COMPETITION OVERVIEW
NOVEMBER 7-11, 2018
ORANGE BEACH, ALABAMA
World Open Chili Championship, sponsored by 
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 Orange Beach, AL at the World Open Chili Championship and find out who has the best chili on the planet.
The following competitions are State Qualifiers for the 2018 World Open Chili Championship:
Alabama State Qualifier / Alabama Coasting Multi-Media – 2018 - Various Locations in Alabama
California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition – 10/13/18-10/14/18 - Hollywood, California
Missouri State Qualifier - Show Me Series - 2018 - Various Locations in Missouri
Texas State Qualifier / City of Port Aransas – 2018 – Port Aransas, Texas
The following competitions are Preferred Qualifiers for the 2018 World Open Chili Championship:
Gulf Coast Chili Cookoff - 9/23/18 - Biloxi, Mississippi
The following competitions are Elite Qualifiers for the 2018 World Open Chili Championship:
Idaho Potato Online Recipe Contest “The Summer Spud” - 7/13/18-7/23/18 - ONLINE
Kleefield Honey Festival - 8/10/18 - Kleefield, Manitoba, CANADA
Red Gold Golden Ticket - 2018 - Mt. Carmel, Indiana
Walmart Online Recipe Contest "Food Champ Fresh"/Wild Card Elite Division – 7/20/18-7/30/18 – ONLINE
Wild Card Elite Division - 2/1/18-10/1/18 - ONLINE
The following competitions are International Qualifiers for the 2019 World Open Chili Championship:
Alabama State Qualifier / Back Forty Beer – 2019 - Gadsden, Alabama
Caribbean Food Championships - 8/18/18-8/19/18 - San Juan, Puerto Rico
The following competitions are State Qualifiers for the 2019 World Open Chili Championship:
Tennessee State Qualifier / Public Markets – Chattanooga, Tennessee
The following competitions are automatic qualifiers for the 2018 World Open Chili Championship:
United States Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| ICS: 2018 Chili 1st Place Winners - International Chili Society | Various Locations, US | Sep 1, 2017 |
| CASI: 2018 Chili 1st Place Winners - Chili Appreciation Society International | Various Locations, US | Sep 1, 2017 |
| Culinary Fight Club - 2017 | Various Locations, US | |
| TOLBERT: 2018 Chili 1st Place Winners - Tolbert | Various Locations, US | Sep 1, 2017 |
| Walmart Online Recipe Contest "Food Champ Fresh" | Various Locations, US | Jul 20, 2018 |
| Hog Eye BBQ | US | Sep 13, 2018 |
| International Chefs Not In Attendance | US | |
| WFC: 2017 WFC Top Ten Chili | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 12, 2017 |
| WFC: 2017 WFC Top Ten Recipe | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 12, 2017 |
| WFC: 2017 World Open Chili Champion - Liz Kraatz | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 12, 2017 |
| WFC: 2016 World Food Champion - Kari Luke | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| WFC: 2016 World Open Chili Champion - Liz Kraatz | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| Alabama State Qualifier / WFC Team Alabama | Various Locations, AL, US | |
| WFC: Granny Grilling Challenge - Sherri Williams | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 11, 2017 |
| Fire on the Mountain - 2017 | Arab, AL, US | |
| WFC: 2017 World Food Champion - Lisa Gwatney | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| WFC: 2017 WFC Top Ten Burger - Adam Pritchett | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 12, 2017 |
| Alabama State Qualifier / Back Forty Beer (for 2019) | TBA, AL, US | |
| Special Invitation - Tammy Stanger | Phoenix, AZ, US | Mar 19, 2018 |
| California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition | Hollywood, CA, US | |
| California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition | Hollywood, CA, US | |
| WFC: 2015 World Open Chili Champion - Wayne Shymko | Kissimmee, FL, US | |
| WFC: 2015 World Recipe Champion - Alethia Shih | Kissimmee, FL, US | |
