Neapolitan-born pizza aficionado Pasquale Visone, now working in the Veneto region, has been crowned the winner of the Vero Pizza Contest 2025, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana’s (AVPN) annual global competition for home pizzaioli. Visone topped a field of 965 contestants from 42 countries, earning a nine-day professional training course at the AVPN School as his grand prize.
Second place went to Roberto Del Giudice, who received a three-day advanced AVPN course. Third place was awarded to Patryk Chorąży, whose prize includes a four-hour AVPN training session. All three finalists also received an array of equipment and specialty products supplied by AVPN partners, including Molino Caputo, Gi.Metal, KYS Norway, Sorì Italia, and Mec Palmieri.
The finalists earned their place in the live December 10–11 finale at AVPN’s headquarters in Naples, where they each prepared two pizzas—a signature creation and a classic Margherita—for a jury of 14 master pizzaioli. This year marked a shift from past contests, replacing public Facebook voting with a fully professional judging panel.
Visone said he felt “an immense emotion” after securing the victory. He added that the award motivates him to continue growing as a pizza maker.
AVPN Secretary General Paolo Surace praised the finalists (pictured above) and judges, noting that the event once again demonstrated “how the passion for pizza is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon.”
Now in its sixth edition, the Vero Pizza Contest has evolved into AVPN’s most international and inclusive event. It’s also an unusual competition: Unlike professional tournaments restricted to certified pizzaioli or established pizzerias, it’s specifically designed for home pizza makers. The only requirement for entry is owning a household oven or fryer—a deliberate choice, AVPN says, to ensure the competition remains open to anyone with enthusiasm and respect for Neapolitan tradition.
AVPN President Antonio Pace describes the contest as “an initiative that embraces the whole world in the spirit of inclusivity.”
“To participate, you don’t need to be an expert or own professional equipment,” Pace said. “All you need is passion, care in choosing ingredients, and respect for the techniques outlined in our guidelines. It’s a way to celebrate Neapolitan pizza as [embodying] Italian excellence and, at the same time, as a universal language that expresses diverse cultures while honoring tradition.”
How the Competition Works
The process begins with a three-week online submission phase each fall. This year’s contest opened on October 22 and ran through November 11, during which participants submitted a photo of their pizza via Facebook Messenger. AVPN master pizzaioli reviewed entries weekly, selecting five pizzas per week to advance to the next stage.
After the initial selection rounds, AVPN narrowed the field to three finalists by November 21. Those three earned an invitation to Naples for the live championship round held at AVPN’s Capodimonte headquarters. Finalists presented one signature pizza showcasing their creativity and personal style as well as one Margherita, the technical benchmark of Neapolitan tradition.
The judging panel evaluated the pizzas on dough quality, fermentation, shaping, topping balance, cooking technique, visual appeal, and fidelity to AVPN guidelines.
This year’s contest drew 1,360 total submissions—a new high—from 42 nations. AVPN closely reviewed each entry and admitted 965 into the competition, excluding entries that did not meet the technical requirements for dough handling, toppings or oven specifications.
In addition to training courses and equipment prizes, the Vero Pizza Contest offers another key incentive: advancement within AVPN’s broader competitive structure. The top 15 participants automatically qualify for the “Amateurs” category of the Vera Pizza Napoletana Champion 2026, a major in-person competition in Naples that brings together the world’s top pizzaioli across multiple divisions.
Past Vero Pizza Contest winners have used the experience as a stepping-stone toward professional pizza careers, AVPN certification or participation in global pizza events.
Best AVPN Pizzeria 2025
With the Vero Pizza Contest now complete, AVPN has shifted focus to a different international challenge: the Best AVPN Pizzeria 2025 competition. Unlike the Vero Pizza Contest, which celebrates home pizzaioli, this event evaluates AVPN-certified pizzerias around the world.
Now in its seventh edition, the Best AVPN Pizzeria contest has grown dramatically, reaching more than 1,000 participating pizzerias across 62 countries. This year marks the first time AVPN-certified pizzerias in India and the Philippines will compete.
What distinguishes this competition is its peer-review structure: pizzaioli themselves act as judges. While AVPN has not publicly detailed all logistics, the evaluation appears to involve a holistic assessment of each pizzeria’s:
- Dough preparation and cooking
- Ingredient sourcing and topping balance
- Menu pairings
- Dining-room service
- Aesthetic quality and atmosphere
Past winners include Pizzeria La Notizia (Enzo Coccia); 50 Kalò (Ciro Salvo); Pizzeria da Attilio (Attilio Bachetti); Casa De Rinaldi (Salvatore De Rinaldi); Leggera (Andrè Guidon); and Zielona Górka (Jędrzej Lewandowski).
AVPN President Antonio Pace emphasizes that this award carries unique meaning because it is chosen by fellow pizzaioli—“the most authentic demonstration of the spirit of sharing and growth that animates our community,” he said.
