Martin Soderstrom emerged as the 2026 World Oyster Opening Champion, earning Finland’s first-ever World Title, followed by Honor Allen of the USA, and former world champions Johan Malm of Sweden and Estonia’s Alex-Ander Lepik. The coveted Best Presentation award went to England’s Fredrik Lindfors, who first won the title 25 years ago. Between them, these five oystermen hold multiple national titles in their home countries and seven World Titles.
Seven years to the world stage
“I’m proud to say that I now stand amongst the top 16 shuckers in the world and I loved every moment of it,” she said. “Finishing at 13th place has given me motivation to train harder and try out again for next year!”
“The last few days have left me honoured, humbled and full of appreciation,” Zoe said. “I have learned so much and met an incredible group of shucking legends who share my passion for oysters and the craft behind them.”
A self-taught shucker with both the Tasmanian and Australian title, Zoe’s result capped a journey that began just seven years ago when she opened her first oyster. This year in May, Zoe made history as the first woman to win the Australian title at Narooma Oyster Festival. In the following months she trained on the native flat oyster – Ostrea angasi – refining her technique and preparing for the Galway Flat oyster, a species she could not meet until arriving in Ireland.
Zoe’s husband Mat and Narooma Oyster Festival General Manager Renee Pearce were also in Galway to support Zoe, and said the international oyster community and the people of Ireland embraced Zoe and made all of them feel at home.
“We are all so proud of Zoe,” Renee said. “Her focus, technicality and speed is so impressive and she is a cheerful and passionate ambassador for the Narooma Oyster Festival, Australia and the oyster industry everywhere.”
“She had already achieved so much when she first entered the Australian Championships four years ago, and this week has proved that she has what it takes to be up there with the best in the sport of competitive shucking.”
Learning from the legends
Ahead of Saturday’s Championships, the trio immersed themselves in oyster culture, visiting the Australian Ambassador to Ireland, meeting international competitors and touring Kelly Oysters (one of Ireland’s best-known oyster farming families and suppliers of oysters for the Championship), opening oysters for festival-goers and watching the Irish National Oyster Opening Championships. On Saturday she carried the Australian flag in the Parade of Flags and competed in the second of four heats before watching the finals and awards presentation.
Zoe was thrilled to spend time with some of the people she has long admired within the global shucking community, including former world champion Patrick ‘Shucker Paddy’ McMurray, and United States Champion Honor Allen.
“I am absolutely star struck by these people, and also inspired,” Zoe said. “I’ve been following them for years and it was fantastic to finally meet them, and open a few Galway Flats alongside them.”
Australia’s pathway to the World Championships
Narooma Oyster Festival is home to the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships and the pathway to the World Oyster opening Championships. Held at the Festival each year in May, the Championships are proudly supported by Australia’s Oyster Coast also supplying specially cultivated Rock Oysters for competitors.
Renee said “For us, Zoe’s journey to Galway has been about far more than where she finished on the leaderboard. It’s a celebration of the oyster industry and the art of opening oysters, from the growers and shuckers who welcomed her to the Narooma Oyster Festival and helped her prepare for the World Championships, to the people who welcomed her so warmly in Ireland.”
The 20th Narooma Oyster Festival returns from May 7–9, 2027, with Rock Oyster Week beginning on April 24. Tickets go on sale in February 2027.
Watch the 2026 World Oyster Opening Championships replay here
Find out more about the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships
