Ballarat’s Best Pie Trail Begins

August has arrived and so has Ballarat’s Best Pie competition.

Over the past four years, the event has grown significantly, with 30 venues selected to take part in 2026. Hospitality venues, from bakeries to breweries to restaurants, will be participating in the month-long celebration of pastry!

In 2025, more than 20,000 pies were sold during the month-long event, and this year sees several new entrants joining the 2026 pie trail.

The event showcases regional produce, creativity and craftsmanship, with both classic and innovative pie offerings.

The official Awards Ceremony was held on Saturday 1 August 2026 at Itinerant Spirits. Hosted by Tim Bone, MasterChef Australia semi-finalist, Good Chef Bad Chef co-host and of course judge for Ballarat’s Best Pie.

Joining Tim as Pie Judges were:
•    City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor, Cr Ben Taylor
•    Kara Monssen (Herald Sun food and wine editor)
•    Alejandro Saravia (Renowned Melbourne chef)
•    Richard Cornish (an acclaimed food writer)

Pies were judged on the balance of flavour, creativity and craftmanship. Also factored into the judging is the pastry, filing, presentation and use of local ingredients.

The winners were: 
•    Ballarat’s Best Pie (Grand Prize Winner) – The Shared Table's Sher Wagyu Pie
•    Ballarat’s Best Pie (2nd Place) – Cookie Cult's Struck Gold and It's Sticky Pie (available at Yellow Espresso)
•    Ballarat’s Best Pie (3rd Place) – The Buninyong Hotel's Sri Lankan chicken curry pie
•    Best Savoury Pie – The Shared Table's Sher Wagyu Pie
•    Best Sweet Pie – Cookie Cult's Struck Gold and It's Sticky Pie (available at Yellow Espresso)
•    Best Bakery Pie – Sovereign Hill's slow-cooked blade steak pepper pie
•    Brilliantly Unexpected Pie – Flyng Chilies' pandan flower pie (available at The Salty Sparrow Cafe and selected local markets)

But of course, the People's Choice Pie is still to be crowned and the public is encouraged to get out and try the pies and vote for their top pick!

Voting runs from 1-31 August 2026, and votes can be cast at visitballarat.com.au/ballarats-best-pie – or via QR codes at the participating venues.

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said Ballarat's Best Pie was a great opportunity for locals to support the city's hospitality sector throughout the month of August.

"Our local bakers, brewers, chefs and hospitality businesses have once again gone above and beyond to create an incredible pie trail for the community to enjoy,” she said.

"While we now know who impressed the judges, there's still one important title up for grabs. I encourage locals to visit participating venues, try a few pies and cast their vote for the People's Choice Award. It's a fun way to support local businesses and discover some new favourites along the way."

Ballarat’s Best Pie, supported by the City of Ballarat, is a signature winter initiative of Tourism Midwest Victoria which aims to: 
•    Encourage locals to get out and enjoy their own hospitality scene.
•    Drive visitation to the Ballarat region.
•    Showcase local producers, chefs and businesses.
•    Highlight the region's food and hospitality offerings.