Official Results of the International Pizza Challenge 2026
Master Pizza has provided Pizza Today with official results from the International Pizza Challenge held March 24-26, 2026, at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Congratulations to the winners! Click here for Daily Results, including scores from preliminary rounds of the International Pizza Challenge.
Pizza Maker of the Year
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mirko D’Agata | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 54.06 |
| 2nd | Frederico Santos | Square Pizza Co. | San Diego | California | 52.88 |
| 3rd | Patrice Desmeules | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 50.71 |
Mirko D’Agata shares details of his winning pizza here.
Best of the Best
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Carmine Candito | ‘O Munaciello | Miami | Florida | 55.06 |
| 2nd | Ryan Ososky | DTown Pizzeria | Los Angeles | California | 55.01 |
| 3rd | Tore Trupiano | Mangia e Bevi | Oceanside | California | 54.38 |
Carmine Candito discusses his preparation of the surprise ingredients here.
Traditional (Overall)
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Patrice Desmeules | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 46.76 |
| 2nd | Fiodar Huminski | Pizzeria Locali | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 46.07 |
| 3rd | Andrew Crawford | Righteous Slice | Rexburg | Idaho | 43.88 |
Neapolitan pizza maker Patrice Desmeules describes his victory in the Traditional Division.
Non-Traditional (Overall)
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Frederico Santos | Square Pizza Co. | San Diego | California | 52.70 |
| 2nd | Michael Balddwin | Testabarra Kitchen and Cocktails | Macomb | Michigan | 52.68 |
| 3rd | Chris Battiste | Mia Ava East Coast Pizza | Pahrump | Nevada | 51.98 |
Neapolitan (Overall)
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Loredana Passariello | La Leggenda Pizzeria | Miami Beach | Florida | 43.42 |
| 2nd | Sebastiano Cappellano | Non Solo Pane | Dorval | Quebec, Canada | 42.05 |
| 3rd | Hyun-Jin Jung | Eltree | Daejeon | South Korea | 41.56 |
Read about Loredana Passariello’s prize-winning pizza here!
Pan Division (Overall)
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mirko D’Agata | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 54.08 |
| 2nd | Lee Kindell | Moto Pizza | Seattle | Washington | 53.21 |
| 3rd | Davide Lubrano Lavadera | Pizzata Pizzeria | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 52.44 |
Italian Classica
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paulo Guerra | Paulomakespizza | Toronto | Ontario, Canada | 49.02 |
| 2nd | Vittoria Trupiano | Mangia e Bevi | Oceanside | California | 47.64 |
| 3rd | Rosen Naydenov | Hamos ltd | Sozopol | Burgas, Bulgaria | 46.72 |
Read about Paulo Guerra’s favorite pizza here.
World’s Best Cheese Slice (Overall)
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kevin Moreira | Boa Bakery | Binbrook | Ontario, Canada | 45.42 |
| 2nd | Tony Scardino | Professor Pizza | Chicago | Illinois | 45.41 |
| 3rd | Gennaro Buontempo | Frank’s Pizza & Pasta | Baltimore | Maryland | 44.34 |
Read about Kevin Moreira’s road to pizza fame here!
