A pie must feature homemade sweet or savoury pastry as a significant component. It may have a pastry lid, pastry base, or be fully enclosed in pastry.

The following are not eligible for entry: Shepherd's pie topped with mashed potato, cottage pie topped with mashed potato, fish pie topped with mashed potato, crumble, cheesecake, sausage roll, pasty, empanada, calzone, pizza, quiche. The festival reserves the right to determine whether an entry meets the definition of a pie and complies with the challenge criteria. 

No. We encourage all participating venues to create a unique pie specifically for the Pies of Plenty Challenge. Existing menu items are not eligible unless they have been significantly redeveloped for the challenge.

Local ingredients refers to produce, meat, seafood, dairy, fruit, vegetables, honey, herbs or beverages that are grown, farmed, harvested or produced within the coastal Bay of Plenty region. (Waihī Beach to Tauranga to Whakatāne) Your pie must feature at least two. 

The Judge’s Choice winner will receive $1,000 Southern Hospitality vouchers. The People’s Choice winner will receive $500 Southern Hospitality vouchers. The two winning eateries will also get a trophy to display.

Customers can vote by scanning the QR code displayed on the festival challenge table talker while visiting participating venues. The 10 highest-rated pies from the People’s Choice will progress to the Judge's Choice, where they will be assessed by an independent judging panel.

Judges will score each pie from 1–5 based on taste, texture, filling quality, creativity, use of local ingredients, how well it incorporates the festival theme ‘Kiwiana Reimagined’, the story behind the pie, and the overall pie experience.

Yes. The 2027 festival theme “Kiwiana Reimagined” is about celebrating the flavours, traditions and local ingredients that make Aotearoa unique, with a Coastal Bay of Plenty twist.