INTRODUCING THE

Show our all-star panel of culinary critics you've got what it takes to battle for big cash in Vegas. Winners from each FoodChamp Challenge will win qualification and FREE entry to compete in the 2013 World Food Championships!

The Dessert Challenge is on!
Submit by 5/28




LATEST NEWS
Volunteer applications now available
The World Food Championships is now accepting volunteer applications for the 2013 event! Please be sure to share your culinary/food service background... READ MORE
Win FREE Entry into the World Food Championships
Looking for that elusive golden ticket entry into the World Food Championships?    Well that dream may just be a pinch and a dash away! &nb... READ MORE
World Food Championships to host Rancher's Reserve Beef Cup Final Event
The final competition event of the 2013 Rancher’s Reserve® Beef Cup will take place in Las Vegas at the World Food Championships on Thursday... READ MORE
Overview of the 2012 WFC

2012 World Open Chili Championship

OnTheRoad2 -- wfcchili_1.jpg  OnTheRoad3 -- wfcchili2_0.jpg

As one of the most popular foods on the planet, chili comes in many forms, but which one is the best? Is it the Traditional Red?  Chili Verde? Or a ‘homestyle’ blend of whatever pleases your mouth?

The world’s best chili cooks spiced up the strip in Las Vegas at the World Open Chili Championship and to find out who has the best chili on the planet.

The World Food Championships selected 90 of the biggest and best chili cookoff events and awarded their winner with an automatic invitation to enter and compete at the World Food Championships.  The events were selected from across all of the major chili cookoff sanctioning bodies.  In addition to those 90 chili cooks, the WFC Competition Committee selected 5 champions and Just A Pinch selected 5 champions to compete for the title of World Open Chili Champion.

Friday, November 2 (Competition Chili)
Saturday, November 3 (Freestyle-People's Choice)

Location: Competition Square

[Review Categories Here]

Prize Purse: $25,000

 

Overall

Grand Champion - $10,000
2nd $5,000
3rd $1,500
4th $1,000
5th $750

 

Each Category

WFC Competition Chili:

1st $1,000
2nd $750
3rd $500

WFC Freestyle Chili:

1st $1,000
2nd $750
3rd $500

WFC Freestyle Chili - People's Choice:

1st $1,000
2nd $750
3rd $500


The WFC will be sending invitations to the Champions of the following competitions:

International Chili Society 

50 contestants (comprised by the Red and Verde champions at the following 26 events):

Laughlin Regional - Laughlin, NV
Great Forsyth Regional Cookoff - Forsyth, IL
Sunshine Regional - Kissimmee, FL
99.9 Kiss Country Chili Cookoff - Pembroke Pines, FL
Gulf Coast Regional – St George Island, FL (Red only)
Capital Market Green Chili Shootout – Charleston, WV (Verde only)
New England Regional – Somers, CT
DC Chili Cookoff – Washington DC
New Jersey State Chili Cookoff - Toms River, NJ
Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cookoff - Tustin, CA
River City - Old Town Elk Grove Regional - Elk Grove
Sangamon County Fair Regional Chili Cookoff - New Berlin, IL
Smoke on the Water – Charleston, WV
Big Bear Regional Cookoff - Big Bear Lake, CA
Fire on the Mountain Regional - Snowshoe, WV
Western Regional – San Diego, CA
Illinois State Fair Regional Chili Cookoff - Springfield, IL
Town of Superior Regional - Superior, CO
All Ohio Regional - Cincinnati, OH
West Virginia State ChiliFest - Huntington, WV
Kansas State - Wichita Wagonmasters - Wichita, KS
World's Championship Chili Cookoff - Charleston, WV
Great Lakes Regional - Plymouth, MI
North Carolina State - Havelock, NC
Chillinois Regional - Taylorville, IL
Oklahoma State - Owasso Harvest Fest Chili Cookoff - Owasso, OK

Chili Appreciation Society International 

30 contestants (comprised by the overall champion at the following 30 events):

