World Cheese Awards open for entry dates announced

The World Cheese Awards will open for entry from Monday 22 July, with organisers, the Guild of Fine Food calling for cheesemakers across the globe to submit their products into the largest cheese-only competition on the planet. Dedicated only to cheese, with no other dairy products judged, the World Cheese Awards will take place in Italy for the very first time on Friday 18 October, forming part of the FORME cheese festival in Bergamo.

Following another record-breaking number of entries in 2018, more than 3,500 entries are expected in Lombardy this year, making their way from over 40 different countries in six continents. The global cheese community will gather to judge all entries in a single day, bringing together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators in a truly international celebration of all things cheese.

Providing a global platform for cheesemaking excellence, from multi award-winners to tiny artisans, the World Cheese Awards will give Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold awards, as its 230-strong judging panel directs buyers everywhere to the world’s top cheese. An international Super Jury will then debate the best of the best live on WCA TV, before crowning this year’s World Champion Cheese.

As the fourth edition of FORME plays host to an epic gathering of cheese and cheese people, over 40,000 visitors will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the World Cheese Awards action, with a free exhibition of previous World Champion Cheeses and tickets available to witness the judging unfold live and to join tasting tours over the weekend. Taking place in the medieval heart of Bergamo and beyond, FORME will also feature a bustling consumer cheese festival and the brand new international dairy trade show, B2Cheese, providing the perfect setting for the cheese community to network, taste and debate, as connections are made and business gets done.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, explains:

“We’re enormously excited to be visiting Italy for the first time this October, joining forces with FORME to stage the biggest event in this year’s global cheese calendar. The World Cheese Awards grows in scale and reach year-on-year, but we never lose sight of what it’s all about – celebrating the work of small artisan cheesemakers – so we’re hoping for more entries from more countries than ever before in 2019. The Lombardy region has undoubted cheesemaking credentials and I can’t think of a better setting for the cheese world to gather once again, as we applaud cheesemaking excellence and shine a spotlight on the region’s Cheese Valleys during Bergamo’s time as a UNESCO Creative Cities candidate.”

The World Cheese Awards will be open for entry from Monday 22 July until Monday 9 September, unless the entry cap is reached before this date – early entry is recommended. Producers can enter online at www.gff.co.uk/wca.

The World Cheese Awards will take place on Friday 18 October, forming part of the FORME festival in Bergamo, which will run from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 October.