As the 58th Annual World Championship Chili Cook-Off (WCCC) approaches, the International Chili Society (ICS) is rolling out several exciting rule changes aimed at improving competition fairness, streamlining event organization, and enhancing the overall competitor experience. These updates will go into effect immediately for the 2024-25 chili cooking season, culminating in the WCCC on October 16-19 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A few of the key rule changes to be aware of include:

1. Youth Division Age Adjustment

To maintain consistency across all divisions, competitors who turn 18 before the WCCC will now be required to compete in the adult division rather than the Youth Division. Recognizing that this may impact some competitors, ICS is encouraging sanctioned events to allow 17-year-old competitors to cook alongside adults if they choose. This will help these young chili cooks gain valuable experience before making the full transition to adult competition.

2. “Vegetarian Chili” Becomes the Official Category Name

The Veggie Chili category has been officially renamed to “Vegetarian Chili” to better reflect its criteria and align with industry terminology. The rules for this category remain unchanged—chili submissions must be meat-free while still delivering bold and competitive flavors.

3. Pre-treatment of Meats and Ingredients is Allowed

Competitors will again be permitted to pre-treat, season or marinate meats and other ingredients before arriving at the WCCC; in addition to the permission granted for pre-cutting of meats as well. This change is designed to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance the cooking experience, allowing competitors to focus more on execution and flavor development during the timed competition.

4. Cook Times Clearly Established

While the exact starting and ending of each cooking period will remain with each local sponsoring organization, the following length of periods should be administered. The cooking period shall be a minimum of 3 hours/maximum of 4 hours with exception of Vegetarian. Vegetarian cook period can be a minimum of 2.5 hours/maximum of 3.5 hours.

5. Lower Entry Threshold for Official Qualifiers

Previously, sanctioned ICS events required a minimum of 10 competitors in a category to serve as an official WCCC qualifying event. That number has now been reduced to 7 cooks, allowing more cook-offs across the country to become qualifiers and ensuring that talented chili cooks from all regions have a chance to compete at the world’s biggest chili competition.

These rule updates are part of ICS’s ongoing commitment to elevating the competition, increasing accessibility, and improving the experience for both new and returning competitors. For the full list of competition rules and details, visit www.chilicookoff.com and find the updated version under the About/Official Rules tab. Based on numerous questions, we have also added some helpful suggestions for new cooks related to needed supplies as they prepare for competition; this list can be found at the end of the updated rules posting.

Finally… mark your calendars—the 58th Annual WCCC is set to be the most exciting yet! Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare to bring the heat to Indianapolis this October!