Dreaming of winning a cooking contest? Whether it’s an online recipe contest, a brand-sponsored competition, or an in-person national cook-off, success takes more than a great dish. It takes preparation, creativity, and smart strategies. I'm sharing the secrets on how to win cooking contests!
1. Most Important Thing, Read the Rules Carefully
This is the #1 most important thing to do before entering a cooking contest. Read the OFFICIAL RULES, and read them twice. Every contest has its own set of guidelines that you need to follow to the letter. Here are the main terms you'll want to understand clearly:
Eligibility
Check the contest’s eligibility requirements. This often includes age limits, state of residence, and restrictions for employees and their family members. Some contests are for home cooks only, while others welcome professionals.
Submission Deadline
Always be on time. Don’t wait until 11:55 PM to submit your entry if the deadline is midnight. It’s best to submit your entry several days before the cutoff. The sooner the better.
Number of Entries Allowed
Some contests let you submit multiple recipes, while others allow just one per entrant. Make sure you know how many you’re allowed to enter, and focus on quality over quantity. Only submit your best recipe for any given category.
Conditions
Most contests state that your entry becomes the property of the sponsor. Read this section carefully to understand your rights. Usually, they’ll require that the recipe is your original creation and doesn’t infringe on any trademarks. They may also ask you to confirm that you own the recipe and haven’t published it elsewhere.
Format and Content Requirements
This is where the contest tells you exactly how they want to receive your recipe. Pay attention to any specific formatting, portion sizes or serving instructions, limits on the number of ingredients or other peculiar details.
For example, in National Festival of Breads Contest, you must name the specific type and brand of flour used. However in other contests, you should not name the brands used.
Technical or Social Media Requirements
Many contests require a photo or video. They’ll specify acceptable file formats (like JPG or PNG), sizes, video lengths, and even the aspect ratio. They might also outline which social media platforms you can or should use to post your entry.
Judging Criteria
This is another key part to understand when creating your recipe. The judging criteria will give you insight into what the judges are looking for. For example:
- Taste (40%): Does the dish taste great?
- Visual Appeal (25%) Does the photo or video make you hungry?
- Creativity (20%): Is it unique and memorable?
- Ease of Preparation (15%): Is the recipe straightforward and manageable?
Knowing these criteria helps you create your entry for the best chance of winning.
"Most contests will have official rules and instructions for entering. One missed step and your entry most likely will be disqualified." -Kim Banick, The Prize of Cooking
2. Types of Cooking Contests
Online Recipe Contests
These contests are usually hosted by brands or websites and require you to submit a recipe, along with a photo or video. They are judged and you never even have to leave your house. The prize comes in the mail.
Just watch out for any contests with a public voting component. I’d highly recommend skipping those. Online voting contests are easily rigged, and you don’t want to waste a great recipe in an unfair race.
In-Person Cook-Offs
This is where the real fun (and sometimes the nerves) kick in! Cook-offs are in-person events where you prepare your dish live in front of judges and fellow competitors. There’s often a wonderful sense of camaraderie, plus the chance to meet others who are experienced in the food and cooking niche.
Bake-Offs
Similar to cook-offs, bake-offs focus on baked items like breads, pies, cakes, or cookies. Sometimes you'll bake at the event in-person or sometimes you'll bring your best baked goods that you made at home ahead of time, to be judged at the event.
Festival, 4-H, Community Competitions
Many local and state fairs host cooking contests as part of their event lineup. Festival competitions often draw big crowds and plenty of local enthusiasm. Offering blue ribbons and small prizes, these can be a great way to dip your toe (so to speak) into the contesting world. They can be anything from chili cook-offs to pie contests to BBQ competitions.
With 4-H, you’ll usually bring your best baked or canned goods that you made at home.
3. Reviewing Past Winners: Themes, Styles, and What Judges Love
One of the best ways to get a head start on your contest entry is to research both the contest sponsors website(s) and past winning recipes.
Lauren Katz, a top contest cook, says:
“I would say to do a little background research on what recipes are already on their website, where you see there might be holes in their content. I always try to fill a missing need in their current recipe offerings. You can also see what type of recipes they prefer, whether they are complicated or simple.”
This is great advice. By looking at their website, you’ll get a sense of what the judges might be looking for.
4. Embrace Food Trends & Originality to Stand Out
One of the best ways to catch a judge’s eye is to blend originality with what’s currently trending in the food world. The recipe needs to feel fresh and exciting.
One way to spot these trends is the old-fashioned way: head on over to Walgreens or Barnes & Noble and check out the food magazine section. Flip through and see what ingredient or flavor combination is popular. Also, keep an eye on the magazines as you check out at the grocery store.
You can also look online and do a Google Trends search. Visit trends.google.com and use the Explore Tab. Type in phrases like “recipe” or “popular ingredient.” This will show you what’s gaining popularity. Another useful resource is Pinterest Trends at trends.pinterest.com. This will allow you to see what people are searching for. Watch for rising trends that might give you a head start.
