20th Annual Kendall County Fair Apple Pie Contest

What You Need to Know About the Event

Think your homemade apple pie has what it takes to win? Enter your pie in the 20th Annual Kendall County Fair Apple Pie Contest, being held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2026, in the Homestead Heritage Exhibit Hall.

Pie and recipe check-in will take place that morning from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Homestead Heritage Exhibit Hall Office. The entry fee is $5 per pie, and participants may enter more than one pie as long as a different recipe is used for each entry.

Rules and Regulations

1. Contest is open to all residents of Kendall County, except for professional bakers.
2. Can entry more than one pie into contest as long as a different recipe.
3. Entry Fee per Entered Pie Is $5.00 Each.
4. Pie(s) must be home made from scratch to include filling and crust. Pie(s) must be freshly baked in a 9″inch disposable baking tin. Pie(s) must be 100% apples. No other fruits or ingredients. No store bought canned apple pie filling or store bought pie shells or rolled crust allowed.
5. Pie(s) must be crusted and /or crumb crusted topping.
6. Pie(s) recipe(s) must be TYPED or LEGIBILTY HAND WRITTEN or PRINTED on a 5″x 8″ index card. All ingredients must be listed and entrants name must not be listed on index card.
7. Pie(s) and recipe must be checked in on Sunday-September 6, 2026 from 8:00 A.M. till 10:00 A.M. Bring Pie and recipe to the Homestead Heritage Exhibit Hall Office for check in.
8. Judging begins at 2:00 P.M. and is open to the public.
9. The Kendall County Fair Association will select a panel of judges. Judges will use a scoring scale point system of 1-5, (With 5 being the highest point) to assess entries with a perfect score of 100. Pie(s) will be judged before initial slicing on overall appearance for 15 points and 10 points for creativity. After the pie(s) are sliced they will be judged on crust for 20 points, 25 points for filling and 30 points for flavor. Scoring will be sole responsibility of the judges and the judge’s results will be final. Judges score sheets will be available to entrants upon request after contest is over and winner s has been announced.
10. All entrants are asked to attend a Group Contestant Picture after the contest.
11. All entrants are asked to donate their pie(s) for public tasting after the contest. This is not a mandatory request And any entrant can opt out of request.
12. First Place-$75.00, Second Place-$50.00 and Third Place-$25.00 Plus a Rosette Ribbon for each placement.
13. Questions or concerns please contact Marilyn Culak at 830-537-4096 or kmculak@gvtc.com.

2026 Apple Pie Contest Entry Form (PDF)
Apple Pie Ingredients List Form (PDF)
Rules and Regulations (PDF)