Get Involved
Compete
Want to join the World Coffee Championships as a competitor? Participation on the world stage is earned by winning a qualifying National Championship held by one of our licensed Competition Bodies around the world.
The World Coffee Championships are about communities and representing them so you’ll need to hold a passport for the region or 24 months of residency. More details are listed in the Rules & Regulations of each competition.
No Competition Body in your region? Email community-partnerships@sca.coffee to learn more about the process.
Sponsor
Sponsorship helps to make the World Coffee Championships possible, and there are plenty of opportunities to get your brand in front of the large WCC audience — both online and at trade shows around the world.
Placement opportunities include brand visibility; product placement and/or usage by competitors, judges, and volunteers; and digital recognition.
Qualified Sponsors provide the equipment & products that competitors use on stage in several categories and are integral to creating world stages where coffee excellence and technical mastery can shine. The first step towards Qualified Sponsorship is for manufacturers to submit their equipment/products for performance testing using a set of standards developed by industry experts. The next testing & sponsorship window opens in 2026, and the manual espresso machine category aligns with the SCA Certified Commercial Equipment Program.
Volunteer
Our events run on a lot of coffee… and a massive team of volunteers, without whom the WCCs wouldn’t be possible. Volunteering is a chance to influence the way people experience coffee, build meaningful connections, and take pride in knowing that you helped bring this special event to life. It’s also a great chance to learn more about events, coffee competitions, communication, and hospitality, all while working in a lively, fast-paced environment. These experiences will not only enrich your CV but also your personal growth.
The WCCs are hosted at multiple events throughout the year and there are lots of ways to get involved — from helping run the competition stages and bars, managing logistics, preparing routines for judges, or hyping the audience as an emcee on one of the stages.
WCC Stage & Bar Volunteers
A great way to get started in coffee, deepen your connections, and get up close to the action on the competition stages, backstage, and at the WCC coffee bars. Along with roles in the overall trade show, WCC positions include everything from helping with time keeping on stage, cleaning competitor stations, barista shifts at the coffee bars, and more.
Working a number of shifts typically earns a free show badge so that you can explore the fun on the competition stages, at the show features, and booths.
Volunteer registration for 2025 events opens soon!
Lead Volunteers
These positions require specific experience and a greater time commitment but are perfect for specialty coffee professionals who are open for leadership roles and would like to be more involved with the behind-the-scenes support of the event.
Lead volunteer roles include stage/backstage assistants & managers, scorekeepers, bar managers, and head runners across the competition stages and WCC bar areas.
Lead volunteers have various benefits relative to the time commitment and skill sets required.
Registration opens soon!
Calibration Baristas
Taking a break from this competition season, or looking to perfect your upcoming performance? Calibration baristas support judge calibration by performing their competition performance in front of WCC Certified Judges, receiving feedback on their presentation along with access to the trade show.
Registration opens soon!
Emcees
Comfortable in front of a camera? Emcees are a huge part in keeping the WCC audience engaged, even when caffeine levels are running low.
Registration opens soon!
WCC Competitions Strategic Committee
The World Coffee Championships (WCCs) are supported by the Competitions Strategic Committee (CSC) — a volunteer leadership group with wide-ranging experience of competition and the industry. The CSC meets regularly throughout the year to collaborate on strategic initiatives that foster & support the competition community and keep the competitions moving forward, including updates to competition formats, rules, regulations, judges, sponsorship, marketing & communications. Smaller working groups are formed to support projects related to one activity, and the group also supports arbitration on an ad-hoc basis.