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      • Dairy Economics and Unit Operations in Dairy Processing
      • Yogurts, Fermented Milks and Probiotic Dairy Products
      • Cheese Trivia with the Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment
      • Dairy Basics: Fundamentals of Quality & Safety Workshop
      • Hazard Analysis & Preventive Controls for Small-Scale Dairy Processors Workshop
      • ACS Webinar: From Insights to Opportunity: Consumer Trends Driving Cheese Sales in 2024
      • ACS Webinar: Advances in Dairy Cattle Welfare Science
      • Vermont Cheese Summit
      • Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese course
      • Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese course
      • Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese course
      • Affinage: the Art and Science of Maturing Cheese course
      • Dairy Products Innovation Conference
      • Hispanic and Mediterranean Short Course
      • Vermont Cheese Week Kickoff Celebration
      • Vermont Cheese Camp: The Land of Milk & Mountains
      • Vermont Cheese Camp: Cheese as a Way of Life
      • Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop-Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
      • Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop-Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
      • Biosecurity for On-Farm Dairy Processors
      • ACS Webinar: Evaluating the New Small Ruminant Mastitis Vaccine
      • Cheese Making Practical Shortcourse
      • ACS Webinar: Cutting Through the Quat: Tackling Dairy Wastewater Challenges
      • ACS Webinar: Shaping the Future of Artisan Cheese Through Today's Consumer Trends
      • The Dairy Connection on Milk and Cheese defects (Columbus, OHIO)
      • ACS Webinar: Brie-lliant Ideas: Building a Conference Proposal with the Education Committee
      • ACS Webinar: Two Approaches to the History of Ancient and Medieval Cheesemaking
      • Introduction to Artisan Cheesemaking: Milk to Make to Market
      • Affinage: Techniques, Microbes and Facilities
      • Advanced Cheesemaking: Simplifying Difficult Cheeses
      • 2025 Dairy Products Process & Packaging Innovation Conference
      • Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Supplier Management Food Safety Workshop
      • ACS Webinar: The Insider's Guide to Entering ACS Judging & Competition
      • Introduction to Cheese Making Technology short course- Hands on!
      • Los Angeles International Dairy Competition
      • The Science & Craft of Raw Milk Cheese Conference
      • Dairy Pasteurization Short Course
      • Cheesemaking Short Course
      • Three-Day HACCP Short Course
      • Artisanal Cheesemaking
      • ACS Webinar: Latest Updates on Avian Flu Issues
      • Bolstering Your Dairy Foods Business, Through Successful Third Party Audits - NC State University
      • Introduction to Cheese Making Technology (spring, annually)
      • ACS Webinar: Unlock Salumiere Certification with the Charcuterie Professional Exam
      • Dairy Products 201
      • Counter Culture - Raleigh NC
      • Vermont Cheesemakers Festival 2025
      • ACS Certification - Live Ask Me Anything
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      • Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop-Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
      • Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop-Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
      • Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop-Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
      • Dairy Plant Food Safety Workshop-Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
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      • Crafting the Perfect Creamer: From Formula to Foam
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  1. Home
  2. Competition
  3. Judging & Competition 2025
  4. Packing and Shipping Your Competition Entries

Judging & Competition 2025

Packing & Shipping Information

The documents required for shipping your competition entries are now available.

Helpful links for shipping perishable items:

  • FedEx
    • ACS Members are eligible to receive exclusive FedEx shipping discounts.  This information is visible in the ACS Member Center. 
  • UPS

RECEIVING DAY

Your product should be shipped to arrive between Monday, June 9th, and Wednesday, June 11th

JUDGING DAYS

Products will be judged on Thursday, June 12th, and Friday, June 13th.

WHERE TO SHIP

Competition entries should be shipped to:

FedEx/UPS/USPS Shipments and Private Carrier/Hand Deliveries
Huntington Bank Stadium
Attn: Marlee Elder / Special Events
Re: ACS 2025 Judging & Competition
420 23rd Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

  • Private Carrier and Hand-deliveries will be accepted from 10 am – 3 pm on Receiving Days at the Lake of the Woods Garage Door Entrance, see map here.
    • Lake of the Woods Garage Door Entrance is located on the East side of the stadium along 23rd Ave. SE
    • Turn where it says “Stadium Loading Dock Entrance”, do not turn south once on the parking apron to go to the actual loading dock and drive straight ahead to the “Lake of the Woods” garage door.
    • Loading Dock Entrance is also available – recommended for box trucks
  • Ask for the ACS Receiving Manager to check your product in upon your arrival.

SHIPPING DOCUMENTS

Please include your invoice and packing slips for each entry in each master box of cheese you ship in a ziplock bag. If you need help finding the invoice, log back into Award Force and under Status, you can click the word "Paid $" and the invoice will pop up.

Master Boxes – Master boxes are your shipping box, you can put multiple entries in each master box. Please indicate on the invoice in each box your total box count and box number.  For example, if you are shipping 3 master boxes, please indicate on the invoice in each box “Box 1 of 3, Box 2 of 3, Box 3 of 3”.

