World Championship Cheese Contest entry deadline Wednesday

MADISON, WI – Records will be broken, as the Jan. 31 entry deadline for the World Championship Cheese Contest approaches.  Entries can be submitted now online at WorldChampionCheese.org.

“International participation is up, and we’re thrilled to welcome dozens of new competitors to the Contest in 2018,” said Kirsten Strohmenger Henning, Events Manager for the host organization, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.

The World Championship Cheese Contest will be held March 6-8 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison.  A team of 55 judges from 20 countries and 15 American states will provide technical evaluation for 121 classes of dairy products.  

New categories in 2018 include traditional waxed and natural rinded Cheddars, Romano, Paneer, and open class for hard cheeses with natural rinds, and various goat and sheep milk cheeses.

“With more entries, new classes, and a peerless team of internationally-renowned judges, the World Championship Cheese Contest is going to be bigger and better than ever,” said Strohmenger Henning.

Cheese fans should act quickly to reserve their tickets to Cheese Champion, the signature public event of the World Championship Cheese Contest.

This evening reception, set for Thursday, March 8 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, features a tasting of more than 50 Contest stand-outs from all over the world, local specialty foods, and craft beer samples.  Attendees also have the rare opportunity to learn the intricacies of cheese evaluation from Contest judges, and will be present as the winner of the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest is announced for the first time.

Cheese Champion tickets cost just $25 per person, and are on sale now at WorldChampionCheese.org. With a limit of 500 attendees, space will sell out well in advance of the event.

For more information, call 608-286-1001 or email at khenning@wischeesemakers.org.