The Ultimate Guide To Chili Cookoff Competitions

The best chili cooks in the world have their recipes and methods down to a science and often participate in highly competitive chili cookoffs. These folks don't mess around — the contests take place throughout the year and are taken very seriously by participants and judges. Many cookoffs are sponsored by the International Chili Society (ICS), and the money raised goes to worthy local and national charities. Annual ICS memberships cost $45 (corporate memberships are $500), and contestants pay entry fees to cook at the events. The ICS holds its World Championship in varying locations, and the prizes are pretty impressive.

There are other chili cookoffs that the ICS does not sponsor, and these can be less formal; all are tons of fun. The monetary prizes might be smaller or nonexistent, but these contests are great for learning the ropes. We'll start with the rules for ICS-sanctioned chili cookoffs and then dig deeper into specific ones. Two notes, though: The word "cookoff" is spelled in different ways, so we'll go with how each contest spells it. And every legit cookoff has particular safety and sanitation rules provided by local health and sponsoring organizations.

The ICS certifies more than 45 championship chili cookoffs, each with four categories evaluated by judges. According to the Official ICS Contestant Rules, the first is traditional red, with any kind of meat and red chili peppers but no fillers like rice or beans. Homestyle can have meat or seafood but must have beans. Chili verde is similar to red, but with green chili peppers. The salsa category is freestyle, and entries can be made ahead of time. 

Adult contestants must be 18 or older and be active ICS members. They can sign up for one or more categories and pay separate contestant entry fees (ranging from $10 to $35 each). To enter the youth category, contestants must be aged 6-17 and make a red or homestyle chili. Youth contestants are required to have adult supervision — but not adult help. Each cook must supply their own equipment (fire extinguishers are recommended) and gets assigned a small work area. No chili can be cooked ahead of time, but the meats can be cut up or ground beforehand.

The cooking time for ICS-sanctioned events is usually three hours, and the chili is judged in two ways. Attendees get to vote on their favorites, and the winner receives a people's choice award. The cooks also deliver their chili samples to judging areas, and each judge chooses their favorite three for each category. We Like to Cook! explains that chili judge decisions are based on color, aroma, consistency, taste, and aftertaste. After the votes are tallied, there are first, second, and third prizes awarded.

Amateurs and pros are invited to participate in this family event each year in the Peach State. It takes place in November and is open to caterers and restaurants and amateurs; there's also a people's choice award. In 2022, the top honors were given to Park 82 (caterers/restaurants), Brookhaven Bucks (amateur), Dusty Boot Cookshed (most spirited team), and $hitty Chili (people's choice).

The Atlanta Chili Cook Off is a fun event with live music, vendors, kids' activities, prizes, and trophies. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted. The amateur division is the only one that receives monetary awards, with first place receiving $1,000, second place $500, and third $250. The 2022 application showed contestant entry fees of $75, which pays for a 10-foot by 10-foot booth, a 6-foot table, and serving cups. Equipment like tents and power outlets cost extra. Participants have to cook 7 to 10 gallons of chili and keep uncooked food at 41 degrees Fahrenheit and cooked food at 140 degrees. To enter, applicants fill out an online form, submit it, and wait for an acceptance or denial. Those who get in pay the fees in advance.

Although the Texas Chili Cook-off is named after the Lone Star State, it takes place at Industry City in Brooklyn. This event happens in May, lasts five hours, and offers live music and an open bar; as you can imagine, things can get pretty crazy. It's held in an indoor/outdoor venue, rain or shine, and admission costs $70 per person. This cookoff is sponsored by the New York Chapter of the Texas Exes, the alumni association of the University of Texas. It's an interesting way to name an alumni group, and an awesome place to hold the event.

2022's judges included Matt Tims of TheTakedowns.com, Brooklyn Kolache bakery owner Autumn Stanford, and NYC food writer Sean Ludwig. This fun event also has a children's play area and vegan chili and is pet-friendly. Amateur and restaurant teams compete, and there's even a VIP Lounge ($125 per person). The admission prices may seem steep, but they include all that chili plus an open bar and entertainment. Funds raised by the cookoff support the University of Texas Austin and its students, according to the Texas Exes New York Chapter page.