| "Super" Chili Bowl Cook Off | Perdido Key, FL, US | Feb 3, 2018 |
| Hormel Online Contest - Craig Weinbaum | FL, US | |
| The Taste - Kristle Detweiller | Inverness, FL, US | Apr 14, 2018 |
| The Taste - Heather Cook | Inverness, FL, US | Apr 14, 2018 |
| Georgia State Qualifier / Atlanta Food Wars | Various Locations, GA, US | |
| Carmel Market District Inaugural Chili Cook-Off | Carmel, IN, US | Feb 3, 2018 |
| Red Gold Chili Cook-Off - for 2019 | Elwood, IN, US | Oct 13, 2018 |
| Special Invitation - Cortney Riley | Kansas City, KS, US | |
| Mac N Brews (Chili competition) | Royal Oak, MI, US | Feb 24, 2018 |
| Big Island BBQ | Albert Lea, MN, US | Aug 24, 2018 |
| Missouri State Qualifier / The Show Me Series | Various Locations, MO, US | |
| Missouri State Qualifier / The Show Me Series - Susanne Ebacher Grier | MO, US | |
| GULF COAST CHILI COOK-OFF | Biloxi, MS, US | Sep 23, 2018 |
| Special Invitation - Jessica Sprowls | Long Beach, MS, US | |
| WFC: 2013 World Food Champion - Dave Elliott | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| WFC: 2013 World Open Chili Champion - Ray Bogart | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| WFC: 2013 World Recipe Champion - Beth Peterson | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| WFC: 2014 World Open Chili Champion - Ray Bogart | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| WFC: 2014 World Recipe Champion - David Grover | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| Chairman's Invitation - George Phelps | Cincinatti, OH, US | |
| WFC: WILD CARD ELITE DIVISION | ONLINE, US | Feb 1, 2018 |
| #TOA2017 - Lesa Sampson | ONLINE, US | |
| WFC: #Taste of America - Chili - 2nd-3rd Place | ONLINE, US | Jun 1, 2018 |
| WFC: Food Champ Online Recipe Contests - 2nd-5th Place | ONLINE, US | |
| WFC: #Taste of America - Chili - 1st Place | ONLINE, US | Jun 1, 2018 |
| WFC: Food Champ Online Recipe Contests - 1st Place | ONLINE, US | |
| America's Better Sandwich Contest | ONLINE, US | |
| WFC: 2017 TOA People's Choice - Jonathan Scinto | ONLINE, US | |
| Idaho Potato Online Recipe Contest - 1st Place | ONLINE, US | Jul 13, 2018 |
| Idaho Potato Online Recipe Contest - 2nd-3rd Place | ONLINE, US | Jul 13, 2018 |
| WFC: #Taste of America - Chili - 2nd-3rd Place - Jasmin Stewart-Harbin | ONLINE, US | Jun 1, 2018 |
| WILD CARD ELITE DIVISION - WALMART | ONLINE, US | |
| Texas State Qualifier / City of Port Aransas | TX, US | Mar 1, 2018 |
| Tolbert: Washington State Chili Cookoff | Moclips, WA, US | Oct 7, 2018 |
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| International Competitor Invitations - Australia | ONLINE, AU | Feb 1, 2018 |
| Kleefield Honey Festival (Chili) [Qualifies Canadian Chili competitors in Manitoba and Ontario] | MB, CA | |
| International Competitor Invitations - Cape Verde | ONLINE, CV | Feb 1, 2018 |
| International Competitor Invitations - Dominican Republic | ONLINE, DO | Feb 1, 2018 |
| International Competitor Invitations - Germany | ONLINE, DE | Feb 1, 2018 |
| International Competitor Invitations - Guam | ONLINE, GU | Feb 1, 2018 |
| International Competitor Invitations - Hong Kong | ONLINE, HK | Feb 1, 2018 |
| Special Invitation - Sathiya Moorthy | Tamilndu, IN | |
| Special Invitation - Abdul Nawsath | Tiruvannnamalai, IN | |
| International Competitor Invitations - Japan | ONLINE, JP | Feb 1, 2018 |
| CARIBBEAN FOOD CHAMPIONSHIPS | San Juan, PR, PR | |
| International Competitor Invitations - South Africa | ONLINE, ZA | Feb 1, 2018 |
| International Competitor Invitations -The Netherlands | ONLINE, NL | Feb 1, 2018 |
| 2018 National Burger Awards - Best Burger - United Kingdom | London, GB | Feb 21, 2018 |
| UKCCA: 2018 Chili 1st Place Winners - UK Chilli Cook-off Association | GB | Sep 1, 2017 |
| International Competitor Invitations - United Kingdom | ONLINE, GB | Feb 1, 2018 |