The rules

APC and Iowa.

The American Pie Council (APC), which says it was founded in 1995, runs the National Pie Championships in Orlando, Florida, a competition open to commercial bakeries, independent bakeries, professional bakers and amateurs. Its rulebook is a six-page document headed “2026 APC National Pie Championships Guidelines,” written for the 29th championships, held April 8 and 9, 2026. It is the only national pie-competition rulebook compared here.

The Iowa State Fair runs what it calls the largest state fair foods department, with more than 800 classes. Its pie contests appear in the Food premium book for the 2026 fair, August 13 to 23, 2026, which sets general rules for the whole department and separate rules for ten pie divisions. The fair’s Iowa Family Living general rules also apply.

Both documents are the most recent editions each body had posted as of November 2026. The table sets them side by side as written. Where a document says nothing on a point, the table says so. The table does not rank one rulebook above the other.

The championship ledger →Technique →

APC

American Pie Council (APC)

The APC says it has hosted the annual National Pie Championships since 1995, where “amateur, professional and commercial pie bakers can compete in their categories for the best pies in the country.” The 29th championships were held April 8 and 9, 2026, at the Caribe Royale hotel in Orlando, Florida, and the 30th are announced there for April 12 and 13, 2027. The APC describes “hundreds of sweet and savory pies in more than 30 flavor categories” and says its judges review almost 1,000 pies a year.

There is no qualifying path. Any baker who meets a division’s definition may enter by registering online and paying the entry fee before the deadline. Members of the APC pay lower fees. No walk-ins are accepted.

Iowa

Iowa State Fair, Food Department

The Iowa State Fair says it has “the largest state fair foods department with over 800 classes and thousands of individual entries.” Pie is judged in the Elwell Family Food Center during the fair. The general pie contest is Pies from the Heartland (Division 120), sponsored by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, judged August 17, 2026, with overall winners in cream and fruit pies. Nine further pie divisions are sponsored single-theme contests.

There is no qualifying path. Any Iowa resident who is not a food professional may enter by submitting an entry online or by mail by July 1, paying the department fee, and bringing a home-baked pie to the fair on or before judging day.

RuleAPCIowa

Entry and eligibility

Who may enter: APCOpen to commercial bakeries, independent bakeries, professional bakers and amateurs. The rules set no residency requirement. The APC says the competition is open to pie makers “from throughout North America.”; IowaLimited to “living residents of Iowa.” Every entry must be the exhibitor’s own product, “made in their home kitchen.”
Amateur and professional status: APCAmateurs are individuals who make less than $500 a year from pie sales. Professionals are individuals whose pie-related income exceeds $500 a year. A bakery may enter the Independent Division while its owner or chef enters the Professional Division.; IowaThere is no professional division for pie. Anyone who has earned $10,000 or more in the last 12 months as a professional chef, baker, candy maker, caterer or cooking instructor may not enter the Food Department, and the bar extends to anyone employed in a food-industry kitchen or “trained professionally.” The only exceptions are decorated cakes and one sponsored blue-cheese contest.; The two thresholds measure different income: the APC counts income of $500 a year related to pie, while Iowa counts $10,000 of income from any professional food work.
Commercial entries: APCTwo business divisions. A company with pie-specific sales of $1 million or more a year enters the Commercial Division. A company with less enters the Independent Division. Commercial and independent pies are entered in price tiers set by wholesale cost (Family under $5.00, Premium under $7.00, Gourmet under $9.00, Super Gourmet over $9.00) and must be pies already in production, entered “as they are sold to the consumer.”; IowaNone. Businesses do not enter; professionals are excluded from pie divisions.
Minimum age and youth: APCAmateur and Professional entrants must be 18 or older. The rules list no youth division.; IowaAdults are 18 and over; youth are 17 and under, by age on July 1. The Pie Basket (Division 128) is open to adults and youth. Next-Gen Pies (Division 129) is for youth aged 10 to 17 and is “judged by youth.”
Entry fees: APCPer entry, members and non-members: Amateur $25 or $40; Professional $30 or $45; Independent $50 or $100; Commercial $175 or $275. Late entries cost $50 more each ($100 more in the Commercial Division). The Karo Corn Syrup category is free for commercial and independent bakers.; IowaA $10 department fee per exhibitor, plus $0.50 per entry. Entries submitted July 2 to July 8 pay an additional $10 late fee.
Entry deadline: APCEntries due Monday, March 16, 2026, at midnight Pacific. Late entries accepted March 17 to March 20. All fees must be paid by March 20. The APC accepts no walk-ins.; IowaEntries due online or postmarked by July 1, 2026. Late entries accepted July 2 to July 8. Nothing is accepted after July 8.
Number of entries: APCAmateurs and professionals may enter as many pies as they like in each flavor, as long as each pie is different, an original first-time recipe, and within the rules. Commercial and independent bakers may enter any number of different pies, but the same formula only once within a flavor.; IowaAdult divisions allow one entry per class per household. Multiple classes within a division are allowed, each with its own tag. The same recipe may be entered in two different divisions.