This one does take place in Texas, in the city of Snook. Chilifest is a massive undertaking, a two-day event on the last weekend in March. The lineups feature some major musical acts, like Jamey Johnson and Whiskey Myers. Attendees show up in RVs or with tents and camp out, and winners can receive up to $1,500.

The Chilifest rules state that the chili must be cooked on-site with raw ingredients — premixed spices are not allowed. No fillers of any kind, including beans, may be used. Each team can only submit one entry, which must be in a 16-ounce cup. Those cups have to be filled to approximately ½ inch from the top unless otherwise specified, and late submissions are not permitted. We told you they take this stuff seriously!

This cookoff is different because it's more of a festival with a chili contest rather than vice versa; the main focus is live music. It draws in more than 35,000 people and is sponsored by Chilifest Incorporated. Proceeds are donated to local charities. Contestants are not required to provide free samples to the attendees — they probably wouldn't have enough for that many people, anyway. The judges make the decisions, and, as with other chili cookoffs, the cups cannot be tampered with in any way.

Every year in the first week of November, chili fans gather in Terlingua, Texas, for the Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cookoff, a four-day camping festival that features live music and a chili cookoff. It started in 1967 and benefits the ALS Association of Texas as well as local charities. The Tolbert Chili Cookoff Group sponsors this during the first week of November. Chili Appreciation Society International states that there are other food contests as well, including Buffalo wings and salsa cookoffs.

This cookoff's resources page shares information for entrants and judges. Teams designate head cooks, who must be at least 18 years old. They are assigned individual Styrofoam judging cups that can't be marked in any way. Chili must be cooked on-site from scratch with no fillers (beans, rice, pasta), but commercial chili powder is allowed in the mix, unless it has extra ingredients. Only one sample can be provided to the judges, with 1 inch of head space at the top of the cup.

Terlingua judges must use a clean spoon for each tasting and cleanse their palates after each one. They aren't permitted to describe the chili out loud but can use the words "stove hot." The chili is scored on a scale of one to 10, with no decimal points. But since the cups can't be marked, how do they keep track? Each one is tagged. There are additional rules for controlling the cups' movement on the table and announcing the winners (in reverse order, with the winner announced last).

Heading west to California, we have Orange County's annual Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cookoff. Sponsored by the City of Tustin Parks & Recreation department, this cookoff is a one-day affair that happens in early June. It benefits local nonprofits and also has a salsa competition, kids' activities, and live entertainment.

Applications are completed online and are handled by the Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Committee. The contestant form shows that this is an ICS-sanctioned event, with categories for judges chili, restaurant chili, last call chili, ICS red and homestyle chili, and judges salsa. Some categories are voted on by attendees who purchase tickets. You must be an ICS member to participate in the two ICS cookoffs and can enter as many categories as you like.

The chili booths measure 8 feet by 8 feet, and contestants bring their own stoves (usually propane camping stoves) because open fires are not allowed. Electricity is provided but must be requested ahead of time. Regular attendees give their tickets to the chili booths and vote on ballots, which get tallied up at the end. Those are counted by judges who are chosen from the community; the ICS categories are judged by chili experts. As for quantity, the ICS needs 4 gallons per entrant, and the ballot categories require 20. The awards ceremonies are at 5 p.m.

The Amarillo, Texas, Tri-State Open Chili Championship benefits the Make-a-Wish-Foundation of North Texas and raised over $20,000 for the organization in 2022, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. As many as 125 competitors and plenty of hungry attendees from the Panhandle and other parts of Texas show up. Some of the teams have been competing in the Tri-State for over a decade.

Myhighplains.com shows that this is an ICS-sanctioned event, and organizer Millie Bingham explains that the top three winners will move on to the ICS World Championship Chili Cook-off. This championship has been taking place for more than 20 years and follows all of the ICS rules. Volunteers sign up in advance to pass out cups and wristbands, and judges have included local personalities like Hobert "Gunny" Brown as well as U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson. Brown calls the Texas Tri-State Open "the Super Bowl of chili" (via the Amarillo Globe-News), and past winners include Tiffany Messer, the Armadillo Brothers, and Pork N Things Barbecue.

