Enter

    2012 ACS Judging & Competition

    The 28th Annual ACS Judging & Competition is now accepting entries! The ACS Judging & Competition, the leading competition of North American-made cheeses, takes place each year in conjunction with the annual ACS Conference. This year’s Judging & Competition will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina. The ACS Conference, Cheese Rally in Raleigh: Owning Our Future will be held August 1-4 and will culminate with the Awards Ceremony on Friday, August 3 and the Festival of Cheese on Saturday, August 4, 2012.

    The Judging & Competition and Conference Planning Committees have worked hard to make this year’s Ceremony and Festival exciting events that will recognize cheesemakers from across North America.


    ENTRY FEES*

    • $60 for on-time entries
    • $85 for late entries

    * Entry fees include permission for winners to use the high-resolution digital 2012 ACS Winner logo (per ACS guidelines). The logo will be sent to winners shortly after the Judging & Competition.

    ENTRY DEADLINES

    • Friday, May 18, 2012 – Deadline for on-time entries
    • Friday, May 25, 2012 – Deadline for late entries*

    *Entries submitted between May 19 and May 25 will be considered late and will be subject to the late entry fee of $85/entry. Entries received after May 25 will not be accepted.

    HOW TO ENTER

    This year, ACS is excited to launch its first-ever, online Judging & Competition Entry System. While we encourage all entrants to use the online system for speed and accuracy, you may also enter via mail or fax. Just follow the steps below to submit your 2012 entries.

    Please note: the online Judging & Competition Entry System will work in all web browsers, but it is optimized for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

    Step 1: Before you get started, please review the following important documents:

    Step 2: Select your method of entry:

    *Step 3: For Online Entries: Once you’ve created your unique company profile via the link above (limited to one per company, please), you can begin submitting your entries. Please note that your Judging & Competition profile is new and is not linked in any way to your ACS member profile.

    This new system will allow you to leave the entry process and return to continue adding or editing your entries. Once your entries are complete, you can finish and pay for your entries. Please make sure to review all of your entries prior to submitting your payment. Once you have submitted and paid for your entries, you will not be able to edit them.

    Please note, your entries will not be complete until ACS receives a copy of your current Dairy Plant Permit or Health Inspection Report. You may submit this document electronically via our new online entry system, or you may send a copy to the ACS office via fax at (720) 269-1100 or email at entries@cheesesociety.org.

    SHIPPING YOUR ENTRIES

    ACS will receive Judging & Competition entries on Thursday, July 26 and Friday, July 27 only. You will receive your competition packet at the end of June/beginning of July with full shipping details.

    Your packet will include your packing slip, which lists all of your entered products, along with shipping labels, tips for shipping cheese, and the unique entry labels that will be placed on each product you are shipping.

    QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

    We hope you will like this new system and understand it may not be perfect. If you have any questions or comments during the online entry process, please don’t hesitate to contact the ACS office at (720) 328-2788 or email entries@cheesesociety.org. Or, you may find your answer in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section below.

    We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you in Raleigh!


    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

     

     

    I need to create my company profile for the online entry system. Where do I go to do this?

    • Click here to create your profile. Please be sure that your company does not already have an existing profile. If you are unsure, contact the ACS office at 720-328-2788 first.

     

    I was unable to access the online entry system using my ACS member login. Why didn’t this work?

    • Profiles on the ACS online entry system differ from your year-round ACS member profile. You will not be able to access the online entry system with your ACS member login. Instead, you will need to create a new profile with your email address and password before entering the Judging & Competition.

     

    After I have created my profile for the online entry system, how do I log in to submit or edit my entries?

    • Visit the login page and enter your email address and password. You will be redirected to a page where you can add or edit entries.

     

    I lost my password for the online entry system. How do I retrieve it?

    • ACS does not store passwords. If you have lost your password, click here and select the “Lost password?” link at the bottom of the screen. You will be prompted to reset your password.

     

    When is the cutoff for submitting entries online in 2012?

    • The cutoff date for receiving all entries (both online and in hard copy) is Friday, May 25. Please finish editing your entries and complete the payment process by this date.

     

    After I pay for my entry, can I log back into the online system to edit it?

    • Entries in the online system can only be edited prior to the payment step. After you have paid for your entry online, you will not be able to revisit it. If you need to edit an entry after completing the payment step, please contact the ACS office at entries@cheesesociety.org or 720-328-2788 with the edits you’d like to make.

     

    I completed and paid for my entry, but did not receive a payment receipt.

    • Contact the ACS office at entries@cheesesociety.org or 720-328-2788 and we will re-send your confirmation email. You may need to add “entries@cheesesociety.org” to the list of approved senders with your email client.