The Best Koi in Bakkeveen 2026

The Major Awards at the Koi Show Noorderlicht 2026

They came from far and wide to compete under the Northern Lights. In Bakkeveen, two giants faced off in the battle for the Grand Champion title and the glory of the League of Rising Scales. It’s amazing what the rankings have already stirred up in the world of Koi Shows this season. You can feel that there’s something at stake now; an honor that extends beyond that single weekend; of course, you want to win the season, and there are many ways to do so; yet sometimes you also face your most formidable opponents. The Noorderlicht Koi Show in Bakkeveen was spectacular. It was a beautiful show where it was truly enjoyable to be, despite the showers; a show that was also better attended than expected, and that is certainly worth mentioning, especially since visitor numbers have generally been somewhat disappointing in recent years at virtually all shows except the Holland Koi Show. A detailed photo report will follow. In this article, we’ll cover the Major Awards

We had expected that to happen in Belgium, perhaps in Oldenzaal or Appeltern in August, but the first showdown among the true Grand Champion players took place in Bakkeveen, and it turned out to be a historic duel won by Geert Schrijvers. The Dutchman defeated the Belgian for both the Grand and Supreme Champion titles in a head-to-head match between two Kohaku from Geert and two Kohaku from Filip. More on this duel, the Noorderlicht Koi Show, and the implications for the standings tomorrow when we announce the interim results; for now, we want to focus on all the Major Awards and showcase and share them.

At first, there was a lot of skepticism about the participation of these powerhouses in that small event in the north of the country, which was seen primarily as a competition for beginners. And there were beginners, indeed; and they won prizes, too, but while people mainly thought these men would get in the way of the northern beginners, the latter generally felt honored to be able to compete on the same stage. “I even had a chat with him, which provided some nice insights,” was a comment that reached me.

The organizers had added an extra size category, as they too were surprised by the enormous interest in having large fish participate in the show. In addition, an extra award was created for Noorderlicht A and Noorderlicht B, which can be seen as a friendship and encouragement prize. We will share these awards and other prize winners from various participants in a later post. In this article, you will find the Major Awards. We will reflect further on this in a comprehensive report on the Noorderlicht Koi Show.

Not only did the gentlemen compete for the top spots in the largest sizes, but they also brought in heavy hitters from afar for the smaller sizes. It is noteworthy that dealer Siebe van Tilburg of KoiWish BV plays a role as a supplier to both gentlemen and is thus involved in the Van Grand A, Grand B, Jumbo, Supreme, Mature, Junior, and Baby champion categories!! A particularly impressive list for the young man, also known from TheKoiPage, who has been making a splash for several years now with very high-quality Koi—much like we once knew Joachim Clement as a young dealer from ‘t Viske in Belgium, with a keen eye for future potential and show quality. As a fun fact, Siebe shares with us that the GC A, GC B, and Baby Champion were all purchased through Odakan, a Japanese dealer and breeder comparable to Narita.

Nevertheless, AB Koi Marum and Weskoi have also positioned themselves as suppliers of a Major Award, and they are proud to represent this level of quality. This also makes it the highest quality ever seen in the north. Many visitors

Grand Champion A – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Geert Schrijvers | Breeder: Dainichi Koi Farm | Dealer: KoiWish BV

90cm Kohaku owned by Geert Schrijvers. Handled by dealer KoiWish BV. This Kohaku comes from the DSKohaku bloodline and was purchased by Siebe van Tilburg (KoiWish BV) from Odakan. The Koi was shipped to the Netherlands early this spring and, just a few weeks later, won its first title at the Koi Show in Italy, where it also took home the top prize. The Koi’s impressive build and playful pattern earned it a high score on the judges’ list.

The pattern definition is neat, but the skin quality was overshadowed by that of the Supreme Champion—which I personally prefer—though I understand that this fish scores higher overall in the judging. The Koi was swimming in better condition than in Italy; back then, she had only just arrived in the Netherlands and hadn’t really been on a proper diet for quite some time. The fact that she’s now been able to do that for a few weeks and acclimate is something you really notice in real life.

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Grand Champion B – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Filip Poppe | Breeder: Marudo Koi Farm | Dealer: KoiWish BV

Kinginrin Chagoi 103 cm, owned by Filip Poppe. This Koi was bred at the Marudo Koi Farm. This Koi is currently the epitome of the best that Non-Gosanke has to offer in Europe. This season, the Koi has already won its third GC-B award. The photo was taken by Sem Jacobs, who has clearly made a name for himself in Koi photography after two years of training.

KoiQuestion is proud that, by sharing our knowledge, we are ensuring the continuity of these specific qualities that enhance the enjoyment of the hobby. The class of this Knotwillow, as I previously referred to the Koi, has only been matched by Patrick Makkes’ Yamabuki in previous years. For now, the Koi stands alone at the top in Europe.

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Supreme Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Geert Schrijvers | Breeder: Matsue | Handler: Narita Koi Farms | Agent: KOI Wish BV | Dealer: Mark’s Koi

What a magnificent fish; it really exudes class; high-quality skin; solid build. As I said, I would have been fine with them making this Supreme into a Grand, but size does matter after all. The pattern is, of course, a real treat. A Maruten Godan Kohaku with a shape like this should definitely count toward the points. At approximately 83 centimeters, it’s a bit smaller than the Grand, but I do think Takahiro Litsuka, the current head of the Matsue Koi farm, is proud of the achievements this Koi has made in Europe. Will it be able to continue growing and developing to receive the highest honor?

