August 29, 2026 • Ocean Shores
Chili
Cook Off
Homestyle Chili • Public Sampling • People’s Choice Awards
Rules
- Teams may consist of one person or more.
- Set-up starts at 8:00 a.m. on August 29, 2026.
- Fire up and start cooking at 9:00 a.m.
- Chili must be ready for public sampling at 12:00 p.m.
- The Chili Cook Off is open to the public from 12:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
- People’s Choice judging begins at 12:00 p.m.
- Winners are announced at 5:00 p.m.
Schedule
8:00 a.m.
Team set-up begins
9:00 a.m.
Fire up and start cooking
12:00 p.m.
Public sampling and People’s Choice judging begins
4:30 p.m.
Public sampling closes
5:00 p.m.
Winners announced
Location
Cooking will take place at the Ocean Shores Convention Center.
Preparation and Cooking
Chili must be cooked on site the day of the cook-off, from scratch. No pre-chopping and no pre-cooking are permitted.
Chili must be prepared out in the open in your designated spot. Prep work must be done in the Convention Center certified kitchen. The kitchen should be used for prep and dishwashing only.
All assembly and cooking must be done under your tent. No item may be pre-cooked. “From scratch” is defined as starting with raw meat. No marinating is allowed.
Commercial chili powder is permissible, but complete chili mixes are not permitted. Thickeners such as cornmeal and flour are permissible.
Team Requirements
Teams must prepare and cook chili in as sanitary a manner as possible while following all Grays Harbor County Health Department rules.
Cooks must provide all cooking and serving utensils. Limited electricity will be provided. Teams must also provide their own chairs, coolers, tent, tables, handwashing station, paper towels, and other cooking accessories.
NBIM will provide serving cups, spoons, and paper towels for the public.
Each team is responsible for preparing at least 5 gallons of chili to be judged by the public.
Each contestant should display an ingredient list at their booth so anyone with food allergies can choose whether to sample.
Chili must never be left unattended. A Class K fire extinguisher is required by the city for each team to have on site.
Rules and Regulations
There will be one category: Homestyle Chili. Homestyle Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as the cook’s favorite combination of ingredients resulting in a dish seasoned with chili peppers and spices.
People’s Choice Awards
All passports will be dropped in the ballot box coinciding with each guest’s favorite chili.
1st Place
$2,000
2nd Place
$1,000
3rd Place
$500