Categories and divisions

Amateur and professional categories: APCFour flavors: Open Cream, Open Fruit or Berry, Open Savory, and the sponsored Karo Corn Syrup Pie “Where Creativity Meets the Crust.” Cream and fruit entries must be at least one-half cream or fruit.; IowaTen pie divisions (Divisions 120 to 129). The largest, Pies from the Heartland (Division 120), has 44 classes: 19 cream pies, 24 fruit pies and one “Pie Other Than Named.” The others are sponsored single-theme contests, among them lemon meringue, apple, berry, green tomato, celebration pies and a golf-themed “Par for the Creme Pie.”; The APC championships page describes “more than 30 flavor categories” with no-sugar-added and gluten-free categories. In the 2026 rules the multi-flavor tiers and the no-sugar-added option apply to the commercial and independent divisions; amateurs and professionals have four flavors, and a gluten-free category does not appear.
Named classic pies: APCNone for amateurs and professionals. Flavor is chosen by the predominant fruit or flavor, which must make up at least 50 percent of the filling (commercial and independent rules). “Baked dairy” is defined to include custard, chess and sugar cream.; IowaMany classic pies have their own class in Division 120, including key lime, lemon meringue, pecan, pumpkin, sweet potato, sour cream raisin, gooseberry, rhubarb and strawberry-rhubarb. A pie may not be entered as “Other Than Named” if a class for it exists.
Savory pies: APCOpen Savory is one of the four amateur and professional flavors. The rules name pot pies and meat or vegetable combinations as common entries. Portion-control commercial pies may also be savory.; IowaNo savory class for adults among the pie divisions. Next-Gen Pies (youth 10 to 17) includes a Savory Pie class.
Sponsored ingredient categories: APCThe Karo Corn Syrup category requires at least one-half cup of Karo corn syrup and, for amateurs and professionals, no more than one-quarter cup of nuts. The rules ask for “no pecan-dominant pies.”; IowaMost pie divisions carry a named sponsor, but none of the pie divisions requires a sponsor’s product. Where a sponsored division elsewhere in the book requires proof of purchase, the product must be highlighted on the recipe and receipt.

The pie

Crust: APCAmateur and professional pies must have a bottom crust “of any kind you choose”; a top crust is optional. Commercial and independent dessert pies must have a bottom and side crust; savory pies need not have both.; IowaPies from the Heartland requires a recipe for both filling and crust and allows “any crust” only in the Other Than Named class. Several divisions require a homemade crust: Celebration Pies (“any kind ... of homemade crust”), Tribute to Bessie, the Principal Charity Classic (“no store bought crusts”) and Next-Gen Pies (“made from scratch”). North “40” says “Use any fat to create your crust.”
Mixes and canned filling: APCNot specified.; Iowa“Prepackaged mixes may only be used in divisions or classes where specified.” The North “40” contest adds “No canned pie filling allowed.” The Lemon Meringue contest requires that “All parts must be homemade.”
Original recipe: APCEach amateur and professional entry must be original and must never have been entered “in this or any other pie competition.”; IowaNot specified. A recipe may be entered in two divisions in the same year.
Pie plate: APCNot specified.; IowaPies from the Heartland and The All American Apple Pie require “an eight or nine inch GLASS pie pan.” Next-Gen Pies requires an 8- or 9-inch dish. Otherwise entries may be shown on any plate of the entrant’s choice.
Garnish and finishing: APCFor commercial and independent pies outside Super Gourmet, no hand-decorating or finishing except egg wash, toppings packaged with the pie, or fresh fruit on machine-filled bases. Not specified for amateurs and professionals.; IowaAll garnishes must be edible. In Pies from the Heartland and The All American Apple Pie, an inedible garnish disqualifies the entry. North “40” allows only real whipped cream as a cream-pie topping.
Where the pie is baked: APCPies arrive ready-made; there is no baking on site. The FAQ says amateurs and professionals usually bake at home or in their bakeries, and that commercial kitchens in Orlando rent space by the hour.; IowaMade in the exhibitor’s home kitchen and ready to judge on arrival. The book says “There is neither room nor time to prepare your entry at the Fair.” Staff will chill or heat an entry on written instruction.

