The American Cheese Society Judging & Competition, the largest judging and competition of its kind for American-made cheeses, takes places each year in conjunction with the ACS Annual Conference—and winners are announced at the Awards Ceremony held during the Conference. By hosting the Judging & Competition, ACS hopes to shine the spotlight on American cheesemakers by showcasing their talents and work as leaders within the industry, both for their excellent cheesemaking and commitment to food safety.

We celebrate and respect the craft of every cheesemaker who enters the ACS Judging & Competition. It is your individual efforts that continue to collectively advance the quality and character of American cheeses.

CHEESE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
– Cheeses entered into the Judging & Competition must be for sale to the general public at least six months prior to the start of competition. No prototypes or products currently in R&D are allowed.
– Sale to the general public includes all retail shop sales, web sales, and farmers’ markets. Cheeses that are sold exclusively to restaurants, or only at venues where an admission fee is charged do not qualify.
– The milk the product is made from must be made in the Americas: North, Central, or South America.
– Any product may only be entered in the competition once per calendar year. This includes products that may be marketed under different labels.
– Entries must be comprised of at least 51% cheese or cultured dairy product.
– Entrants will be required to provide the production date for each product entered. This information will be collected on the Packing Slip at the time of shipping.

JUDGING PROCESS:
The ACS Judging & Competition, a blind competition, strives to achieve the highest level of integrity. Each year, the J&C Committee works diligently to identify and select judges who possess the utmost levels of expertise, ethics, and reliability. ACS Judges are food professionals selected from academia and the dairy sciences industry, as well as culture manufacturers, food retailers, food distributors, and members of the food media. This process typically begins in October the year prior to each Competition and concludes in February.