Michigan Apple Cider Contest returns for 28th edition
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EmailThe Michigan Apple Cider Contest is open to commercial producers and takes place at the Great Lakes Expo on December 9, 2026.
The Michigan Apple Cider Contest is back in 2026 for its 28th edition! Please consider entering by filling out the entry form.
Michigan State University Extension is happy to continue this tradition and we are looking forward to honoring the excellence of commercial cider production in Michigan. The Michigan State Horticultural Society and the Michigan Apple Committee are again proudly sponsoring the contest, which is being run by Southeast Michigan’s Extension fruit educator.
The Michigan Apple Cider Contest and the Sweet and Hard Cider educational program are both being held as a part of the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO conference, held Dec. 8–10 at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Entering the contest is easy, just bring 2 gallons of thawed cider to the Exhibitors Registration booth at the EXPO Registration area on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon. Judging will take place Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 9. Many of the winning ciders over the years of this competition have been from frozen cider made earlier in the fall.
The Sweet and Hard Cider Educational Sessions are being held on Tuesday morning, Dec. 8. There will be two separate 1-hour sessions with a 1-hour break in the middle. The first session, hard cider, will take place from 8:30–9:30 a.m. and feature Tess Van Gorder on wastewater and Eric Campbell on the new promotional guide for Michigan hard cider. The sweet cider session will then take place from 10:30–11:30 a.m. and feature Tess Van Gorder and Laura Campbell from Farm Bureau talking about wastewater and water withdrawals.
Instead of the traditional Expo Banquet, there will be an evening social on Wednesday. The winners of the contest will be announced at the social with the final round entrants being notified ahead of the event. The winner will receive the traveling trophy and second and third place will receive plaques. The awards are sponsored by the Michigan Apple Committee, Michigan State Horticultural Society, and Fruit Growers News.