Listen to Jeremy Galvin talk Pizza Expo Competition Updates on The Hot Slice Podcast with Pizza Today
The International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo 2025 is set to be the biggest and best pizza competition. Executive Editor Denise Greer went one-on-one with Jeremy Galvin, who along with Michael LaMarca oversee the competitions.
Jeremy shares how the competition is changing in 2025 and steps the Master Pizza team is taking to improve the competitions and enhance the experience for competitors. We talk rules, expectations, adjusting to an increased number of competitors and tips.
More on competitions at Pizza Expo: https://pizzaexpo.pizzatoday.com/competitions/
2025 International Pizza Challenge Schedule
Tuesday, March 25 (Preliminary Rounds)
Top 5 scores in each division will advance to Thursday finals
| Division | Time | # of Participants | Finals Thurs |
| World’s Best Cheese Slice | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 75 | Yes |
| Pan | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 60 | Yes |
| Traditional | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 100 | Yes |
| CMAB – Professional Division Preliminaries | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | 10 | Yes |
Wednesday, March 26 (Preliminary Rounds)
| Division | Time | Location | # of Participants | Thursday Finals? |
| Non-Traditional | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Comp Area B | 110 | Yes |
| Neapolitan | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Comp Area B | 100 | Yes |
| Daiya Vegan | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Comp Area A | 30 | No |
| CMAB Finals | 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM | No, awards followed immediately |
Thursday, March 27
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Finals for all divisions (Mandatory finals meeting at 7:00 AM)
Traditional, Non-Traditional, Neapolitan, Pan, & World’s Best Cheese Slice
Location: Comp Areas A & B
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM – Best of the Best
Location: Comp Area A
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM – Pizza Maker of the Year (Publicly Judged)
Location: Comp Area A
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM – Mixer Giveaway, Awards, & WPC Donation
Location: Comp Area B
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Awards, Recognition, & More Giveaways
Location: Comp Area A
3:00 PM – $10k MEGA Bucks Winner
Location: Comp Area A
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