Queensland’s pizza scene is about to get its annual shake-up. Applications have opened for the state’s Pizza Championship, returning to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on 12–13 October 2026 as part of Food & Hospitality Queensland, and for the pizzaiolos, chefs and makers who take pizza seriously as a craft rather than a side hustle, it’s shaping up as one of the more closely watched fixtures on this year’s culinary calendar.
The competition splits into two categories, Best Classic Pizza and Best Creative Pizza, with the strongest combined performer across both taking home the title of Queensland Pizza Chef of the Year. It’s a structure that rewards range: mastering a traditional margherita is one skill, but dreaming up something inventive enough to impress judges is another altogether.
How the competition works
The clock is unforgiving. Entrants in both categories get just 30 minutes to prepare, cook and clean while producing four pizzas (two per category), a format that tests speed and composure as much as flavour. Individual category winners take home $500 each, while the overall Queensland Pizza Chef of the Year, determined by combined scores across both categories, receives a further $1,500.
The stakes extend well beyond Brisbane. The overall winner earns a trip to the 2027 Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Show in Melbourne next May, part of Food & Hospitality Week, where they’ll go head-to-head with the country’s best at the Australian Pizza Championships.
Last year’s winner returns as judge
Last year’s crown went to Stefano Spataro, pizza chef and owner of Elementi Restaurant in Brisbane, whose winning entry, La Campagnola, built on a mozzarella base with Jersey Brie, olive jam, rocket and balsamic, and culatello di Zibello prosciutto, showed exactly the kind of technical confidence the judges are after.
This year, Spataro trades his apron for a judge’s seat, joining Johnny Di Francesco of Gradi Group and Daniel Semrani of Gigi’s Balmain on the panel, a lineup with genuine pedigree in the Australian pizza world.
Applications close on 17 September 2026. For more information and to enter, visit the Food & Hospitality Queensland website.
