Kiarash Nabavieh (second from right), Wagyu District Antwerp, accepting on behalf of Paradigm Foods, with (l-r) Gammenos, co-chief of the World Steak Challenge, Rayco Espantoso – Las Manas, Antwerp, and Richie Wlison, Co-Chief of World Steak Challenge, with Paradigm’s 2026 awards

AUSTRALIA has claimed another World Steak Challenge overall championship trophy, underling the momentum being seen in the Purebred segment of the Wagyu industry in this country.

Crowned World’s Best Steak at the annual World Steak Challenge event in the Netherlands on Friday was a Purebred Wagyu entry representing Queensland-based supply chain Paradigm Foods’ Senku brand program.

Australian entries have now claimed the overall World’s Best Steak crown five times since the event started in 2015. Entries came this year from more than 20 countries across Europe, North America, Asia, Australasia and South America.

A total of 328 medals were awarded, including 128 gold, 114 silver and 86 bronze. Ireland topped the gold medal table with 29, narrowly ahead of Australia with 27.

Steaks were judged in three cut divisions (fillet, rib-eye and sirloin, plus Wagyu), across both grass and grainfed categories. Australian producer Jack’s Creek & Albers, a previous winner of the World’s Best Steak category, took home World’s Best Wagyu this year.

Awards were also made in two company categories – the Small Producer and Large Producer Awards. Toriyama Cattle Farm in Japan won the Small Producer Award and Western Australia’s Padoo Wagyu Corporation won the Large Producer Award.

The World Steak Challenge, judged at Vlees & Co steakhouse in Amsterdam, recognises the finest steaks from around the world based on meat quality, marbling, and consistency. More than 450 steaks were judged this year blind by a judging panel of more than 60 industry experts.

Momentum in Purebred Wagyu production

Paradigm’s 2026 winning Senku brand entry earlier won gold medals at the Australian Wagyu Association’s 2026 branded beef competition, and Sydney Royal Show 2026 branded beef event.

The name Senku (Japanese for pioneer) was chosen to reflect the nature of Australia’s emerging Purebred Wagyu segment, Paradigm’s managing director Nick Thompson told Beef Central.

The brand was created only three years ago, reflecting the growing volumes of purebred Wagyu (at least fourth-cross, or 93.75pc Fullblood Wagyu content) now being produced in this country.

Purebred falls between Crossbred Wagyu (typically a Fullblood Wagyu bull used over an Angus cow, or F1 cow, carrying 50-75pc Wagyu content) and Fullblood Wagyu, limited to 100pc pure Japanese Wagyu genetics on both sire and dam side.

“Purebred Wagyu is really something that is only produced in Australia,” Paradigm’s Nick Thompson said.

“Purebred programs are mostly oriented towards larger herd managed along more extensive lines in Queensland,” he said.

“Cattle are managed somewhat differently than those under Fullblood programs, but still produce abundant marbling. We think the purebred programs are starting to overtake Fullbloods not just in meat quality, but production volume. We are starting to see a number of these purebred programs emerging in recent years. Even five years ago, there were not as many of these purebred feeders about.”

Mr Thompson said while technically, Purebreds represented fourth-cross Wagyu content (at least 93.75pc), because many of its regular suppliers had been breeding Wagyu cattle for so long, their true content was even higher, at fifth or sixth cross.

Essentially, these cattle were only a ‘whisker away’ from Fullblood genetics.

Paradigm’s winning entry was representative of the Senku program, having been were fed 400 days on a Japanese style ration at Smithfield Cattle Co’s Sapphire feedlot near Goondiwindi in southern Queensland. It was the second time a Sapphire-fed Wagyu entry   has claimed a ‘World’s Best Steak trophy, repeating the title earned by a Jack’s Creek entry back in 2024.

The calf producing the competition winning entry was bred by Adam and Hayley Rea from Torrens Creek in North Queensland.

“More customers worldwide now are starting to understand the value of Wagyu described and produced as Purebred, instead of Fullblood,” Mr Thompson said.

“And it’s not only about outright marbling scores, but also other traits that dictate eating quality, like marbling fineness. The genetics and breeding programs behind Senku are allowing that to happen. The three key things we’re looking for are kilos – because that’s we get paid on at the end of the day; marbling score and marbling fineness, which also dictates quality.”

Paradigm’s Senku program packs under three marbling score ranges – from 6 to 9+. All the cattle are processed at Stanbroke Beef’s plant in the Lockyer Valley. The lion’s share of the production ends up in the United States market, with smaller volumes into mainland Europe and the UK, with smaller chilled quantities still going into China, despite the tariff burden.

Winning Senku entry in this year’s World Steak Challenge. Click on image for a larger view

Other 2026 World Steak Challenge results

Paradigm’s overall winning entry this year also claimed the World’s Best grainfed fillet sub-category award.

Australia dominated the gold medal distribution across four classes this year, earning 26 – ten in the Wagyu division, eight in the sirloin division, three in the ribeye division and five in the fillet division.

Here are the 2026 Australian Gold medal winners:

Gold medals: Fillet

Jack’s Creek, NSW; Paradigm Foods, Brisbane (Senku Purebred); Stanbroke, Brisbane.

Gold medals: Ribeye

Jack’s Creek; Paradigm Foods (Icon crossbred Wagyu); S. Kidman & Co.

Gold medals: Sirloin

Jack’s Creek; Paradigm Foods; JBS Australia (Tajima Wagyu); Teys Certified Angus; Teys 36 Degrees South; Stanbroke Diamantina.

Gold Medals: Wagyu

Pardoo Wagyu Corp; Jack’s Creek; Hancock Agriculture (2GR).