Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest rules
2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest event rules
Participant eligibility:
- Must be an Iowa resident, ages 18+.
- For the youth competition, contestants must be ages 13-17 by August 12, 2025.
- Farm Bureau membership is not required to compete.
- Farm Bureau or affiliated company employees are not eligible to compete.
- Past Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest champions are not eligible to compete.
How to enter:
- Contestants who compete at a county Farm Bureau Cookout Contest and are named Grand Champion will receive an automatic bid to the Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest held at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, August 12. You do not have to compete in the county where you reside.
- Because not every county Farm Bureau hosts a local Cookout Contest, those interested in competing in the Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest at the Iowa State Fair may sign up online for a chance to backfill remaining competition slots not filled by county Cookout Contest Grand Champions.
- Online registrants are encouraged to identify all categories they would be willing to compete in.
- Youth do not have to qualify at a contest and may simply sign up online to compete.
- Contestants will be notified of their selection by June 24 and must confirm participation by July 8. If no confirmation is received, another round of notifications to new participants will go out July 8 and must be confirmed by July 22.
State Cookout Contest entry categories:
- Pork
- Beef
- Poultry
- Turkey
- Lamb
- Youth
- Showmanship
- Showmanship will be limited to 12 participants who will be selected via a lottery system. Showmanship includes a high-quality presentation of the food including a side dish, place-setting, fun props and contestant enthusiasm and knowledge.
Event timeline:
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 event timeline
1 a.m. – Contestants are allowed to enter the state fairgrounds and begin set up.
7 a.m. – All contestants MUST be set up on the Grand Concourse. Event entry gates close at this time, and you may have difficultly getting to the Grand Concourse if you come later.
8 a.m. – Registration opens.
9 a.m. – Judging begins.
11 a.m. – Judging ends and scores are tabulated.
11:15 a.m. – Grand Championship judges will be finalizing scores, and an announcement will be made that you can begin cleaning up and/or handing out the remaining food samples you may have.
12 p.m. – Winners are announced.
12:30 p.m. – Contestants will pack up the remainder of their items and WAIT to be dismissed by event staff to retrieve vehicles and/or trailers. This is due to heavy congestion on the Grand Concourse and fair goer safety. We appreciate your patience while we do this.
Contest guidelines:
- Contestants who were named Grand Champion at a county Farm Bureau Cookout Contest must compete at the Iowa State Fair Cookout Contest with the same recipe/meat that won the local county contest.
- Both county Cookout Contest Grand Champions and selected online contestants must submit a recipe for the state competition for judging purposes. This will help event organizers assign your turn-in times for judging.
- At the state event, each competitor will be provided a 12x12 space and is responsible for supplying everything they need for the contest, excluding power, which will be available upon request (however, you MUST bring your own extension cord).
- Delivery and loading/unloading of all equipment is the responsibility of the contestant.
- NEW! Due to past contestant feedback, in 2025, we will be assigning judging timeslots. What makes our contest different than others is a judge will visit your tent to interact with you and learn more about your passion for backyard cooking. Prior to the Cookout Contest, we will provide you with your judging time, which will fall between 9-11 a.m.
- Meat dishes MUST be cooked on-site. Pre-preparation in the form of marinades or mixing your own blend of spices prior to arriving at the contest is permitted. Meat dishes that are already fully cooked before arrival and simply warmed will be disqualified.
- The Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest is a family-friendly event that allows backyard chefs to win cash prizes and bragging rights. We pride our contest on the comradery and respectfulness shown amongst competitors. Those who exhibit foul language, rude behavior toward event organizers and/or judges or disorderly conduct will be disqualified and barred from future competitions.
Frequently asked questions:
Do I need to pay to enter the Iowa State Fairgrounds?
Iowa Farm Bureau will provide contestants with two Iowa State Fair tickets and one parking pass. Additional tickets for family members/friends are at your expense.
What time can I arrive on the Grand Concourse?
You may arrive at 1 a.m. to set up and begin cooking. If you arrive earlier than 1 a.m., you will not be granted access to the fairgrounds. Contestants MUST be in place with all vehicles off the Grand Concourse by 7 a.m.
What gate do I need to use?
Contestants will be mailed via USPS a parking permit that allows access through Gate 8 on Dean Avenue between 1-7 a.m. You will also be provided with a permit to park outside Gate 13 in the northwest corner of the fairgrounds after you have unloaded your cooking equipment and supplies.
How large of a space do I have to cook in?
Each contestant is given a 12 x 12 space. All items for the competition, including tents, cooking equipment, tables, etc. must fit within this space.
What type of dish is acceptable to prepare?
Contestants may only participate in their single, pre-assigned meat category. In terms of acceptable dishes, past contestants have done everything from smoke a whole turkey or rack of pork ribs to making bacon wrapped meatballs or a turkey taco.
This is not a Kansas City BBQ Sanctioned event. Instead, the Farm Bureau Cookout Contest takes into consideration participant creativity in honoring the diversity of real meat raised right here in Iowa. Half of the scorecard awards points on flavor and cooking execution. While the remaining half is on product knowledge, appearance and originality. View the scorecard here to consider how your dish may measure up.
If I’m not cooking in the pork category, can I still use bacon in my preparation?
Contestants are allowed to wrap bacon around their items, however mixing two different meats is not allowed. For example, you may do a bacon-wrapped chicken breast, but you may not mix bacon into a beef burger. They must be able to be distinguishable from one another.
What do I need to bring, and what is provided by Farm Bureau?
Contestants are responsible for 100% of what they need, including a tent, folding tables, chairs, your grill/smoker, meat and ingredients, cooking tools, serving trays or plates, silverware, toothpicks, napkins, paper towels, etc. For those who need electricity, Iowa Farm Bureau will provide it (however, contestants MUST bring their own extension cord).
What is Showmanship? How can I compete?
Showmanship reflects personal flair, plating, place settings, decorations, contestant knowledge and includes a side dish. This category is an add-on to individual meat categories. Contestants who win their county Cookout Contest or sign up online to backfill competition slots must indicate if they would like to compete in Showmanship. Because of the high demand to compete in this category with limited judging time, 12 contestants (2 per entry category) will be selected via a lottery system and notified of their eligibility. View the showmanship scorecard here.
How many samples do I need to prepare for judging?
You will need to have two samples for your category judges. If you advance to the Championship round, you will need an additional two samples. This means you should plan for at least four samples.
If you are selected to compete in the Showmanship category, you will need an additional two samples, bringing your total to six samples.
Am I expected to give fairgoers samples as they visit the event?
No, this is not an expectation of the competition. You are welcome to serve samples if you have extra food; however, don’t forget to hold a portion back in the event the Grand Champion judge circles back to your tent.
Can I sell my own sauces and/or seasonings from my booth?
No. There are strict rules on the fairgrounds about sales. You may tell fairgoers about your business and products, but transactions are strictly prohibited.