Get excited cheese lovers, you can now apply to judge the Aussie dairy awards

Amateur cheese connoisseurs rejoice - your dream job is only a ballot away.

The Australian Grand Dairy Awards are coming up and judges are needed to taste test the best cheese products from across the country.

This year, the judging panel is being opened up to 20 non-professional cheese lovers for the first time in the competition’s history, and entering is as simple as throwing your name into the hat.

Ballot entries are limited to one per person and close on Friday, but the prize is a ticket for you and a friend.

Of the 169 cheeses that were entered for the 2017 prize, expert tasters have narrowed it down to a top 27 across nine different categories which the amateur ballot winners will need to mull over.

The competition will take place at the Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney on November 22 and is sure to be a decadent affair.