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?  Your secret family recipe?  Or a ‘Freestyle’ blend of whatever pleases your mouth?  The world’s best chili cooks will spice up Las Vegas at the World Open Chili Championship and find out who has the best chili on the planet.

Choosing from all three major sanctioning bodies, The World Food Championships will accept the champions of the world’s premier chili competitions to compete in Las Vegas.

What will start as a host of the absolute best championship chiliheads from across the planet, will end up with just one winner… the World Open Chili Champion.

WORLD OPEN CHILI CHAMPIONSHIP
$25,000 CATEGORY COMPETITION
2013 COMPETITOR PACKET  

Competition Structure 

In 2013, the World Food Championships is unveiling a “tournament-style” cook-off process for all of its category competitions.  The competition structure will be split into multiple rounds, including an opening “Challenger” round, a Category Finals round, after which each category champion will advance to the Final Table.

Competition Schedule 

Thursday, November 7 – WFC Competition Round (Competition Red Chili) – Turn-ins and Judging for the Red Chili category will take place on Thurs., Nov. 7.   Competition Chili is what most chiliheads know as “Traditional Red”, so no beans, no pasta – just meat, veggies and spices.  Real chili. Bring it on! 

Friday, November 8 – WFC Competition Round (Freestyle Chili) – Turn-ins and Judging for the Freestyle category will take place on Fri., Nov. 8. Freestyle is anything goes, so bring on the pasta and beans or whatever makes your best chili recipe great.   People’s Choice -  There will be a mandatory People’s Choice competition on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8.  The People’s Choice competition is for bonus prize money ONLY.  Scores and results from the People’s Choice competition will NOT affect WFC Challenger Round scores.

Saturday, November 9 – Category Finals – The top finishers in the Challenger Round will advance to Saturday’s WFC Category Finals. 

Competition Rules and Turn-in Information are included in the Competitor Packet linked above.

The World Open Chili Championship will be limited to the first 88 entrants who are fully qualified, registered and confirmed. Any qualified entrant who wants to compete after the field is full must seek a special exemption from the WFC competition committee.. 

The entry fee for the World Open Chili Championship is $150 per competitor/team. The registration period for the World Food Championships will begin on April 15 and end on October 22, 2013.
 

WFC Qualifying Events

As of this announcement, the following events have been identified as Automatic Qualifiers into the World Open Chili Championship.

INTERNATIONAL CHILI SOCIETY

Based on the Red and Verde Champions at the following events:

Laughlin Regional - Laughlin, NV
Great Forsyth Regional Cookoff - Forsyth, IL
Kentucky State - Ashland, KY
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)
Old Town Temecula Regional - Temecula CA*
New England Regional – Somers, CT
DC Chili Cookoff – Washington DC
New Jersey State Chili Cookoff - Toms River, NJ
Ohio State - Westerville, OH
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 – Del Mar, CA
Illinois State Fair 
Town of Superior Regional - Superior, CO
All Ohio Regional - Cincinnati, OH
West Virginia State Chilifest
Kansas State - Wichita Wagonmasters - Wichita, KS
World's Championship Chili Cookoff - Palm Springs, CA
Great Lakes Regional - Plymouth, MI
North Carolina State - Havelock, NC
Chillinois Regional - Taylorville, IL
Nevada State - Laughlin, NV*
Wheeling Feeling - Wheeling WV
Oklahoma State - Owasso Harvest Fest Chili Cookoff - Owasso, OK
Michigan State - Livonia, MI
Chili Willie Chili Challenge - Orland Park, IL
Five Alarm Mountain Madness - Farmington, PA
Arizona State - Flagstaff AZ
Smokin' Big Chili Challenge - Mesquite, NV
High Sierra Regional - Carson City, NV
Fire on the Mountain - Virginia City, NV
Sespe Creek Chili Cookoff - Fillmore, CA
Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cookoff - Tustin, CA
Camarillo Hospice Regional Chili Cookoff - Camarillo, CA
Deep Creek Chili Splash - MD
Joe DeFrates Memorial Regional Cookoff 

CHILI APPRECIATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL

Based on the overall Champion at the following events:

Tri State Open - Amarillo, TX
South of the Border International Chili Cookooff- 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
Texas Men’s State – Johnson City, TX
RoadRunner Chili Cookoff - New River, AZ 
Texas Ladies State – Seguin, TX
Larry Joe Taylor Annual – Stephenville, TX
Kansas State Women's Open CCO – Overland Park, KS
Kansas State Men's Open CCO - Overland Park, KS
Houston POD CASI Chili Cook-off – Houston, TX
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
Steel Horse Saloon Chili Cook Off - Phoenix, AZ
Three-I Regional Open Championship – Ottumwa, IA
State of Colorado Chili Championship – Grand Lake, CO
Annual Caballo Eagles #4308 CCO
Massachusetts State Chili Championship – Middlefield, MA
US National Open Chili Championship – Buda, TX
Florida State Open Chili Championship – Homosassa, FL
Woodbridge California State – Woodbridge, CA
Terlingua International – Terlingua, TX
San Miguel International Chili Cookoff - San Miguel de Allende
Washington State Spring BBQ Championship-  Monroe, WA
Arizona State Women's Open – Sierra Vista, AZ  

TOLBERT

Based on the Champion at the following 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
Al Hopkins Tolbert Texas State Chili Championship – Lockhart, TX
Roughneck Chili & BBQ Cookoff – Luling, TX
Mud Dauber Fest/Chili Cook Off– Luckenbach, TX
Lil' Ol' Country Cook off
Original Terlingua International Frank X Tolbert - Terlingua, TX
Cascade Country BBQ and Chili Cook Off - Chelalis, WA 

INDEPENDENT

Based on the Champion at the following events: 

Johnsonville Italian Chili Challenge 
UK Chili Cook-Off Championship

WFC SPECIAL INVITATIONS

The Top Five Overall finishers in the 2012 World Open Chili Championship

Additional qualifying events and opportunities, including a possible Wild Card entry process, will be announced in the future and added to this list. Check back here for the latest information.

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.

Rules, processes and tournament structure 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 subscribe to our contact list by filling out the form below.