The California Raisin Marketing Board announced its second annual America's Best Raisin Bread Contest — now open for entries through August 15. All professional, commercial and student bakers are encouraged to submit an original formula, which will be judged on flavor, appearance, originality and value.

Preliminary judging will take place in September to select 20 professional finalists and ten student finalists, who will receive an expenses-paid trip to the AIB International in Manhattan, Kan., Oct. 9-10, where finalists will bake their formulas for a panel of distinguished judges from the artisan and commercial baking industries. In addition to industry-wide recognition, ten winning professional bakers and two winning student bakers will receive a five-day California vacation with visits to the Culinary Institute of America, Yosemite National Park and the San Joaquin Valley — the home of California raisins.

To qualify, submitted formulas should be for raisin bread products currently available in the market or planned for sale in the future. Applications must be submitted along with color photos of the cut cross section and whole finished loaf. Formulas need to include baker's percentages and, at a minimum, 50 percent raisin content to dry flour weight. California raisin content may include California natural sun-dried raisins, California golden raisins, California raisin paste and/or California raisin juice concentrate.

Applications and a full set of rules are available online. For additional information, visit www.LoveYourRaisins.com or see this news story at www.baking-management.com for a direct link.