Another important TIP: Make sure to star the product in the recipe. An example would be the Plugra Butter Contest I won. I made a recipe using LOTS of butter!
Prize Winning Contester, Veronica Callaghan says:
“I also think it can be helpful to use a currently trending ingredient or cuisine type.”
5. Know the Rules: Recipe Copyright
Here’s what you need to know: the ingredients list in a recipe isn’t protected by copyright law. However, the directions are protected.
If you’re inspired by an existing recipe, make sure you change at least three significant ingredients (not just the salt or changing vegetable oil to olive oil) and rewrite the directions/process in your own words. This ensures that your recipe is original and avoids any legal issues.
It’s always best to bring your own voice and creativity to every recipe. Even if you’re following the copyright rules, it’s always good practice to credit inspiration if you’re building off someone else’s recipe, especially if it’s well-known or from a published source.
Judges are experienced and may recognize recipe plagiarism, so it’s always worth the effort to make it truly your own.
6. Recipe Writing Basics: Grammar, Formatting, and Clarity
No matter how great your recipe tastes, it needs to be written so others can make it too. It’s one thing to create a winning dish, but if the directions are confusing or the grammar is sloppy, judges and home cooks might struggle to follow along.
Some of the most common mistakes I see in recipes are simple grammar slip-ups like missing punctuation, incomplete sentences, or directions that leave out important steps. Make sure each sentence is clear and complete.
Another thing to remember is the order of ingredients. Always list ingredients in the exact order they are used in the instructions. For example, if the directions say to “butter the bread,” the ingredient list should have the butter listed before the bread. This helps the cook follow the recipe more easily without backtracking.
When naming ingredients, keep trademarks in mind. Unless the contest specifies otherwise, it’s usually best to avoid using trademarked product names in your ingredient list. For example, if your recipe uses Old Bay® Seasoning, you could write it as Bay Style Seasoning. Or, if it uses Ocean Spray® Orange Craisins® , you might list the ingredient as Orange Flavored Dried Cranberries. This keeps your recipe clear and avoids any potential copyright or trademark issues.
I learned to write recipes through a lot of trial and error, and by reading a ton of cookbooks. The best training ground? Modern, hardback cookbooks published by the big national publishing houses. These books are usually edited and tested thoroughly, so you can trust that their recipe writing style is clean, clear, and easy to follow.
If you want to learn how to write a recipe wrong, read the community cookbooks. No offense, Grandma! Those are often full of vintage family favorites but can be inconsistent and sometimes downright confusing.
There are also some great books out there that teach recipe writing. One of my favorites is Recipes into Type: A Handbook for Cookbook Writers and Editors by Joan Whitman and Dolores Simon.
7. Naming The Recipe
Naming your recipe can be just as important as the ingredients you choose. It's the very first thing the judges see.
I’ll never forget the worst name I ever gave a recipe. It was for a Canadian Maple Syrup contest back in 2013. Here goes... Banana Sticky Rice with Sesame Wet Nuts on Mango Maple Coulis. (No really, I don't want to talk about it, Hah!)
It’s always a good idea to review the names of winning recipes from past contests if available. A good name can draw in judges, hint at your recipe’s story, or show off your creativity.
Seasoned cooking competition winner Pat Harmon says that she has always loved naming her dish using descriptive titles.
"Sometimes I used puns on words to help get it recognized. For example, I once called my dish The Best Wurst Chicken Caliente Sandwich which won me the Grand Prize in the Heinz Tailgate Recipe Contest!" -Pat Harmon
8. Photography & Videography Tips for Cooking Contests
Props and Presentation: How to Make Your Entry Shine
Lisa, my friend and Author at Good Grief Cook, shares this advice:
“The best advice these days is to keep up with the times as so much of it involves a bit of technology. Not only must one develop a tasty recipe that highlights a product in an innovative way but one might need to learn photography to take a mouth watering photo or video or do some creative writing for an IG caption.”
She’s absolutely right. No matter how delicious your recipe tastes, it needs to look appetizing too, especially when you’re submitting photos or videos to a contest. Remember, we eat with our eyes first.
Start with the basics of food photography. Natural lighting works wonders. I mean turn the lights off in the kitchen and place the dish near a window. This means bright natural light, but not direct sunlight. I've taken stunning pictures outside, on an overcast day.
Use a simple background that lets your food stand out, and avoid clutter or distracting props. If the RULES state that a product should be shown in the photo, then be sure to include that, otherwise, don't.
When it comes to videography, keep it short and focused. If you can edit to show the final result at the beginning, this will help the viewer understand where you are going with the video. Keep the camera steady and the sound clear.
If you’re looking to improve your skills, there are plenty of free resources online. YouTube is full of tutorials on food photography, videography, and even editing. Take some time to watch a few and practice.
