The Official Agrocanarian Cheese Competition opens its call for entries with important new features aimed at boosting the national and international promotion of the Islands’ cheese production.
The Canary Islands cheese sector has a new date on its calendar. The Instituto Canario de Calidad Agroalimentaria (ICCA), a body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, has opened the registration period for participation in the Official Cheese Contest Agrocanarias 2026, one of the most prestigious competitions in the regional agri-food sector.
This year’s edition incorporates a particularly significant measure for participating cheesemakers. As a novelty, the ICCA will assume the registration and logistics costs of those companies admitted to the competition that wish to represent the Canary Islands in the prestigious World Cheese Awards 2026, to be held in Cordoba next November. In addition to this initiative, the ICCA will continue to provide financial support to participate in the Gourmets Cheese Championship 2027.
A showcase for Canarian cheese excellence
The main aim of the competition is to recognise and promote the quality of the cheeses produced in the archipelago, especially those protected by differentiated quality marks and certified production systems.
According to the director of the ICCA, Luis Arráez Guadalupe, this competition has established itself as a key tool to give visibility to the work of the Canary Islands’ cheese producers and facilitate their projection beyond the regional market. The strategy is to turn the awards into a platform that allows producers to compete in some of the most important showcases of the national and international cheese sector.
Registration open until 10 June
Interested companies may submit their applications until 10 June 2026. The competition will be held on 24 and 25 June on the island of La Palma, where a panel of specialists will evaluate the samples using the traditional blind tasting system, guaranteeing the impartiality of the assessment process.
Cheese dairies that produce and market their products in the Canary Islands and that comply with the sector’s current regulations may participate. The products must be available on the market and correspond to their own brands.
Wide representation of styles and elaborations
The competition includes numerous categories reflecting the diversity of Canarian cheese production. Cheeses made from goat’s milk, cow’s milk, sheep’s milk or mixtures of different species, both with raw and pasteurised milk, will be judged, as well as different degrees of maturity ranging from soft to aged cheeses.
It also includes specific rules for vegetable rennet cheeses, mixed cheeses and products ripened using both internal and surface moulds.
Special awards for the best creations
In addition to the Grand Gold Medals, Gold Medals and Silver Medals, the jury will award several special distinctions, including the prizes for Best Canary Islands Cheese, Best Organic Canary Islands Cheese and Best Limited Production Canary Islands Cheese.
The event will also maintain awards aimed at bringing the product closer to the consumer, such as the award for the Best Popular Cheese of the Canary Islands, chosen by a panel of consumers, and the prize for the Best Cheese chosen by the Children’s Jury, awarded by children participating in tasting panels organised specifically for the occasion.
Year-round promotion
The winning cheeses will be able to use for one year the official label that accredits the recognition obtained and will participate in the promotional activities developed by the ICCA. In addition, the cheese that wins the highest distinction of the competition will star in a special report aimed at giving visibility to the cheese factory and its production in specialised and general media.
With this new call for entries, Agrocanarias is once again highlighting one of the most emblematic products of the Islands’ primary sector, promoting quality, innovation and the external projection of the Canary Islands’ cheese dairies.
