World Championship Cheese Contest organizers said they are sending out final calls for contest entries as the Jan. 31 deadline quickly approaches. Entries may be submitted online at www.WorldChampionCheese.org.

Hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), Madison, Wis., the World Championship Cheese Contest, will be held March 6-8 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. It has long been the largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the world, and will grow in 2018, organizers said.

“We’re on track to break all previous contest entry records,” said Kirsten Strohmenger Henning, WCMA events manager. “We’re especially excited to see cheesemakers entering the competition from countries that have never participated in the contest in years past.”

Organizers credit new cheese classes for increased interest in the competition. In 2018, contest judges will evaluate 121 classes of dairy products, including new categories for traditional waxed and natural rinded cheddars, Romano, paneer, an open class for hard cheeses with natural rinds, and various goat and sheep’s milk cheeses, WCMA said.

“As consumer trends and the craft of cheesemaking evolve, so too does the World Championship Cheese Contest,” said Strohmenger Henning. “These adaptations ensure that every cheesemaker from every part of the world has the opportunity for expert technical evaluation and a chance at the title — World Champion Cheese!”

The Contest uses MyEntries, a secure online entry system that also offers competitors real-time scoring results, WCMA said. The fee for online submissions is $65 per product, a savings of more than 15% of the cost of paper entry. To enter, submit the forms on www.WorldChampionCheese.org by Jan. 31.

For more information, call 608-286-1001 or email at khenning@wischeesemakers.org.