The World Cheese Awards will open for entries on Wednesday 5 September, with organisers, the Guild of Fine Food, expecting a record-breaking 3,500 cheeses to be judged in Bergen, Norway on Friday 2 November.
The World Cheese Awards is the largest cheese-only competition on the planet and will this year form part of a brand new festival, Matnasjonen Norge. Taking place at Bergen’s iconic Grieg Hall, the 31st edition of the awards will be set against the backdrop of Norway’s finest food and drink, including highlights such as Kraftkar from Tingvollost, which took the World Cheese Awards’ top prize in 2016.
As the international cheese community gathers, entrants from over 30 different countries will be looking to 
showcase their cheese on a world stage, hoping to land a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Super Gold award. An epic celebration of all things cheese, the World Cheese Awards will bring together over 230 buyers, retailers, writers and makers from every corner of the globe, to judge every entry in a single day and ultimately crown this year’s World Champion Cheese.
John Farrand, Managing Director of the Guild of Fine Food explains: “With 30 years now under our belt, we’re very excited to be visiting Norway for the first time, to stage the largest cheese-only event that the world has ever seen. With cheeses from six continents on their way to Bergen this year, we’ll be bringing a truly international edge to the festival.”
Judging live on TV
Judges work in teams of three to four, identifying any cheeses worthy of a Bronze, Silver or Gold award. They look at the rind and the body of the cheese, its colour, texture, consistency and, above all, its taste. Each team then nominates one exceptional cheese as the Super Gold from their table. These 66 cheeses are the best in the world and are judged a second time by the Super Jury of 16 internationally recognised experts, who each select a cheese to champion in the final round of judging. The Super Jury, representing all four corners of the globe, then debates the final 16 in front of a live consumer and trade audience, before choosing the World Champion Cheese live on WCA TV.
The World Cheese Awards is open for entry from Wednesday 5 September until Friday 28 September, unless the entry cap is reached before this date – early entry is recommended. Producers can enter online at www.gff.co.uk/wca.
