• by Teresa Buyikian , July 1, 2025

Francis Ford Coppola Winery has brought back its "Perfect Your Pizza” competition, with a grand prize of a private tour of noted pizzerias in New York and Chicago, traveling by private plane.

To enter, contestants must submit an original pizza recipe and wine pairing to the contest website by Aug. 31. Four finalists will then be selected to receive an expense-paid trip to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma County, California in October, where they will then compete in a live cook-off of their recipe for two judges: Coppola winemaker Andrea Card and  Dan Richer, a James Beard Award finalist and pizza cookbook author.

The grand prize winner of the live pizza competition will receive a one-of-a-kind pizza culinary adventure, which includes a trip to New York City for a tasting tour of the city's top pizzerias with pizza historian Scott Wiener. Then the winner will  board a private plane to Chicago to meet with James Beard Award-winning food journalist Steve Dolinsky for VIP access to the top pizzerias in the Windy City, as well as behind-the-scenes wine and pizza tastings. The winner can also select to receive $25,00 in cash instead of the tour.

"Pizza was an integral part of Francis Coppola's vision for his winery from its beginnings," said Gabriela Becker, vice president of marketing for Francis Ford Coppola Winery, in the announcement. "We're excited for a fourth year of exploring and perfecting the pairing possibilities of pizza and wine, and of celebrating what great pizzas and great wine have in common: the ability to bring pleasure and connection through authenticity and craft."

The contest draws hundreds of entries each year, per the brand. In 2024 Ricky Webster from Spokane, Washington won the 2024 Perfect Your Pizza competition with a Sicilian-Style Caponata Pizza and received a trip to Italy.