International Italian Sandwich Championship
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Selim Dahmane | Mortadella | Vancouver | British Columbia, Canada | 9.26 |
| 2nd | Leonardo Zopetti | Instituto ConPizza | São Paulo | Brazil | 8.98 |
| 3rd | Eric Von Hansen | Caliente Pizza & Draft House | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 8.76 |
Bacio Legacy Division
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Wilhelm Rodriguez | Papa’s Pizza | Cabo Rojo | Puerto Rico | 53.27 |
| 2nd | Sean Dempsey | Dempsey’s Brewery | Watertown | South Dakota | 52.04 |
| 3rd | Rogelio Rojas | DTown Pizzeria | Los Angeles | California | 47.73 |
Daiya Dairy-Free Traditional Division
| RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kevin Moreira | Boa Bakery | Binbrook | Ontario, Canada | 44.20 |
| 2nd | Alejandro Burgaleta | The Pizza Point Miami | Miami | Florida | 43.35 |
| 3rd | Chris Battiste | Mia Ava East Coast Pizza | Pahrump | Nevada | 43.01 |
Subdivisions and Regional Winners
For reference, here is a list of which region each state is categorized geographically:
| Midwest | Northeast | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest |
| IA | CT | AK | AL | AZ |
| IL | DE | ID | AR | CA |
| IN | MA | MN | DC | CO |
| KS | MD | ND | FL | HI |
| MI | ME | OR | GA | NM |
| MO | NH | SD | KY | NV |
| NE | NJ | WA | LA | OK |
| OH | NY | WY | MS | TX |
| WI | PA | NC | UT | |
| RI | SC | |||
| VT | TN | |||
| VA | ||||
| WV |
Traditional Regional Divisions
| REGION | RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | 1st | Patrice Desmeules | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 44.18 |
| International | 2nd | Fiodar Huminski | Pizzeria Locali | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 43.27 |
| International | 3rd | Giorgio Nazir | MGM sas di Merna Emad Nazir | Desio | Monza e Brianza, Italy | 42.12 |
| Midwest | 1st | Giovanni Labbate | Tievoli Pizza Bar | Palatine | Illinois | 42.22 |
| Midwest | 2nd | Michael Badlwin | Testabarra Kitchen and Cocktails | Macomb | Michigan | 41.57 |
| Midwest | 3rd | Paul Cataldo | Antonio’s Italian Restaurant | Elkhart | Indiana | 40.69 |
| Northeast | 1st | Anthony Berghela | Romo’s Pizza | Glenmont | New York | 45.78 |
| Northeast | 2nd | Franky Vigliotti | Peppino’s Restaurant & Catering | Syracuse | New York | 43.38 |
| Northeast | 3rd | Rico Lunardi | Slice on Broadway | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 43.03 |
| Northwest | 1st | Andrew Crawford | Righteous Slice | Rexburg | Idaho | 45.29 |
| Northwest | 2nd | Sean Dempsey | Dempsey’s Brewery | Watertown | South Dakota | 41.63 |
| Northwest | 3rd | Hope Tejedas | Scottie’s Pizza Parlor | Portland | Oregon | 39.59 |
| Southeast | 1st | Camryn Suggs | Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar | Madison | Alabama | 41.92 |
| Southeast | 2nd | Dustin Finnegan | The Nona Slice House | Safety Harbor | Florida | 41.45 |
| Southeast | 3rd | Gerald Addison | Grazie Nonna | Washington | District of Columbia | 40.91 |
| Southwest | 1st | Teodoro Alonzo | Fresh Pizza Restaurant | San Lorenzo | California | 43.14 |
| Southwest | 2nd | Patrick Baumann | Sleight of Hand Pizza | Santa Cruz | California | 43.05 |
| Southwest | 3rd | Jon Garland | Saccone’s Pizza & Subs | Austin | Texas | 42.72 |
Non-Traditional Regional Divisions
| REGION | RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | 1st | Allison Leroux | Crowded Table Pizza | Mississauga | Ontario, Canada | 53.23 |
| International | 2nd | Sotirios Tzakis | Descendant Detroit Style Pizza | Toronto | Ontario, Canada | 51.49 |
| International | 3rd | Jeremy Viale | Casa Viale | Faramans | France | 50.03 |
| Midwest | 1st | Michael Balddwin | Testabarra Kitchen and Cocktails | Macomb | Michigan | 54.06 |
| Midwest | 2nd | Adam Herron | Mad Mushroom Pizza | West Lafayette | Indiana | 52.52 |
| Midwest | 3rd | Joe DiMaggio | DiMaggio’s Pizza | Fairfield | Illinois | 48.86 |
| Northeast | 1st | Antonio Lomonaco | Amano Pizza | Matawan | New Jersey | 53.50 |
| Northeast | 2nd | Daniel Buontempo | Frank’s Pizza & Pasta | Baltimore | Maryland | 51.08 |
| Northeast | 3rd | Cassie Dekrone | Taglio | Massepequa Park | New York | 50.76 |
