The World Cheese Awards will open for entry on July 22, said the Guild of Fine Food, the awards’ organizers. Cheesemakers across the globe may submit their products into the largest cheese-only competition on the planet. The World Cheese Awards presentation will take place in Italy on Oct. 18, forming part of the FORME cheese festival in Bergamo.

Following another record-breaking number of entries in 2018, more than 3,500 entries are expected in Lombardy this year, the Guild of Fine Food said, making their way from over 40 different countries in six continents. The global cheese community will gather to judge all entries in a single day, bringing together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators in a truly international celebration of all things cheese.

Providing a global platform for cheesemaking excellence, from multi award-winners to tiny artisans, the World Cheese Awards will give Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold awards, as its 230-strong judging panel directs buyers everywhere to the world’s top cheese. An international Super Jury will then debate the best of the best live on WCA TV, before crowning this year’s World Champion Cheese, organizers said.

During the fourth edition of FORME, more than 40,000 visitors will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the World Cheese Awards action, with a free exhibition of previous World Champion Cheeses and tickets available to witness the judging unfold live and to join tasting tours over the weekend. FORME will also feature a bustling consumer cheese festival and the brand new international dairy trade show, B2Cheese, the Guild of Fine Food noted, providing a setting for the cheese community to network, taste and debate.

“We’re enormously excited to be visiting Italy for the first time this October, joining forces with FORME to stage the biggest event in this year’s global cheese calendar,” said John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food. “The World Cheese Awards grows in scale and reach year-on-year, but we never lose sight of what it’s all about — celebrating the work of small artisan cheesemakers — so we’re hoping for more entries from more countries than ever before in 2019.”

Producers may enter online at www.gff.co.uk/wca.