- 2019
Announcing the 53rd Annual ICS World Championship Chili Cook-off® will be held in Des Moines, Iowa at The District at Prairie Trail from September 6-8, 2019.
- 2018
A new ICS-sanctioned chili category is added – Veggie Chili!
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ICS retires the Salsa category.
- 2017
Carol Hancock retires her role as ICS President and CEO to Scott Toland.
- 2016
ICS celebrated its 50TH Anniversary!!!
- 2013
For the first time in ICS history, a competitor won the World Champion title two years in a row! Bob Plager won again against 131 other first place red chili competitors from around the country
- 2012
Bob Plager took home the title for RED and shocked everyone as the recipe called for PRUNES!
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First year of the Homestyle category at the World’s Championship. Tom Pardikes from Plymouth, Michigan took home the title of World Champion!
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The world mourns the passing of Carrol Shelby. We not only remember him for his contribution to the world of championship car racing, design in the automotive industry and the Carrol Shelby Childrens’ Foundation, but [to thousands of chiliheads] he will be remembered as the father of the International Chili Society.
- 2009
WCCC is held east of the Mississippi River for the first time in 43 years in Charleston, West Virginia
- 2004
Carol Shelby announced that due to his advancing age and health, Carol Hancock would become the new CEO and owner of the International Chili Society
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Willie Nelson and his family played two sold-out shows
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Filmed by The Food Network for the second time (Their first filming of the WCCC was in 2001)
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Arguably one of the largest World Championships With 343 cooks and the largest number of spectators to date
- 1999
First year of the Chili Verde category at the World’s Championship. Joe Barrett from Lake Arrowhead California took home the champion title!
- 1998
ICS Offices and operations were moved to Las Vegas, the new home of Shelby American and the Las Vegas Speedway
- 1996
Chef Paul Prudhomme attended the three-day Championship Cook-off leading a cooking demonstration Thursday evening, a gourmet dinner on Friday, and judging the "final" table on Sunday.
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Celebrated our 30th Anniversary!
- 1995
Santos Menchaca took the honors of the first World’s Salsa Champion
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The World Championship Chili Cook-off is now a three-day festival with over 100 participating vendors
- 1994
Good Morning America opened their show from the main stage
- 1993
The ICS made a trip across America with the Red Cross to raise money and to build awareness of the bill to make chili America’s official food
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An estimated 50,000 people attended the Championship this year
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The festival included food vendors, arts & crafts, microbreweries, and live music
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Reno, Nevada the "biggest little city in the world" became the location of The World's Championship Chili Cook-off- now a two-day festival for the first time!
- 1992
Chili Cook-offs have become major fundraisers around the world. ICS announced that an estimated fifty million dollars had been raised from sanctioned cook-offs
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Chiliheads around the world mourned the passing of ICS Co-Founder C.V. Wood, Jr.
- 1991
Carroll Shelby drove the pace car, Chrysler's Viper, at the Indy 500
- 1989
Dawn Dishwashing Soap staged a World's Championship Dishwashing Contest. First price was a $15,000 Dream Kitchen
- 1988
Hope and Monty Spuregon exchanged vows on the main stage in front of 20,000 people and on national television- the first marriage ever held at the World's Championship!
- 1987
Carroll Shelby termed the World Championship Chili Cook-off as an "Adult Woodstock"
- 1986
A tradition started at the 20th Annual World Championship as Tom Deemer and Bill Ray (former ICS Governors) led the crowd in "God Bless America" to officially start each cook-off
- 1985
63 judges tasted for one hour and fifteen minutes before declaring Carol Hancock as the World Champion. Her chili was named "Shotgun Willie Chili" after singer Willie Nelson, who was a friend of Hancock
- 1984
On February 2, Manuel J. Lujan, Jr., Congressman (R-NM) introduced a bill "House Joint Resolution 465" to provide for the designation of Chili as The Official Food of the United States of America
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A bill was introduced in the Texas legislature to designate chili as the official state dish
- 1980
Over 20,000 spectators and 60 contestants participated at each, including international cooks from England, Scandinavia, Canada, Mexico and Australia
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The annual World Championship Chili Cook-offs were held in highly notable places: Paramount Movie Ranch; the Hollywood Park Race Track; and then Universal Studios in beautiful Burbank, California
- 1978
ICS began offering formal memberships
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Cash prize awards for chili winners were established starting with $15,000 going to first prize, $5,000 to second, and $2,500 to third
- 1976
Up until this point the main prize was a trophy, however this year’s winner took home a Datsun Pickup, Larry Mahan cowboy boots, and a Rival crockpot
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Miss Chili Pepper, Shoot N' Hollar, Mr. Hot Sauce, and beer drinking contests began
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Entertainment and celebrities were now a trademark of the WCCC
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Woody and Shelby decided that the ICS and World Championship needed full-time management and Jim West is hired as Executive Director
- 1974
Allegani Jani Schofield, with her Hot Pants Chili, became the first female World Champion
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This was the last year the World Championship was held in Terlingua- the birthplace of the WCCC
- 1972
Sixth Annual World's Championship- we were now a tradition!
- 1970
Up to this point the competitors at the World Championship were men only. Janice Constantine of Midland, Texas became the first female competitor
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A statement of purpose, articles and by-laws were distributed for the new "INTERNATIONAL CHILI SOCIETY" (ICS), which sanctioned the 1970 cook-off
- 1969
Woody started what is now known as "showmanship" at all chili cook-offs and became part of the team that would contribute to the future of ICS (alongside Carroll Shelby)
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C.V. Wood, Jr. (also known as "Woody," the man who built Disneyland and who brought the London Bridge to Lake Havasu) competed and became the first ever winner!
- 1967
The competition was a shoot-out between Wick Fowler and H. Allen Smith, and was eventually determined a draw.
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The very first World Championship Chili Cook-off (WCCC) was pioneered in Terlingua, Texas by Carroll Shelby, Tom Tierney, H. Allen Smith, Wick Fowler, Dave Witts, Bill Neale, Frank X. Tolbert, Father Duffy, Ormly Gumfudgin, and Bill Doner... to name a few!
