How to Pick Chili Cookoff Prizes

Chili cookoffs are delicious fun, and organizing such an event is a great way to bring the community together. Add to the friendly sense of competition by awarding prizes to the winners. Pick chili cookoff prizes that appeal to everyone, from the novice chili chef to the seasoned--no pun intended--champ.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Think about the contestants in the chili cookoff. Find prizes that people of all ages and interests will like.
2. Decide how many prizes you are going to award. Some judges give prizes for first, second and third place only, while other judges offer prizes for different chili "categories."
3. Create a prize hierarchy. Choose a bigger, more valuable prize for the first-place winner.
4. Ask local businesses to donate prizes for the chili cookoff. If your cookoff is for charity, the businesses can write their donations off at tax time. Consider soliciting prizes from restaurants that serve chili, gourmet food stores that offer nice chili powder or gift shops that sell chili-pepper holiday lights.
5. Publicize the prizes when you send out information about your chili cookoff. People are more likely to compete if they know they can win, for example, $200 in restaurant gift certificates.
6. Label all prizes clearly on the day of the cookoff. Set up a table that displays the prizes, so that competitors know what items they can win.

Tips & Warnings

• Make your prize table extra-fun by draping it with a chili-pepper tablecloth. You can also label the different prizes with chili-shaped cards.
• You can find plenty of great chili cookoff prizes on the Internet. Sites such as FlamingChili.com and TheChileShop.com sell unique gifts that are perfect for chili cookoffs.