Entrants will need to print and include the following documents:

  1. SHIPPING LABELS

    • These labels indicate that your shipment is for ACS Judging & Competition. You must affix these labels to the outside of your package(s) to clearly identify your shipment. Please affix one label to the exterior of each box being shipped – making as many copies as necessary to ensure one label is affixed to each box. This document contains two shipping labels and is formatted for AVERY 5126 or compatible labels. You may also print this on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.
    • View and Print Shipping Labels
  2. PACKING SLIPS

    • Packing slips are generated in Award Force for EACH cheese entry. Please login to Award Force here to access your list of entries. You'll see a “Print Packing Slip” for each entry. This packing slip MUST be included in the shipping box that contains the cheese entry. These packing slips are scanned upon receiving for inventory tracking and to help us ensure we have the details for each entry. Please indicate the number of units being shipped for each entry and be sure to include the date of production for each entry.

    • View and print Packing Slips and Invoices

    • If you are withdrawing an entry, please print that packing slip, strike through the entry name and indicate “Withdrawn”. These packing slips should be printed on standard 8.5 x 11 copy paper.

PACKING SLIP INSTRUCTIONS FOR SHIPPING MULTIPLE BOXES

If you are shipping more than one box, please include in each master box:

  1. Invoice – please indicate on your invoice the count of boxes you are shipping (for example; box 1 of 3, box 2 of 3, box 3 of 3)
  2. Packing Slip for entries in that master box

ENTRY LABELS

It is important to label each entry according to your packing slip. If you have multiple entries, please take extra care to make sure each piece has its correct label. If possible, affix the label onto the cheese, not the exterior of the box or wrapper of your cheese.

  • Each of your entries will have its own unique Judging ID code. This Judging ID in the two-letter category code and the Entry ID number, in that order. This 4 to 6 digit code must be affixed to every piece of cheese for easy and anonymous identification. Examples of what this code may look like: AY 88, MA 124, TC 1012.
  • View example of Competition Entry Labels
  • We recommend using the AVERY 5160 label template (or other compatible label) for printing your Judging ID codes.
  • Creating and affixing Judging ID codes to your cheese entries is required. ACS will NOT be creating, shipping or uploading pre-printed labels.
ENTRIES FROM CANADA

Non-US entrants will be provided with a US Customs Letter to include with their shipment.

  • View and print the U.S. Customs Letter
  • If you are shipping from Canada and would like to consolidate your shipment with other entries from Canada, please contact Mary Ann Ferrer, mferrer@uoguelph.ca.

PREPARE YOUR SHIPMENT

Your product should be shipped to arrive between Monday, June 9th, and Wednesday, June 11th, be aware of when your cheese must ship to get it there on time. Please review the shipping instructions below to ensure your cheese arrives at competition in the best possible condition and eligible to be judged. Watch a “how to” video on Shipping and Packing here.

QUANTITY REQUIREMENTS AND HOW TO PACK YOUR CHEESE
  • The ACS Judging & Competition is a blind competition. Remove any and all identifying product labels and marks from your competition cheeses.  Any product with brands or labels on the packaging, or the product itself, will receive a 7-point deduction off of the technical score for that product. 
  • Send your cheese in its original form. Cheeses may not be plugged, cut, and/or resealed. Cheeses must be entered as whole wheels, loaves, or blocks.
  • If your product weighs 20 lbs. or more in its whole, original form, a 5-10 lb. cut is sufficient for judging and will be accepted. Cuts should conform to industry norms for retail cuts, i.e. (pie slice shape for wheels, loaf shape for blocks, etc.) and should reflect the shape of the original form, INCLUDING the rind.
  • Any cheese or dairy product that weighs under 1 lb. in whole form will require a minimum of 6 pieces. If product integrity will be compromised by shipping less than a full retail case, we will accept a full retail case.
  • Add 2-3 pounds of ice packs per 5 pounds of hard cheese. DO NOT USE FROZEN WATER BOTTLES.
  • Frozen gel packs are ideal for proper shipping. Do Not Use Dry Ice for cheese!
  • Protect the ice packs so they don’t get the cheese damp by osmosis. 
  • It is important for product to arrive within an acceptable temperature range. Pack the product to remain cold for 48-72 hours out of refrigeration.
  • Use all clean packing material
  • Place cheese in a foam or foil-lined shipping box. Cushion with bubble-wrap preferably (avoid using peanuts or paper packing materials).
  • Keep your shipment tracking information on hand! Should there by any issue in receiving your shipment, you will be contacted a representative from the ACS Judging & Competition Committee.

How to Pack for the Judging & Competition

This is a general example of how to pack for the ACS Judging and Competition. Note: The cheese in this video is used as a demo only. Make sure your product doesn’t have any identifying branding visible before packing.

Video Title
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American cheese society logo

PO Box 3406

Englewood, CO 80155

phone: +1 720-328-2788

email: info@cheesesociety.org

  • Contact Us
  • American Cheese Education Foundation
  • Bylaws
  • Member & Events Code of Conduct
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Search
  • Sitemap

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