Victoria’s favourite pie competition is back and bigger than ever this August.
Ballarat’s Best Pie is returning for its third year, serving up 36 savoury and sweet entries at the city’s top cafes, bakeries, bars and restaurants.
This year’s event features seven award categories, including three exciting new additions:
- Brilliantly Unexpected Pie
- Pie with Purpose (rewarding a low-waste or local-produce approach)
- People’s Choice Pie (with the public voting for their favourite from 1–31 August)
The Ballarat’s Best Pie awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 2 August at Itinerant Spirits, with the expert judging panel including MasterChef Australia favourite Tim Bone, food writer Richard Cornish, restaurant critic Kara Monssen, acclaimed chef Alejandro Saravia and City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor Cr Ben Taylor.
From 1–31 August, locals and visitors are encouraged to try as many pies as possible and vote for their top pick via a QR code at participating venues or online at ballaratsbestpie.com.au
This year’s contenders include standout entries from Hideaway, The Shared Table, Hop Temple, Roy Hammond, 1816 Bakehouse and many more – all showcasing the bold creativity and local flavour that sets Ballarat apart.
A full list of the 2025 pies and a downloadable map can be found at ballaratsbestpie.com.au
Pie images are available for publication via this link.
Ballarat’s Best Pie is a signature winter initiative of Tourism Midwest Victoria, which is supported by the City of Ballarat. It is intended to drive visitation to the Ballarat region by shining a light on the region’s talented producers, chefs and local businesses.
Quote attributable to Hon. John Pandazopoulos, Tourism Midwest Victoria Chair
“Winter is a season where regional Victoria really shines – especially when comfort food is involved. Ballarat’s Best Pie has quickly become one of our most-loved annual events and has proven to be a powerful driver of visitation across our region.
“Whether it’s a pie with purpose or one that pushes the flavour boundaries, this event is all about celebrating our local producers, chefs and hospitality operators – and giving people a delicious reason to visit Ballarat this August.”
Quote attributable to Cr Tracey Hargreaves, City of Ballarat Mayor
“Ballarat is proud to be home to such an imaginative and ever-evolving food scene. Competitions like this are not only a great way to support our hospitality businesses but they also invite people from across Victoria to explore what makes our city so special.
“I’ll be kicking off my own pie trail at Mondegreen Cafe and can’t wait to see who takes out top honours this year.”
Quote attributable to Tim Bone, chef and 2025 Ballarat’s Best Pie judge
“A hot pie on a cold Ballarat day is one of life’s simple pleasures. But the calibre of entries this year takes things to the next level. From flaky, golden crusts to rich, inventive fillings, I’m beyond excited to see what our local makers are serving up.
As a judge, I get to sample them all (a tough gig, I know!) and I can confidently say this is shaping up to be our best year yet.”
Media enquiries:
Tourism Midwest Victoria
marketing@tourismmidwestvic.com.au