September 25, 2026 (Oxford, OH) — Registration is now open for the 2026 U.S. Open Cider Championship, and a big thank-you to everyone who’s already entered!
Key dates:
- Registration deadline: October 9, 2026
- Sample delivery window: October 9–23, 2026
- Winners announced: November 4, 2026
Where to send entries:
- American and importers’ entries → Oxford, Ohio (just outside Cincinnati)
- Canadian entries → Niagara College, Ontario
Entry details:
- Up to 15 hard ciders per producer
- $85 per entry
Entry forms and complete rules are available on our new competition site:
theusopenchampionships.com/us-open-cider-championship
The U.S. Open Championships partners with the Niagara College Teaching Winery and Teaching Brewery, with judges joining us from England, Canada, and the United States.
We’d love to see your ciders in the lineup this year — register today!
Cider Categories:
- Modern Cider – Sweet
- Modern Cider – Dry
- Heritage Cider – Sweet
- Heritage Cider – Dry
- Traditional Cider – Sweet
- Traditional Cider – Dry
- Perry
- Fruit Cider
- Pineapple Cider
- Cherry Cider
- Peach Cider
- Cranberry Cider
- Fruit and Berry Cider
- Applewine/ Ice Cider
- Herbal Cider
- Hopped Cider
- Apple Pie Spiced Cider
- Spiced Cider
- Wood-Aged Cider and Perry
- Specialty Cider and Perry
- Anything Goes
- Single Varietal Cider
Links:
U.S. Open Cider Championship – Home Page
U.S. Open Cider Registration
U.S. Open Cider Categories
U.S. Open Cider Shipping