| Northwest | 1st | Anthony Gilbert | Melt Pizza Co. | Stillwater | Minnesota | 52.78 |
| Northwest | 2nd | Isaiah Ruffin | Pizza By Ruffin | Seattle | Washington | 50.97 |
| Northwest | 3rd | Rivka Sears | Righteous Slice | Rexburg | Idaho | 49.51 |
| Southeast | 1st | Camryn Suggs | Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar | Madison | Alabama | 53.45 |
| Southeast | 2nd | Casey Patten | Grazie Grazie | Washington | District of Columbia | 52.95 |
| Southeast | 3rd | Enrico Aguila | Uncle Ricos Pizza | Fort Myers | Florida | 51.02 |
| Southwest | 1st | Jason Eich | The Best Umbrella | Redondo Beach | California | 56.03 |
| Southwest | 2nd | Chris Battiste | Mia Ava East Coast Pizza | Santa Cruz | California | 54.11 |
| Southwest | 3rd | Patrick Baumann | Sleight of Hand Pizza | Santa Cruz | California | 53.95 |
Neapolitan Subdivisions
| SUBDIVISION | RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra | 1st | Norito Kinjo | Pizzeria Napoletana Bufalo | Tomigusuku City | Okinawa, Japan | 36.88 |
| Extra | 2nd | Mathilde Arsenault | Pizzeria Locali | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 33.36 |
| Margherita | 1st | Rivka Sears | Righteous Slice | Rexburg | Idaho | 48.34 |
| Margherita | 2nd | Hyun-Jin Jung | Eltree | Daejeon | South Korea | 45.79 |
| Margherita | 3rd | Sebastiano Cappellano | Non Solo Pane | Dorval | Québec, Canada | 44.27 |
| Marinara | 1st | Loredana Passariello | La Leggenda Pizzeria | Miami Beach | Florida | 44.99 |
| Marinara | 2nd | Simon Melki | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 41.15 |
| Marinara | 3rd | Simone Fortunato | Mulino Caputo | Napoli | Campania, Italy | 40.79 |
| VPN | 1st | Loris Mele | Pummarola | Ibiza | Baleares, Spain | 42.77 |
| VPN | 2nd | Mario Vollera | Owa | Marina Del Rey | California | 42.14 |
| VPN | 3rd | Ignazio Tagliavia | Rega | Wayne | New Jersey | 41.75 |
Pan Subdivisions
| SUBDIVISION | RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cast-Iron | 1st | David Solum | Dempsey’s Brewery | Watertown | South Dakota | 53.23 |
| Cast-Iron | 2nd | Perry Bogacz | Caliente Pizza & Draft House | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 40.30 |
| Chicago Deep/Stuffed | 1st | Miguel Gonzalez | 46.28 | |||
| Detroit | 1st | Lee Kindell | Moto Pizza | Seattle | Washington | 54.22 |
| Detroit | 2nd | Adam Elpayaa | Pizza Payaa | Normal | Illinois | 53.30 |
| Detroit | 3rd | Javier Murrieta | Slice House/Pizza Rock | Walnut Creek | California | 53.09 |
| Grandma | 1st | Adam Sachs | Slice House/Pizza Rock | San Francisco | California | 52.83 |
| Grandma | 2nd | John Gristina | Pizza Fenice | Pelham | New York | 51.33 |
| Grandma | 3rd | Gianni Vigliotti | Peppino’s Restaurant & Catering | Syracuse | New York | 50.18 |
| Other: Porteno Style | 1st | OG Papafern | Pizza La Imperial/Pizza Clandestina | Richmond Hill | New York | 44.02 |
| Roman | 1st | Mirko D’Agata | Pizzeria No. 900 | Montréal | Québec, Canada | 56.58 |
| Roman | 2nd | Davide Lubrano Lavadera | Pizzata Pizzeria | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 53.87 |
| Roman | 3rd | Paul Cataldo | Antonio’s Italian Restaurant | Elkhart | Indiana | 52.55 |
| Sicilian | 1st | Benjamin Hoover | Franky’s Pizza and Delicatessen | Warren | Ohio | 53.53 |
| Sicilian | 2nd | Peter Gruber | State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria | Los Altos | California | 52.96 |
| Sicilian | 3rd | Roy Bass | Those Guys Pies | Las Vegas | Nevada | 51.21 |
World’s Best Cheese Slice Regional Divisions
| SUBDIVISION | RANK | WINNERS | PIZZERIA | CITY | STATE | PRELIMINARY SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | 1st | Kevin Moreira | Boa Bakery | Binbrook | Ontario, Canada | 45.45 |
| Midwest | 1st | Tony Scardino | Professor Pizza | Chicago | Illinois | 44.43 |
| Northeast | 1st | Michele D’amelio | Fermento | Berkeley Heights | New Jersey | 46.46 |
| Northwest | 1st | Niles Peacock | Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar | Edmonds | Washington | 43.41 |
| Southeast | 1st | Anthony Ludovici Debrigida | Anto’s Pizza Romana | Conway | South Carolina | 44.51 |
| Southwest | 1st | Brian Leopold | Pizza My Heart | Los Gatos | California | 44.36 |
