The BBQ Contest
The Tri City BBQ Fest’s BBQ Competition is officially sanction by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) and is known as one of the best BBQ competitions in the region. With free live concerts, cold drinks and activities for the kids, competitors at the Tri City BBQ Fest can battle for the title of Grand Champion by day and enjoy all the festivities later that night!
The Tri City BBQ Fest is the signature tourism event for Denison, Iowa, and is one of the premier food and musical festival in the region. Don’t miss out on all the excitement and get your team signed up to compete in the 2024 Tri City BBQ Fest!
Master Series
Rules
Are you a seasoned BBQ’er who wants to know what it takes to compete in a Master Series KCBS BBQ competition? Click here for the official KCBS Master Series rules.
Registration
Online – Registration Form
Mail-In – Registration Form
Prize Money
Master Series Competition
Grand Champion – $2,000
Reserve Champion – $1,500
Meat Categories
(Chicken, Ribs, Pork, Brisket)
1st Place – $600
2nd Place – $400
3rd Place – $325
4th Place – $225
5th Place – $170
6th – 10th – $100
Peoples Choice (Optional)
1st Place – $1,250
2nd Place – $750
3rd Place – $350
Best in the Metro
1st Place – $750
Backyard Series
Rules
New to the BBQ scene? For newer teams, there’s the Backyard Series competition. Click here for the official KCBS Backyard Series rules.
Registration
Online – Registration Form
Mail-In – Registration Form
Prize Money
Backyard Series Competition
Grand Champion – $400
Reserve Champion – $300
Meat Categories
(Chicken, Ribs)
1st Place – $600
2nd Place – $400
3rd Place – $325
4th Place – $225
5th Place – $170
Peoples Choice (Optional)
1st Place – $1,250
2nd Place – $750
3rd Place – $350
People’s Choice Competition: The People’s Choice is an optional competition and must be selected on the registration form in order for your team to compete. The meat will be handed out after the cook’s meeting on Friday. If you are not able to make it in time for the cook’s meeting, it is your responsibility to arrange pickup of the People’s Choice meat. We will have a volunteer going around and picking up the cooked product for the People’s Choice. We will have an area set up for the public to try all the different ribs and they will vote for the top 3. We will be paying the top 3 finishers. All Pro and Backyard Competitors are eligible to compete in People’s Choice ribs contest.
Best Metro Competition: We will take the total scores from each metro area and add them together and divide the number by the number of teams in that metro. This will be that metro’s average score. The highest average score is the winning metro. We will then identify the highest individual score within the winning metro and that team will represent the best Metro, taking home the Best Metro Trophy and Cash Prize of $750.
| Omaha Metro Area | Sioux City Metro Area | Des Moines Metro Area |
| Cass County, Nebraska | Woodbury County, Iowa | Polk County, Iowa |
| Douglas County, Nebraska | Plymouth County, Iowa | Dallas County, Iowa |
| Sarpy County, Nebraska | Dakota County, Nebraska | Warren County, Iowa |
| Saunders County, Nebraska | Union County, South Dakota | Madison County, Iowa |
| Washington County, Nebraska | Dixon County, Nebraska | Guthrie County, Iowa |
| Harrison County, Iowa | ||
| Mills County, Iowa | ||
| Pottawattamie County, Iowa |
The Tri City BBQ Fest strictly adheres to the official rules and regulations of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), which can be found on their website, www.kcbs.us. Contact the Chamber and Development Council of Crawford County for any further questions pertaining to this contest at 712-263-5621 or email us at info@cdcia.org.