L.A. INTERNATIONAL DAIRY COMPETITION

Setting the Gold Standard Since 1922

For the ancient Greeks, who started modern wine culture, competitions served to drive excellence and forge new connections among people. Today, competition can bring people together as they celebrate the best of the best – including wine, distilled beverages, aged cheeses and extra virgin olive oils.

For more than 100 years, the Los Angeles International Competitions have bestowed gold medals to the best wines, spirits, olive oils and dairy products from around the globe, showcasing the winners at the LA County Fair.

Judged by an array of the finest palates in the world, the ensuing scrutiny can result in catapulting a little-known product to worldwide fame or reiterate the staying power of a traditional label.

Why Enter the Los Angeles International Competitions?

Combining an impressive list of the world’s finest judging professionals and an international array of entries, the Los Angeles International Competitions has cemented itself as the premier wine, spirits, evoo and dairy competition.

  • LAIC hosts the original Los Angeles Wine Competition, celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2025
  • We have staying power and a sterling reputation: we’ve been operating the Dairy Competition since 1922
  • Exposure to more than nearly 100,000 visitors to our websites and 375,000 followers on social media
  • Opportunity to participate at Cheers: LA’s Wine, Spirits & Beer Festival, a fundraiser for Fairplex Learning and Development Center at Fairplex that draws an audience of more than 1,000 guests in June
  • Featured at the LA County Fair, one of the largest fairs and festivals in the U.S., with more than 750,000 guests annually
  • The opportunity for your product to be featured in The Tasting Room, the Fair’s hub for all things wine, spirits, evoo and dairy. Your product can be tasted by thousands of Fair guests!
  • The Tasting Room also offers public education classes featuring select LAIC medal winners and industry experts
  • Marketed in the Fair’s public relations and marketing collateral, including it’s $1.4 million earned media (2024) and $2.6 million paid media efforts (2024)

2026 COMPETITION CALENDAR

Competition Live – Monday, December 8, 2025

Early-Bird Deadline – Monday, February 9, 2026 (SAVE $15!)

Entry Deadline – Friday, April 10, 2026

Take-In/Deliveries Deadline – Monday, April 20 – Friday, April 24, 2026

Competition Judging Day – Saturday, April 25, 2026

LA County Fair – May 2026
Display of all award-winning wines, spirits extra virgin olive oils and dairy products in the competition. The tasting of gold medal wines and extra virgin olive oil tasting. Public education seminars featuring award-winning wines, spirits, extra virgin olive oil and dairy products in The Tasting Room.

Fairplex Presents Cheers – June 2026
A special public fundraiser celebrating the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine, Spirits, Dairy and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competitions.

Traditional Competitions Documents

Coming Soon

Special Competitions Documents

Coming Soon

Categories

Coming Soon

International Rules and Shipping Guidelines

Coming Soon

Judges

Kain Marzalado

Kain Marzalado

Kain Marzalado
Los Angeles International Dairy Competition
Chairman


Kain Marzalado is a cheese professional residing from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2012 he has held numerous roles in the industry and has worked alongside such prestigous organizations as the American Cheese Society and IDDBA. He served as Judge of the Los Angeles International Dairy Competition in 2023 and is honored to preside as Chair of the competition in 2024.

Phil Lawrence

Phil Lawrence

Phil is an American Cheese Society (ACS) Certified Cheese Professional (2014), and resident of Oak Park, IL. He has 14 years of experience as a Cheese Monger with Whole Foods Market in the Midwest Region. He competed in the Cheese Monger Invitational (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and is honored to have been selected as a judge for the historic and prestigious Los Angeles International Dairy Competition.

ENTRY FORMS

Coming Soon

How to enter

  • Determine the dairy product(s) you wish to enter.
  • Note entry deadline and entry fee.
  • Determine Division and Categories.
  • Complete the online entry form once available.

Shipping Deadline: Coming Soon

Ship or deliver your wines with entry form and entry fees to:

Los Angeles International Dairy Competition
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768 

Download Shipping Label

2025 Dairy Awards

Thank you to all the producers in the 103rd Anniversary Los Angeles International Dairy Competition. The 2025 Dairy competition was held on April 12th and received 348 products. Special congratulations to Organic Valley, Sour Cream, received the Best of Show Award, Bet Dairy Product of the Competition. There was a total of 5 Best of Division Awards, 18 Best of Class, 119 Gold Medal Awards, 93 Silver Medal Awards and 85 Bronze Medal Awards.  The 2025 competition received dairy products from Denmark and the United States of America.

2025 Dairy Winners

Competition AwardsDownloadable MedalsDownloadable Packaging Design Medals
2025 Awards by BrandBest of ClassGold
2025 Awards by MedalBest of DivisionSilver
2025 Awards by Product TypeGoldBronze
2025 Awards by MedalSilver 
2025 Dairy Special AwardsBronze 

2024 Dairy Winners

Competition AwardsDownloadable MedalsDownloadable Packaging Design Medals
2024 Awards by BrandBest of ClassGold
2024 Awards by MedalBest of DivisionSilver
2024 Awards by Product TypeGoldBronze
 Silver 
 Bronze 

2023 Dairy Winners

Competition AwardsDownloadable MedalsDownloadable Packaging Design Medals
2023 Awards by CompanyBest of Class 
2023 Awards by MedalGoldGold
2023 Awards by Product TypeSilverSilver
 BronzeBronze

If you have any questions or require additional information please contact:

Competitions Team
Email: competitions@fairplex.com