Madison—The return of the World Championship Cheese Contest here early next year will feature new and expanded categories, including the anticipated debut of a cheese curd class.

Hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), the 34th biennial competition takes place March 1-3, 2022 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.

In total, the contest will feature 141 distinct classes. The new cheese curd class will include both flavored and unflavored categories.

“Though cheese curds are a familiar staple in Wisconsin, the tradition is becoming a sales phenomenon far beyond the Upper Midwest,” said WCMA executive director John Umhoefer.

Categories have been added for regular and flavored Cream cheeses, as defined in US standards of identity.

Two open classes have been added – one for semi-soft cheeses with natural rinds and another for cheeses with blue molding.

Sheep’s milk cheeses with blue mold now have a unique class, and competitors will see a new category for smear ripened cheeses that are washed with wine or spirits.

Two new classes of dry dairy ingredients are also available this year, for instantized whey protein concentrate 80 and whey protein isolate 90.

Entry Deadline Is January 26

Contestants have through Jan. 26, 2022 to register online at www.WorldChampionCheese.org. Online submissions with MyEntries are $75 per entry, and paper submissions are $85 per entry.

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.

Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded to the three highestscoring entries in each class. The top-scoring products in each category will be announced on March 3 following two days of judging.

The best cheese in each class will continue to a final round of judging to select the 2022 World Champion Cheese. Hand-crafted trophies and ribbons will also be presented to the First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up.

Top finishers will be honored April 14 at an awards banquet during CheeseExpo in Milwaukee.

Who’s Eligible To Compete

Any cheese maker, butter maker or manufacturer of real cheese, butter, yogurt or dried dairy ingredients may enter the contest. Each entry must be entered in the name of a person, team, or group directly involved in making the product.

Marketers or processors that further market or process cheese or butter can enter products on behalf of the manufacturer, with proper attribution to the original manufacturer.

The marketer/processor would be noted in a secondary position to the cheese maker. Processors that cut and package products applicable to the categories for shredded cheese may directly enter these classes The shipping deadline is Feb. 16. Entries are sent to WOW Logistics Warehouse in Little Chute, WI. Wisconsin Aging & Grading Cheese, Inc. also assists the contest by sorting and organizing entries.

Shipment details and instructions will be sent to entrants once entry closes.

MyEntries users have autofilled shipping tags with entry product information.

For cheese entries, a product can only be entered in one class, and each entry should consist of at least 2 pounds in its original, manufactured form unless otherwise noted.

Cheese received that is cut or trimmed from its original form will be eliminated. Exceptions to this rule include cheese cut during manufacture, Feta in brine, Colby horns and Swiss blocks.

Cheeses weighing between 66 and 132 pounds may be cut and sent as half of its original, fully matured size; cheeses weighing 133 pounds can sent as a quarter of its original size; and 640-pound block cheeses can be sent as 40-pound blocks.

Smoked cheeses should be entered in the form prior to smoking, and cheeses processed for the Shredded Cheese Class and Prepared Cheese Foods Class can be entered in their processed form.

Entries made from raw milk must be held for a minimum of 60 days before contest evaluation, and any cheese containing vegetable oils will be disqualified, with the exception of products entered in the Cheese Based Spread class.

For more details regarding the contest and to enter online, visit www.WorldChampionCheese.org.