Tri State Open – Amarillo, TX
South of the Border Intl Open - Puerto Penasco, MX
San Miguel International Chili Cook-off – San Miguel de Allende, MX
Horned Toad Regional Chili Cookoff – Rankin, TX
Arizona State Open – Casa Grande, AZ
Cowtown Chili Cook-off – Fort Worth, TX
Texas Men’s State – Johnson City, TX
Texas Ladies State – Seguin, TX
Larry Joe Taylor Annual – Stephenville, TX
Kansas State Open CCO – Overland Park, KS
Howdy Roo Chili Cookoff – Marble Falls, TX
Chopps POD Cookoff – Puerto Penasco, MX
Alabama State Open Chili Championship – Hoover, AL
NC CASI Chili Championship – Greensboro, NC
Southwest Open Chili Championship – Durant, OK
Texas Open Chili Cookoff – San Antonio, TX
Red Hot & Wild Kokomo CCO – Kokomo, IN
Steel Horse Saloon CCO – Phoenix, AZ
Three-I Regional Open Championship – Ottumwa, IA
Peppers on the Plaza – Cheyenne, WY
State of Colorado Chili Championship – Grand Lake, CO
Chili Cook-off In the Pines – Pinetop, AZ
Cloudcroft Chili Cookoff – Cloudcroft, NM
Chugwater Chili Cookoff – Chugwater, WY
Texas Society of the Virgin Islands Cookoff – St Thomas, VI
Four Corners Regional Cookoff – Red River, NM
US National Open Chili Championship – Buda, TX
Florida State Open Chili Championship – Homosassa, FL
Woodbridge California State – Woodbridge, CA
Terlingua International – Terlingua, TX

Tolbert

10 contestants (comprised by the overall champion at the following 10 events):

Giddy Ups Thanksgiving Cookoff – Manchaca, TX
Cedar Hall Special Olympics Chili & BBQ Cookoff– Lockhart, TX
Tolbert's Men's State Chili Championship – Maxdale, TX
Washington State Chili Championship – Kalama, WA
Mud Dauber Fest/Chili Cook Off– Luckenbach, TX
Tolbert Chili and BBQ Cook Off – Glen Rose, TX
Roughneck Chili & BBQ Cookoff – Luling, TX
Texas Ladies State – Blanco, TX
Armed Forces International Chili Cook-Off – San Angelo, TX
Original Terlingua International Frank X Tolbert – Terlingua TX

WFC Special Invitations

5 contestants 

TBD 

Just A Pinch

5 contestants

TBD
 

If a Champion is not able to accept the invitation and participate in The World Food Championships, invitations will be extended to the 2nd place (or runner up) of the same competition from the same respective category. In the event that more than one of these special invitation events or divisions are won by the same Chili team, additional events will be added to the invitation roster to achieve 90 different competitors.
 
The remaining 10 contestants will come from online competitions at JustAPinch.com (5 spots) and WFC special exemptions (5) based on sponsor requests and/or an overall Chili rankings index used by the competition committee. All invited teams who qualify will receive a direct email message from the WFC on how to sign up and opt into the event. A $125 entry/processing fee will be required.
 
As for the official rules and sanctioning process, the WFC will be using a modified chili judging process. It will be both blind and fair, so that all teams are guaranteed a level playing field. 


UPDATE (7/2)

The World Food Championships committee has adjusted the World Open Chili Championship categories to celebrate chili in all of its forms and find the one true World Open Chili Champion. The new competition categories will be Competitive and Freestyle. The Competitive category will challenge the pro chiliheads to whip up their best competition-style Traditional Red chili.  The Freestyle category, however, is going to be a free-for-all that can include practically ANY type of chili or ingredients imaginable.  

Turn-in times will be:
FRIDAY: Competitive 3 p.m.
SATURDAY: Freestyle 3 p.m.

Judging for the Competitive category will be performed by expert and certified chili judges only. Freestyle Judging will be based on a combined scoring system comprised of both experts and people's choice.  The winner of the World Open Chili Championship will have the best cumulative score across both the Competitive and Freestyle categories.

The Grand Champion and category winners will be announced Saturday at 6 p.m.


 
Rules for the WFC are subject to change, but all decisions made by the WFC competition committee are final.

If you would like to receive updates about additional World Food Championships information, please contact us.

