• ICDA JUDGES

Become an ICDA Judge in 2026

Join us at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards, where the world’s finest cheeses are evaluated, celebrated, and benchmarked. We’re inviting experienced professionals to bring their palate, rigour, and integrity to our judging panels—helping set the standards the industry trusts.

  • [ICDA judges]

Call to action

ICDA AWARDS HALL

Why judge at the ICDA Awards

  • Expand your network: Connect with cheesemakers, buyers, technologists, and industry leaders from across the UK and worldwide.


  • Build your profile: Contribute to a globally respected awards platform and enhance your professional credentials.


  • Champion excellence: Share your passion for dairy and help surface products that deserve recognition and market opportunity.


Who should apply

Retail and foodservice buyers, executive chefs, master cheesemakers, affineurs, dairy technologists, quality and sustainability specialists, distributors, educators, and experienced members of the artisan community.


We also welcome applications from journalists, influencers and bloggers writing and contributing to the dairy industry.


If you work with cheese and dairy professionally - and can assess quality with objectivity - we’d love to hear from you.


Selection criteria

  • Relevant professional experience and category familiarity
  • Commitment to impartiality and ICDA’s code of conduct
  • Ability to articulate constructive feedback and reach fair consensus
  • Diversity of perspective across channels, company sizes, and regions.

Conflicts & Conduct

Judges must declare any commercial conflicts. Categories are allocated to safeguard impartiality.


ICDA reserves the right to reassign panels to maintain integrity.

Become an ICDA Judge 


Ready to judge? Add your expertise to a world-class panel and help define this year’s benchmark for excellence.


Register your interest now — share your experience, and category strengths, and our team will be in touch with next steps.


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