Answers to the most common questions we hear from cookoff organizers.
There is a $75 sanctioning fee to place your contest on the CBA calendar. After the cookoff concludes, the fees break down as follows:
Promoters typically provide the event rep with hotel accommodations for Friday and Saturday nights. If the rep lives more than 30 miles away, you must also cover mileage at the current IRS rate (about $0.70/mile).
As an example, a 30-team cookoff with two jackpots and a rep traveling 90 miles one way would owe approximately $541 in post-event fees plus one night of hotel, in addition to the $75 calendar sanctioning fee that was paid up front.
CBA member cooks prioritize sanctioned contests so they can earn points in our season-long race. We also bring a proven electronic scoring platform that delivers accurate, transparent results and a high-energy awards ceremony that keeps teams engaged until the very end. In short, sanctioning with CBA boosts turnout, credibility, and the overall experience for your cooks.
Sanctioning guarantees your contest is run by professionals who enforce consistent rules, impartial judging, and standardized scoring. That consistency builds trust with teams, keeps the contest on schedule, and ensures every award you hand out carries weight with the cooks who earned it.
Please submit your sanctioning form at least 90 days before your event. That window gives us time to assign a qualified event rep, publish your contest on the calendar, and give cook teams enough notice to plan travel. If your venue or prize structure changes later, you can coordinate updates directly with your assigned rep.
The CBA event rep manages cooks meeting logistics, turn-in schedules, judging table setup, scoring, and official reporting. They also bring the judging system, badges, and turn-in containers. You provide volunteers to run trays, maintain the judging area, and help with clean-up.
Yes. CBA regularly works with first-time promoters and will walk you through each step so your inaugural contest runs smoothly. Your assigned event rep will help plan the timeline, review site logistics, and coach you on best practices well before turn-in day.
Yes. CBA requires at least 12 cook teams for an event to award points and full recognition. If you are close to that number, stay in touch with your rep—they can help strategize promotions and confirm headcounts so you meet the threshold well before turn-ins.
CBA follows standard turn-in times: noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. for the sanctioned meats. We can approve alternate schedules for special circumstances, but any change must be clearly communicated to all cook teams well in advance since they expect the traditional timetable.
Promoters supply tables, chairs, water, and utensils for judges along with any jackpot-specific tools (such as spoons). Use the Cook-off Supply Calculator to estimate exactly how many forks, knives, tables, chairs, and water bottles you should plan for based on team counts and jackpot entries.
Each jackpot category adds $30 to the rep fee plus the necessary judging supplies. Friday jackpots are unlimited, but we ask promoters to cap Saturday jackpots at two so the judging schedule stays on time. Be sure to estimate anticipated entries so we can staff enough judges and supplies.
The $75 sanctioning fee is paid when you submit your application. All other fees (team counts, jackpots, containers, mileage, and hotel reimbursement) are settled with the event rep at or immediately after the cookoff, once final numbers are known. Most promoters pay by check on-site, but your rep can coordinate alternate arrangements if needed.
