As expected, Wisconsin cheesemakers dominated the first day of competition at the World Championship Cheese Contest, but a perennial European winner is once again in the hunt for the top prize.
Gabriele Arlotti of Italy smells a sample of mozzarella while judging at the World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday at Monona Terrace in Madison.
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Holes in a rinded Swiss cheese are left exposed after the wheel was cut for judging at the World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday.
OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Judges at the World Cheese Championship Contest wait to present to spectators a lesson on cheese judging. The contest has 56 judges from around the world.
OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Judges Takayuki Muira, left, of Japan, and Larry Bell of Wisconsin judge washed rind semi-soft young cheeses at the World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
- OWEN ZILIAK,STATE JOURNAL
Steve Stettler, center, of Decatur Dairy in Bordhead, Wis., talks to a group of people learning about how cheese judging works at the World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
- OWEN ZILIAK,STATE JOURNAL
Cheese judge Chris Huisman, left, of the Netherlands, smells a bag of Italian shredded cheese while fellow judge Ted Brown of Vermont holds it steady at the World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
- OWEN ZILIAK,STATE JOURNAL
A volunteer places a plate with cups of concentrated whey and a dish of whey powder to be judged Tuesday at the World Cheese Championship Contest at Monona Terrace. Of the 150 categories in the contest, seven are dedicated to whey products.
- OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Judges K.J. Burrington and Pratishtha Verma, both of Madison, discuss the whey powder they sampled Tuesday during the opening day of the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. Once discarded as a byproduct of the cheesemaking process, whey is now in high demand for its health and weight-loss benefits.
- OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
K.J. Burrington of the American Dairy Products Institute in Elmhurst, Ill., but who lives in Madison, takes a sip of powdered whey that had been mixed with water. Burrington is among the 56 judges at the World Championship Cheese Contest.
- OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Photos: World Cheese Championship Contest returns to Monona Terrace
Cheeses of every shape, size, color and texture were on display and judged at the annual World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. The contest, which is open to the public, will continue Wednesday, with winners announced on Thursday.Â
Cheese judge Chris Huisman, left, of the Netherlands, smells a bag of Italian shredded cheese while fellow judge Ted Brown of Vermont holds it steady at the World Cheese Championship Contest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
- OWEN ZILIAK,STATE JOURNAL
Judges K.J. Burrington and Pratishtha Verma, both of Madison, discuss the whey powder they sampled Tuesday during the opening day of the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. Once discarded as a byproduct of the cheesemaking process, whey is now in high demand for its health and weight-loss benefits.
- OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
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