Chili Cook-Off Judging Sheet & Criteria

A chili cook-off judging sheet keeps a fun contest fair. Without one, judges drift toward the spiciest pot or the cook they know, and the team that placed fourth has no way to see why. With one, every judge tastes the same things in the same order and writes down a number that can be added up and checked.

Most cook-offs pick winners in more than one way:

• Judged categories: a panel scores blind-numbered cups and the highest total in each category wins, the core of most cook-offs
• People's Choice: tasters vote for a favorite with tickets, the award that keeps the public involved
• Showmanship: a separate award for team costumes, booth decoration and presentation, judged at the cook sites
• Specialty awards: hottest chili, best vegetarian, best rookie team or a sponsor's pick

If your cook-off is sanctioned by a chili society, such as the International Chili Society or the Chili Appreciation Society International, use that organization's rules and score cards; sanctioned results often count toward qualifying for its championships. The sheet below is for independent cook-offs: church and school fundraisers, office contests, community festivals and charity events.

Five criteria cover what a judge can actually assess from a sample cup. The weights below make a 100-point sheet with taste counting most, which is how most cook-offs feel it should be. Shift points if your contest values something else, but publish the weights in your rules.

Heat is not a criterion on its own. A very hot chili can score well on aftertaste if the flavor survives the heat, and a mild one can score well if it is balanced. If your crowd wants a hottest-chili award, run it as a separate specialty award so it doesn't skew the main categories.

Common categories are red chili, chili verde, white chicken chili, vegetarian chili and an open or anything-goes class. Set a minimum number of entries to award a category, and say which category small ones merge into.

Print one sheet per judge per table, listing every cup number that table will taste. Judges score across the row for each cup, which makes it easy to compare entries side by side.

[COOK-OFF NAME] [YEAR]: CHILI JUDGING SHEET

Category: ____________________    Table: ______
Judge name: ____________________    Judge number: ______

Score each cup on the scale shown. Do not discuss scores with other judges.

CUP #   AROMA   COLOR   CONSISTENCY   TASTE   AFTERTASTE   TOTAL
        (10)    (10)    (20)          (40)    (20)         (100)
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____
_____   ____    ____    ____          ____    ____         _____

Tie-breaker: highest TASTE score, then highest AFTERTASTE score.
Could not judge (cup # and reason): _______________________

Judge signature: ____________________    Time: ______
Return this sheet to the head judge. Do not take it from the tent.

[COOK-OFF NAME] PEOPLE'S CHOICE

One ticket = one vote. Drop this ticket in the jar
at your favorite cook site.

Ticket no. ______

Voting closes at [TIME]. Winner announced at [TIME]
at [STAGE OR TENT].

Thank you for supporting [CAUSE OR BENEFICIARY].

Blind judging is what makes the result believable. The cooks never hand a cup to a judge, and the judges never see who made what.

1. 1

   Set the Turn-In Time

   Publish a single turn-in time per category, and a set amount of chili in a cup you provide. Late entries are not judged; say so in the rules.

2. 2

   Number the Cups Away From the Cooks

   A cup steward, who is not a judge, gives each entry a random number from a shuffled list and writes it on the bottom or side of an identical cup. The steward keeps the only list that links numbers to teams, in a sealed envelope.

3. 3

   Move Cups to the Judging Tent

   Runners carry cups to the judging tent, out of sight of the cook sites. If there are many entries, split them across tables and have every judge at a table taste every cup at that table.

4. 4

   Taste and Cleanse

   Judges use a clean spoon for each cup and cleanse their palate with water and plain crackers between tastes. Many cook-offs also put out celery or plain bread.

5. 5

   Run a Final Table for Large Fields

   When a table has many entries, take the top few cups from each table to a final table where a fresh panel picks the winner.

6. 6

   Unseal the Cup List Last

   Only after the scores are totaled and checked does the head judge open the envelope and match cup numbers to teams.

Five to seven judges per table is a common range. With five or more, some cook-offs drop each cup's highest and lowest score before totaling, which softens one judge who loves or hates a style. Decide in advance and put it in the rules.

Brief judges together before the first cup. Read these out, and print them on the back of the judging sheet.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHILI JUDGES

1. Score every cup at your table, even styles you don't usually like.
2. Use a clean spoon for each cup. Cleanse your palate between cups.
3. Score in this order: aroma, color, consistency, taste, aftertaste.
4. Use the full scale. Excellent chili earns top marks.
5. Do not talk about scores, cups or guesses about who cooked what.
6. If you recognize an entry or have a stake in a team, tell the head judge
   and step aside for that cup.
7. Note any cup you could not judge, and why.
8. Sign your sheet and hand it to the head judge before you leave the tent.

• Two people total each sheet independently, and resolve any difference before results are posted
• Ties go to the higher taste score, then the higher aftertaste score, then a head-to-head re-taste by the head judge
• Keep the sheets until after the event, in case a team asks to see its scores
• Share each team's scores with that team on request, without other teams' numbers

People's Choice is often where a fundraiser's money comes from. Tasters buy a tasting kit at the gate, usually a set of small cups, spoons, a napkin and one vote ticket, and walk the cook sites tasting from each team. Price the kit to cover cups and spoons and leave a margin for the cause.

• Sell extra vote tickets if your cook-off votes with dollars, and say clearly that one team can win by selling the most votes
• Give each cook site a numbered jar or box, and number it to match the site on your map
• Close voting at a fixed time announced on the PA, then collect jars before anyone can add to them
• Have two volunteers count each jar together and sign the count
• Announce People's Choice separately from the judged awards, so neither overshadows the other

For more ways to raise money around the cook-off, see our fundraising event ideas. If food trucks or other food vendors join the day, how to host a food truck event covers spacing, power and vendor rules.

A cook-off serves food to the public, so health rules apply even when samples are free. Requirements vary by city, county and state: some health departments issue one temporary food event permit to the organizer, some need one per team, and some exempt certain charity events. Call the health department before you set a date, and pass its rules to every team.

• Ask whether cook teams need a temporary food permit or a food handler card, and collect copies with registration
• Ask where cooking must happen: some areas require chili cooked on site, others allow it to be prepared in a permitted kitchen
• Plan hot holding: the FDA Food Code, which many states base their rules on, uses 135°F for hot food, but your health department sets the rule that applies
• Provide handwashing stations, and require gloves and utensils for serving samples
• List the common allergens and ask teams to label beans, dairy, gluten and nuts
• Check fire rules for propane burners and extension cords with the venue and fire marshal

Our food vendor permit guide explains the permits food sellers usually need, and the event permit guide covers the organizer's side, from special event permits to tents and street closures.

Team registration collects what you need to assign a cook site, place the team in a category and confirm it can cook safely. Ask for:

• Team name, captain name, email and mobile phone
• Category, chosen from your published list
• Number of cooks, and whether the team is a rookie team
• Equipment: burners, generators or a request for power
• A copy of any permit or food handler card your health department requires
• Agreement to the rules, turn-in times and a liability waiver
• Entry fee, and a showmanship award opt-in if you run one

Give each team its site number at registration and put the same number on the map, the site sign and its People's Choice jar. Recruit judges, cup stewards and counters well ahead; event volunteer management covers roles and shift plans.