World Cheese Awards Entry Categories
Last updated May 2026
Please note:
You can only enter your cheese in one category. However it is permitted to enter the same cheese more than once, provided the age profiles are different, e.g. Parmigiano Reggiano 24 months and Parmigiano Reggiano 36 months. Cheeses are judged based on their own merit and not compared to others in the same category. Categories are
intended for operational purposes only and organisers reserve the right to move your cheese into a different category for operational purposes. This will not affect your results or chance of being awarded. Where relevant, age profile refers to maturation at the time of judging.
| 5001 | Soft goats’ milk cheese (fresh) |
| 5002 | Soft/semi-soft goats’ milk cheese (mould-ripened) |
| 5004 | Hard/semi-hard goats’ milk cheese |
| 5005 | Goats’ milk cheese with additives |
| 5006 | Blue goats’ milk cheese |
| 5007 | Smoked goats’ milk cheese |
| 5010 | Soft/semi-soft washed-rind goats’ milk cheese |
| 5012 | Hard/semi-hard washed-rind goats’ milk cheese |
| 5101 | Soft/semi-soft ewes’ milk cheese |
| 5103 | Hard/semi-hard ewes’ milk cheese |
| 5104 | Smoked ewes’ milk cheese |
| 5105 | Ewes’ milk cheese with additives |
| 5106 | Blue ewes’ milk cheese |
| 5107 | Manchego PDO |
| 5109 | Idiazabal PDO |
| 5110 | Pecorino PDO |
| 5116 | Roquefort PDO |
| 5113 | Soft/semi-soft washed-rind ewes’ milk cheese |
| 5115 | Hard/semi-hard washed-rind ewes’ milk cheese |
| 5225 | Double Gloucester |
| 5226 | Leicester |
| 5227 | Caerphilly |
| 5228 | Lancashire (all varieties) |
| 5230 | Wensleydale |
| 5231 | Cheshire |
| 5232 | Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (18-23 months) |
| 5233 | Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (24-29 months) |
| 5234 | Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (30-39 months) |
| 5235 | Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (40+ months) |
| 5236 | Grana Padano PDO (< 18 months) |
| 5237 | Grana Padano PDO (18+ months) |
| 5238 | Provolone Valpadana PDO |
| 5240 | Emmental |
| 5242 | Gruyère AOP (< 9 months) |
| 5243 | Gruyère AOP (9+ months) |
| 5255 | Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP |
| 5256 | Bergkäse (< 6 months) |
| 5257 | Bergkäse (6+ months) |
| 5245 | Gouda (< 9 months) |
| 5246 | Gouda (9+ months) |
| 5248 | Hard/semi-hard cows’ milk cheese |
| 5250 | Smoked cows’ milk cheese |
| 5253 | Comté PDO (< 9 months) |
| 5254 | Comté PDO (9+ months) |
| 5260 | Mild block Cheddar |
| 5261 | Medium block Cheddar |
| 5262 | Mature block Cheddar |
| 5263 | Extra-mature / vintage block Cheddar |
| 5264 | Mild traditional (shape) Cheddar |
| 5265 | Medium traditional (shape) Cheddar |
| 5266 | Mature traditional (shape) Cheddar |
| 5267 | Extra-mature / vintage traditional (shape) Cheddar |
| 5268 | West Country Farmhouse Cheddar PDO |
| 5302 | Soft cows’ milk cheese (fresh) |
| 5306 | Mozzarella (cows’ milk) |
| 5309 | Brie (de Meaux or de Melun PDO) |
| 5311 | Camembert de Normandie PDO |
| 5319 | Burrata (cows’ milk) |
| 5320 | Soft/semi-soft washed-rind cows’ milk cheese |
| 5322 | Hard/semi-hard washed-rind cows’ milk cheese |
| 5323 | Soft/semi-soft cows’ milk cheese (mould-ripened) |
| 5405 | Gorgonzola PDO |
| 5410 | Soft/semi-soft blue cows’ milk cheese |
| 5412 | Hard/semi-hard blue cows’ milk cheese |
| 5413 | Blue Stilton PDO |
| 5414 | White Stilton PDO |
| 5415 | Blue cows’ milk cheese with additives |
| 5603 | Processed cows’ milk cheese |
| 5605 | Hard/semi-hard pressed or repressed cows’ milk cheese with additives |
| 5608 | Soft/semi-soft or unpressed cows’ milk cheese with additives |
| 5611 | Fresh cows’ milk cheese with additives |
| 5801 | Cheese made with the milk of more than one animal |
| 5815 | Feta PDO (ewes’ milk or goat & ewes’ milk) |
| 5816 | Brunost (brown cheese) |
| 5817 | Mixed milk cheese with additives |
| 5701 | Mozzarella di Bufala PDO |
| 5702 | Soft buffalo milk cheese (fresh) |
| 5703 | Soft/semi-soft buffalo milk cheese (mould-ripened) |
| 5705 | Hard/semi-hard buffalo milk cheese |
| 5706 | Buffalo milk cheese with additives |
| 5707 | Blue buffalo milk cheese |
| 5818 | Any other UK PGI cheese not listed above |
| 5819 | Any other EU PDO cheese not listed above |
| 5820 | Any other cheese from a national food protection scheme outside of EU/UK (specify scheme name) |
| 5821 | Cheese made from any other milk |
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Cheeses that are produced in a ‘style of’ should not be entered into PDO or AOP categories and should instead be entered into the general category most closely related to the type of cheese, e.g. soft cows’ milk cheese (fresh).