While I did learn videography on professional equipment, I now do all of my photography and videography with my iPhone. I started doing food photos back in 2014 when I had the iPhone6 Pro Max and those images were fantastic. So you don't even need the newer released phones to produce some great pictures.
If you feel especially weak in this area, don’t be afraid to recruit a younger, tech-savvy helper. Just remember that the contest rules usually require that the work be your own, so be sure to guide the process and make all the creative decisions yourself.
9. Testing, Testing, 123: Perfect Your Recipe Before Submitting
When you’re preparing to enter a cooking contest, it’s all about putting your best recipe forward. Only submit dishes that you’d be proud to serve to a panel of judges, making sure each one is carefully tested and refined. If there are multiple categories, it’s perfectly fine to enter one recipe in each category, but make sure each entry is truly your best effort. This means you may need to pick and choose among your ideas.
If you’re entering a live cook-off, where you’ll be preparing your dish on-site, practice is key. Cook your recipe several times at home until you know it like the back of your hand. Memorize the steps so you can focus on presentation and timing instead of scrambling to remember the next step.
Keep in mind that if the sponsor is supplying the ingredients at the event, they might not be identical to the ones you’ve been using at home. Small differences can throw off even a seasoned cook, so be ready to make quick adjustments as needed.
One of my favorite testing tricks is to ask a family member to make the recipe using the written instructions. Watch carefully and don’t say anything. See if they get stuck or confused from just following the recipe. This helps you catch unclear directions or missing steps before you put the finishing touches on your final entry.
10. Making Friends in the Contest World: It’s About Recipes, Not Rivalries
One of the best parts of cooking contests and cook-offs is that they’re not just about winning. They’re also about making friends and building connections in the food world. When you go to your first cook-off, it’s easy to feel like everyone else is your competition or you go into it sports-minded. But before long, you’ll realize that these other contestants, are actually your people.
You’ll meet friends who share your love of cooking, and those connections often go far beyond recipes and cooking techniques.
If you’re getting ready for a cook-off, try to connect online with a few of the other contestants ahead of time. Look for people who have already participated in the event because they can give you the inside scoop from a competitor’s point of view. In real life, it's not like Cutthroat Kitchen. Most people are friendly and supportive.
Reaching out before the event can help break the ice and make the whole experience more fun. I’ve been lucky enough to meet friends from all over the country at these events, and those friendships have become some of the best parts of competing.
11.Winning and Losing Etiquette in Cooking Contests
If you win, Yay congrats! It’s always a good idea to send a thank-you note or email to the contest host. Let them know how honored you are to have won their contest.
If you lose, be sure to congratulate the winner. Try not to pout until you get back to your hotel room.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve fallen short on this once or twice, especially in the beginning (shh, don’t tell anyone!). Sometimes it’s hard not to wonder where you went wrong.
You might be tempted to ask for the scorecard or corner a judge to find out how you can improve. Honestly, though, my best advice? Don’t overthink it. Most of the time, the other dish just tasted better that day, or it fit the sponsors’ criteria and matched up a little more closely to what they had in mind. It’s really that simple.
12. Cooking Contests Resources: Where to Look
- Search for Facebook Groups and Pages on the topic of cooking contests.
- Google Searches: Just type in "Cooking Contest" "2025" or "Recipe Contest" and the current year.
- Subscription Site: This is the website I joined at first all those years ago. It's just $25 a year Cooking Contest Central. Other websites such as Calling All Contestants has an active list of contests as well.
My Cooking Contest Wins
- National Festival of Breads - Honorable Mention (2025: Best Pastry Award, 2023, 2021, 2019)
- Barns & Noble Cookie Bake-Off, Finalist, 2015
- Sargento Cheese Contest, Finalist, 2014
- Ultimate Crock-Pot All-Star, 1st Place, 2013
- Bob’s Red Mill Spar For The Spurtle, Finalist, 2012
- Marx Foods Beans For Breakfast, Grand Prize, 2012
- Best of the West Holiday Cookie Contest, 2nd Place, 2012
- Contest Judge: National Pie Championships, Florida, 2011
- Gnarly Head Rippin’ Ribs Contest, 3rd Place, 2011
- Wolfgang Puck’s Red Carpet Recipe Contest, Grand Prize, 2010
- Gorton’s Grilled Recipe Renovation Contest, Finalist, 2010
- Muir Glen Exceptional Tomato Recipe Contest, Grand Prize, 2010
- Avocados From Mexico, Finalist, 2010
- William’s Chili, Grand Prize, 2009
- Suddenly Salad Create A Stir, Finalist, 2009
- Hungry Jack Use Up The Box, Finalist, 2008
- Ball Freezer Jam Recipe Contest, 2nd Place, 2007
- First Annual Plugra Magnifique Contest, Grand Prize, 2007
- National Cornbread Cook-Off, 2nd Place, 2007
- Show Us Your Hungry Jack Family, Finalist, 2006
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