WCC Judge Certification
To become a WCC Certified Judge, applicants must complete a WCC Judge Certification, where they will demonstrate their competition skills and knowledge during a two-day test. Instructors will guide participants through performance-based and written tests that measure a judge’s ability to perform successfully in a World Coffee Championship.
Qualified participants who pass all written and practical tests in any World Championship assessment will be authorized to judge in that World Championship. The two-day test will offer opportunities to certify for the World Barista Championship, World Latte Art Championship, World Brewers Cup, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, World Coffee Roasting Championship, and the Cezve/Ibrik Championship. A participant may certify for any or all of these championships at a Judge Certification. Participants may only certify for technical or sensory judging and cannot test for both at a single Judge Certification. Upon registration, all participants will pay a fee to sit the test. The registration fee covers the administration of the test, regardless of the result. Anyone passing the test will be issued a Judge Certificate free of charge.
Once achieved, WCC Judge Certification is valid for 3 years. A certified judge may renew their certification for an additional 3 years by passing calibration and judging in a World Championship in the final year of their original certification. A judge may only renew their certification one time without re-testing.
Upcoming Dates & Locations for Judge Certification
2025 dates will be announced soon!
Apply for a Judge Certification
Please review the eligibility section, choose a Judge Certification date, and fill out the Previous Judging Experience Document below and submit it along with the Judge Certification Application Form.
These documents will be used to determine your eligibility for Judge Certification. If there is availability on your chosen date, a member of staff will follow up with a link for you to complete the payment.
After this step is completed, you will be officially registered for WCC Judge Certification.
For any questions about the process or your application status, please email judgecert@worldcoffeeevents.org
Eligibility
The minimum prerequisites to attend a WCC Judge Certification are listed below, but we advise having more experience before taking the exam. Judging experience must match the type of certification you are applying for: e.g., technical judging experience applies to technical judge certification.
Experience:
Judging experience in one (1) world championship (World Latte Art Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, World Brewers Cup, World Barista Championship, or World Coffee Roasting Championship)
OR two (2) years’ experience judging the same national-level Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Brewers Cup, Barista, or Roasting Competition*
Judging experience must be within the last 5 years to maintain eligibility.
Agree to abide by the WCC Judges Code of Conduct.
Pay all testing fees.
*You must have two years’ experience judging in the national finals of each competition you are applying to certify in.
Resources
You can find answers to frequently asked questions along with expectations for judge competencies at the links below.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
The SCA reserves the right to cancel a Judge Certification at any time. In the event of a WCC cancellation, registrants will be offered an opportunity to transfer registration to another planned workshop. Requests for refunds due to SCA cancellation of a workshop may be sent to judgecert@worldcoffeeevents.org