“It was a very close call,” explained the jury in their remarks following the announcement; this is quite unusual, but a breath of fresh air at a Koi Show. As a result, people were able to ask the jury their questions. Next year, the plan is for this show to be judged according to APKI rules, which allow more leeway for this and even consider it important in the context of knowledge sharing; according to Ruud Besems and Ronald Stam, former ZNA judges who brought the APKI—which originated in Indonesia—to Europe.

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Jumbo Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Geert Schrijvers | Breeder: Shinoda | Dealer: KoiWish BV

Masanori Shinoda is the name of the breeder who brought this fish into the world. At just five years old, this fish is still very young to be making a splash at European Koi shows at 92 cm. It is therefore expected to continue growing for some time yet. But it is already an absolute standout, and it is rare to encounter Koi of this size and variety on Dutch soil. It is the kind of Koi that people come to the show specifically to see. The Hi Utsuri is very clean, and we are very curious to see how the Koi will develop in Geert Schrijvers’ pond.

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Mature Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Filip Poppe | Breeder: Sakai SFF | Dealer: KoiWish BV

I’ll say it right off the bat: this photo doesn’t even do the Koi justice; because I’m going to be completely honest—I think this is the very best fish of the show in terms of quality. The sumi was lacquer-like, the beni soft and dynamic, yet the contrasts were strong. The Koi, which comes from SFF’s Miss Kyoto bloodline, was originally scheduled to make its debut earlier, but a delay in shipping threw a wrench in the works. The Koi has now achieved the highest possible honor as a Mature Champion, placing 4th among the 60-75 cm category in Bakkeveen.

The Koi hasn’t been fed for a long time in Japan, and now it’s barely been fed at all because of the show. So I’m very curious to see what Filip and Els can accomplish with this beautiful Sanke. He once started out this way with the now world-famous Miss Magnum; if there’s one thing we know about Filip, it’s that we don’t have to worry about whether he’ll build up the fish’s body.

At any rate, he’s taking home his first title—even though Filip initially thought this prize was for his Kohaku; however, Noorderlicht recently added an extra size category due to the many entries of large Koi and to keep the competition as fair as possible. The Mature category remained unchanged at size 4 in the rules; this resulted in a well-deserved winner. A beautiful tricolor with plenty of potential still to come.

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Adult Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Martijn Jansema | Breeder: Matsue | Dealer: Weskoi

A stunning Kohaku; it immediately stood out in the tank—not literally, of course. But it really was a striking specimen with a very broad frame, just as we’ve come to expect from Matsue. A cool pattern, and the white skin was also very good. I think it was rightly named Adult Champion. The handling dealer, Weskoi, was also very pleased:

“Martijn and his wife are two passionate hobbyists who enjoy their hobby together. They purchased a Matsue Kohaku from Weskoi—a fish with great potential. It’s wonderful, then, that this koi-loving couple had this fish beautifully evaluated. “The Kohaku became Adult Champion in what was perhaps the toughest class, given the number of competitors in this category,” said manager John de Leur.

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Junior Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Geert Schrijvers | Breeder: Matsue | Dealer: Weskoi

This 44-centimeter Kohaku from the Hoshikin farm is yet another joint entry by Geert Schrijvers and Siebe van Tilburg (Koi Wish BV). A particularly appealing Koi to behold: young, fresh, with excellent color distribution, and a beautifully broad tail section. Katsuyuki Hoshino. No one disputes this award. So Geert Schrijvers, just like Filip, isn’t just competing with large Koi, but is also vying for the top prizes with the small Koi. Filip’s award below is further proof of that.

These awards also earn points toward the league standings—and quite a few, at that. So it’s a sound strategy on the part of the gentlemen to climb higher in the league rankings. As a fan, I must say this is no bad thing, since it means we can expect to see more impressive Koi in the smaller size categories as well, just like here.

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Baby Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Filip Poppe | Breeder: Matsue | Agent: KoiWish BV | Dealer: HeeschKoi

This Kohaku has a stunning skin quality. It features a snow-white skin, a beautifully defined Maruzome Kiwa, and a nice, solid row of scales along the sashi at the front of the beni pattern. This means the Koi still has some potential for future development and isn’t quite finished yet. This is something we don’t always see in fish that win the championship title in the smallest class. Whether that will be enough to shine when it doubles in length is, of course, still to be seen and depends not only on genetics but also on how the Koi is cared for.

As previously mentioned, we’ve noticed that Filip is now also buying smaller Koi, and when asked, he explains that these purchases were made to compete in the League of Rising Scales. The Baby Champion is a Major Award and still yields 75 points for the standings, multiplied by the show factor, which here in Bakkeveen is 0.9 with 40 barrels.

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Tategoi Champion – Noorderlicht Koi Show 2026

Owner: Ruben Heeringa | Breeder: Isa Koi Farm | Dealer: AB Koi Marum

This Tategoi Showa is a truly beautiful fish in the making. The prize went to Ruben Heeringa, who won the Supreme Champion title last year and has thus managed to maintain his position in the Major Rankings of the Koi Show Noorderlicht. The Showa displays plenty of underlying sumi, well-distributed, as well as a truly beautiful beni pattern. If you were to imagine the sumi gone, the Koi would not look out of place as a Kohaku either. Arjan Bremer of AB Koi from Marum managed to acquire this fish from the renowned breeder Isa.

Still, all that black is what makes this fish special, even though there seems to be plenty of white left. One thing is clear: as this color develops and the fish grows, you’ll have a hard time recognizing it. These are fish whose development you’ll want to follow in the future, and who knows…