The setting for Highland Business Partnership's Chili Cookoff is the North Jersey town of Highlands, which is not far from New York City. Highlands' website shows that this winter event happens in late February at the Quarterdeck at Seastreak, a catering venue with a waterfront location. There are two cookoffs: one for professionals and another for amateurs. Proceeds from the event go to the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

Entrants must send in the application form with $10 and, if approved, agree to make 3 or more pounds of chili and arrive 45 minutes before starting time. The chili has to be maintained at a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit and can be brought in a Crock-Pot or something similar. The organizers provide cups, spoons, and napkins, and there's a limit of 48 participants.

The registration form also shows that the $35 admission fee for guests includes chili tasting, two beer tickets, and two voting ballots. There's also a panel of judges who vote separately from ticket holders. The Highland Business Partnership's Chili Cookoff lasts from 3 to 7 p.m., and the winners are announced around 6 p.m., according to the registration form.

Sanctioned by the ICS, the South Carolina State Chili Cookoff Championship welcomes amateur and professional cooks. It is held in Belton, South Carolina. According to Belton's website, the cookoff benefits local nonprofits like the Belton Masonic Lodge and the Belton Center for the Arts. It attracts more than 50 chili cooks, and the lucky ticket holders pay $15 for unlimited tasting bracelets.

Amateur cooks pay $25 and bring 3 or more gallons of traditional homestyle chili to compete in people's choice and organizational people's choice competitions. The crowd casts votes, and one winner in each of those two groups will be awarded cash prizes and trophies for their efforts. For a $30 fee, amateurs are invited to enter another contest: the Amateur Homestyle Chili Competition. ICS members can compete in four separate categories, including salsa; winners move on to the ICS world championship. This cookoff lasts about six hours, and the judges are all volunteers.

The Sertoma Chili Cookoff's website states that this ICS-certified event is held in February in Springfield, Missouri, as part of a three-day festival. The registration form shows that 8-foot by 10-foot booth fees range from $225 to $300, depending on how soon you apply. That's not a small sum (and electrical hookup fees are extra), but the winner gets to compete in the ICS World Championship Chili Cook-off.

The Sertoma Chili Cookoff takes place at the Springfield Expo Center and benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, according to Eventbrite. This is a one-day event, but they manage to pack a lot in; there's also a high-stakes poker tournament and a cornhole tournament, live music, and a beer garden. Tickets are priced from $20 to $50.

Cooking teams (with a maximum of eight people) follow ICS rules for the Sertoma Chili Cookoff. Per the FAQ page, cooking starts at 6:30 a.m., and each booth must cook up a minimum of 10 gallons. Besides grand champion and best in show, awards are also given out for rookie of the year and people's choice. The Sertoma Chili Cook-off Rules and Information Booklet claims that since its 1981 inception, the event has raised more than $2.7 million.

Do palm trees, sandy beaches, and the ocean go with chili? Of course they do. The Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association posts that this day-long, free-admission event attracts more than 70,000 people and offers beachfront entertainment, a beer garden, shopping, and amateur and restaurant chili contests. There are judges' and hottest chili awards, as well as a people's choice category. Amateur winners get cash prizes of up to $300, whereas the restaurant division winners receive plaques and plenty of well-deserved publicity.

The Association's Chili Cookoff page explains that $20 Master Tickets will be available for chili lovers who want unlimited samples; otherwise, each tasting is $2. The tastings start at 11 a.m., and the winners are announced around 2 p.m. The entry fee for cooking teams is $35. The information and application page states that the chili can be prepared on- or off-site and must be maintained at a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The $35 booth fee includes tasting cups, spoons, napkins, and a fire extinguisher rental. 

This is the big one — ICS's world championship event. They've been doing this for more than 50 years, and the festivities have been held in various locations. The ICS World Championship Chili Cook-Off attracts hundreds of groups from across the country to participate, and ticket holders enjoy tastings, live entertainment, car shows, and beer gardens. Admission is free, but you have to buy tasting tickets to sample the goods and vote. The total prize purse is $75,000.

Qualifying contestants who have won at state-level ICS cookoffs can participate in the championship, but there are other chili challenges open to the community; cooks can also compete in more than one category. There are the main ICS categories, two youth divisions according to age, a McCormick Community Challenge, a World Open, and a Pace Setter Chili Challenge. WMBF News claims that these championships attract more than 30,000 chili lovers.