About

The World Championship Cheese Contest® is the world’s premier technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition. The World Contest has been hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association biennially since 1957.


The next World Championship Cheese Contest will be held in March 2026, at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Entries are evaluated by a team of skilled technical judges from all over the world. Starting from a maximum possible 100 points, deductions are made for various defects found by each judge. Defects are noted in the areas of flavor, body and texture, salt, color, finish, packaging, and other appropriate attributes. A Gold medal, Silver medal and Bronze medal are awarded to the three highest-scoring entries in each class.

Find information about the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest:

Contest LEadership

1050 US_Cheese_Champ_2019

Jim Mueller

Chief Judge

Tim Czmowski

Assistant Chief Judge

Stan Dietsche

ASSISTANT CHIEF JUDGE

josef 4324 US_Cheese_Champ_2019

Josef Hubatschek

ASSISTANT CHIEF JUDGE

Mariana Marques de Almeida

Assistant Chief Judge

2022 World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin March 3, 2022. (Photo © Andy Manis)

Randy Swensen

Director of Logistics

Sandy Toney

ASSISTANT CHIEF JUDGE