The contest is open to professional chefs and culinary students across the United States and includes two categories: On the Menu & California Freestyle.
The online entry submission period opens on March 1, 2026, and closes April 24, 2026. Eight selected finalists will receive an all-expense-paid trip to compete head-to-head at a live bake-off event on July 13-15, 2026.
For a list of the more than 250 varieties and style of Real California Cheese and the approved brands that produce them, please refer to the California Cheesemaker list.
Judged by a panel of professional chefs, the 8 selected finalists – 4 in each category – will prepare their pizza recipes on July 13-15, 2026 at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, California.
The chefs will all compete on an equal basis. The pizza tasting and evaluation process will be conducted blind. The top entry in each category will be selected as the Category Winner.
The Grand Prize Winner will be selected by the judges based on the best overall score.
Category winners will each receive $5,000. The overall Grand Prize Winner will receive an additional $2,500, for $7,500 total.
Finalists who are not category winners will receive $1,000 each.
Chefs can choose from a selection of more than 250 varieties and styles of award-winning Real California Cheese to create the most innovative, interesting and inspiring recipes!
Refer to realcaliforniamilkfoodservice.com/dairy-product-search/ for approved Real California Cheese brands and varieties.
ELIGIBILITY
The contest is open for recipe submissions from March 1, 2026 through April 24, 2026. Eligible entrants are:
Professional restaurant and pizzeria pizza chefs from anywhere in the United States
Culinary students from accredited U.S.-based culinary schools
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
There will be two rounds to the Real California Pizza Contest.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
All entries will be scored by an esteemed panel of champion pizza chefs, with the top four entries per category advancing to the final round. Judging criteria includes:
FINAL ROUND
The 8 selected finalists – four in each category – will compete in a live bake-off event at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia facility in Napa, California on July 13-15, 2026.
The pizzas will be tasted and scored by our esteemed panel of champion pizza chefs. A single chef in each category – On the Menu & California Freestyle – will be selected as the Category Winner. Following the main competition, the judges will select an overall Grand Prize Winner from all of the finalist pizzas made at the contest.
Category Winners:
$5,000 each
Grand Prize Winner:
ADDITIONAL $2,500
Remaining Finalists:
$1,000 each