Delivery and labeling

Pies per entry: APCAmateurs and professionals bring one pie per entry. Commercial and independent bakers bring two (one judged, one displayed); for handheld and 4- to 6-inch pies, four (three judged, one displayed).; IowaNot specified as a count. One entry tag is issued per entry.
Delivery: APCEach baker is assigned a half-hour window between 6 and 8:30 a.m. on judging day, April 9, 2026; every pie must be checked in by 9 a.m. Registration packets are collected the day before.; IowaEarly delivery from Sunday, August 9 (1 to 4 p.m.) or any day before judging, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On judging day, up to one half hour before judging; nothing is received in the last 30 minutes. Entries may be mailed if received by August 10.
Labeling and anonymity: APCPies carry coded flags from the registration packet; labeling is the entrant’s responsibility. Commercial pie names may not include the company name or brand, “to ensure unbiased judging.”; IowaEach entry carries an entry tag, a sticker under the plate, and a recipe stapled back to back with the tag. The recipe shows the exhibitor number, with “no names unless required.”
Recipe with the entry: APCRequired for amateur and professional entries. The APC and Karo “will own the recipe,” which will be shared on piecouncil.org and used in marketing.; IowaRequired for all classes, typed or printed, with exact measurements, pan size, temperature, yield and baking time. Recipes become the property of the Fair and the sponsor and may be published without compensation.

Judging

Judging criteria: APCFive criteria for all divisions: First Impression (pre-slice and after-slice), A Closer Look (flavor), Mouthfeel (consistency, crust, aftertaste), Overall Appeal, and Creativity (Best New Product only). No weights are published.; IowaWeights are printed for each division. Pies from the Heartland and The All American Apple Pie: Filling 40%, Quality of Crust 30%, General Appearance 20%, Originality 10%. Other pie divisions use their own scales, for example North “40” (Flavor/Consistency 50%, Crust/Appearance 50%) and Tribute to Bessie (Taste 60%, Appearance 25%, Creativity 15%).
Judges: APCThe number of judges is not specified. The championships page says judging is done in real time on a phone or tablet app and that judges with any food allergy or intolerance are not accepted.; IowaThe number of judges is not specified. Judges may not judge divisions in which family members have entries. Next-Gen Pies is judged by youth.
Single entrant in a class: APC“Blue ribbons may not be awarded in flavor categories with only one contestant.” Evaluations are still provided.; Iowa“When there is only one exhibitor in a class, the first prize, if merited, will be awarded.”
Final decisions and disputes: APC“The decision of the judges is final.” Pies entered in the wrong flavor or category may be disqualified.; Iowa“Judges’ decisions are final.” Premiums may be withheld for noncompliance. A protest must be filed in writing within 24 hours with a $250 deposit, forfeited if the protest fails; protests that a judge is incompetent are not considered.
Score sheets returned: APCEntrants may request evaluations after the competition.; IowaEach exhibitor’s envelope includes tags, judges’ comments and ribbons, collected after the Fair or mailed in a stamped envelope left with the superintendent.
Best of show: APCNo best-of-show award appears in the 2026 rules. Commercial and independent bakers may enter Best New Product, judged with a Creativity criterion. The R&D category gives scores and comments only, with no ribbons.; IowaOverall winners are chosen from the first-place entries in each class. Pies from the Heartland names an overall first, second and third in cream and in fruit. Sweepstakes goes to the exhibitor with the most blue ribbons in the division, Reserve Sweepstakes to the second most.

Prizes

Prizes: APCAmateur and professional Open Cream, Fruit and Savory: blue ribbon and $250, red ribbon and $100, yellow ribbon and $50. Karo category: $500, $250 and $100 with ribbons and gift bags. Commercial and independent: one blue ribbon per category and flavor; the Karo winners receive a shipment of Karo corn syrup.; IowaRegular premiums of $6, $4 and $3. Pies from the Heartland pays $200, $175 and $125 for the overall cream and overall fruit places, plus $10 and a rosette for Sweepstakes and $5 and a rosette for Reserve. Other sponsored pie divisions pay up to $500 (Principal Charity Classic first place).; Iowa lists $51,790 in sponsor offers across the whole Food Department, not pies alone.
After judging: APCNot specified for amateur and professional pies. A commercial or independent baker’s second pie is placed on a display table under the company name.; IowaWinning entries are displayed until noon on August 24. Other entries are released about 30 minutes after judging; those not collected within a half hour are “donated to Iowa Shelter Services.”

Food safety

Food safety: APCCream and refrigerated pies go into a cooler on check-in. Savory pies must arrive fully baked and go into a warming box.; Iowa“All egg yolks used in recipes must be cooked” unless the eggs are certified pasteurized. Cream and custard pies in Pies from the Heartland are refrigerated until judging. Exhibitors must observe food safety guidelines when preparing and transporting entries.