 

Participant Agreement

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the World Food Championship. This Agreement shall constitute an agreement between You and the World Food Championship, its agents, assignees, licensors and benefactors (collectively the “WFC”) and shall govern your participation in the WFC. By checking the box that appears beneath this Agreement when registering, you electronically sign this Agreement and agree to be legally bound by all of the terms, conditions and notices contained or referenced herein.

The WFC is producing a series of events that will be held from November 1, 2012 through November 4, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada (hereinafter singularly or collectively the “WFC Event”). The WFC Event shall include but not be limited to competitive cooking competitions in the categories of barbecue, chili, hamburger, sandwich, sides, chef challenge, and champion's challenge (hereinafter “WFC Categories”), as well as consumer events related to the WFC Categories. The WFC may add or discontinue any of the WFC Categories at any time. It is understood that the WFC may film, document, record, or transcribe the WFC Event and the WFC may develop, author or produce content based on the WFC Event or the WFC Categories (hereinafter "WFC Content").

You have agreed to participate in one or more WFC Event. You agree to be bound by the terms, conditions and rules of participation as detailed in this Agreement, posted on the website of the WFC (www.worldfoodchampionship.com), and disseminated to You by the WFC, whether by mail, e-mail or in person. The WFC assumes no responsibility for accidents, illnesses, disabilities, monetary loses or any other loses incurred by You during the WFC Event, or during travel to or from the WFC Event. Your participation is conditioned on your adherence to these terms, conditions and rules. The WFC may revoke your right to participate in the WFC Event at any time, subject to the return of any entrance fee or partial deposit if applicable.

As a material term of condition for participating in the WFC Event, You agree to provide the WFC with a minimum of one (1) recipe per contest, demo, or event that you participate in (hereinafter “Materials”). You will retain copyright and ownership in any Materials. However, You hereby grant the WFC irrevocable royalty-free permission to use Materials in any and all media in perpetuity throughout the world, including but not limited to motion picture, television, book publication, merchandising, testimonials, advertising, infomercials, commercial tie-ups, product licensing, online and interactive media or any other technology now in existence or hereafter utilized. When reasonably possible, You will be afforded credit for any use of Materials, but You will not receive any other form of compensation or consideration. You hereby waive any droit moral rights in and to the Materials. Nothing herein guarantees that Materials will be used in any manner.

As a qualifier/participant into the WFC, you hereby consent to the non-exclusive use of your name, likeness, presence, presentation, and performance in connection with the WFC Event or the WFC Content, in any and all forms of media, whether related to a promotional or marketing effort or a for-profit endeavor undertaken by the WFC. Such usage shall only be in direct connection with the WFC Event or in connection with the publication, distribution or other exploitation of the WFC Content.

As a category finalist, winner or Final Table participant, you will be compensated through the appropriate WFC prize purse and as a result hereby consent to the exclusive use of your name, likeness, presence, presentation, and performance in connection with the WFC Event or the WFC Content, in any and all forms of media, whether related to a promotional or marketing effort or a for-profit endeavor undertaken by the WFC. Such usage shall only be in direct connection with the WFC Event or in connection with the publication, distribution or other exploitation of the WFC Content and/or its partners and sponsors.

You hereby grant the WFC the right to record Your name, likeness, image, voice, sound effects, interview and performance on ?lm, tape, or otherwise (the "Recording"), edit such Recording as the WFC or any third party licensee of the WFC may desire. You hereby grant the WFC the permission and right to use or authorize the use of the Recording or any portions thereof in all markets, manner, formats and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, throughout the world, in perpetuity. If the WFC is required to provide any further release or permission from You for the use of the Recording, You agree to provide such release within two (2) weeks of receipt of a request for permission.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the WFC and its directors, officers, managers, staff members, volunteers, agents, licensees and any seller from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees, resulting from any violation of this Agreement, or the failure to fulfill any obligations relating to your participation in the WFC Events, incurred by You.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. Should any provision of this Agreement be void or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be deemed omitted and this Agreement with such provision omitted shall remain in full force and effect. This represents the complete agreement between us. The WFC reserves the right to modify this Agreement at any time, in which case the WFC will make an online announcement on its website and contact You by e-mail, if a valid e-mail address is provided and is still active at the time of notice, which will be deemed sufficient notice.