2021 SAFETY PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES
Judges are selected on a first come – first serve basis.
Judging is complimentary, but a small donation of $20 is appreciated and goes back to support the American Royal mission.
Signing up for both a table captain and a judge is not recommended. Those who sign up as both will be placed as either a table captain or judge at the discretion of the American Royal based on need. Signing up for both table captain and judge does not increase your chances of being selected or guarantee a seat.
OPEN MEATS JUDGING APPLICATION
Judges will be tasting both divisions of the competition (hamburger and steak).
Judges may not judge Open Sides and Kids Que due to timing. If a judge signs up for both, they will be placed at one of the events based on the American Royal's discretion.
The process to become an Invitational Judge is as follows:
Invitational judges from the year prior (2019) are given first right of refusal to sign up to judge. If additional judging spaces become available, Open judges that have signed up will be selected at random* and asked to judge the Invitational. Invitational judges from 2019 will receive an email with an invitation to apply in May. If you believe you should be receiving an invite and have not received the email by the end of May, please contact [email protected] with your name and a copy of your signed KCBS invitational judging papers from 2019.
All Invitational judges must be a Certified Barbecue Judge in good standing at the time of the event. Each judge and table captain will be verified with KCBS to confirm good standing.
If you are not a current CBJ or not in good standing, please take the CBJ courses offered by the American Royal in May or in September at the event.
All barbecue judging is complementary, but a small donation of $20 is appreciated and goes back to support the American Royal mission.
*Random judges selected are only those who are current Certified Barbecue Judges in good standing.
The Rub Contest judging will occur on Sunday, May 2, 2021 and the Sauce Contest judging will take place on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
Sauce and Rub Judging applications are now closed.
The American Royal and KCBS will be hosting a Certified Barbecue Judging Class and a Table Captain Class in September, the week of the World Series of Barbecue. BBQ Judging Classes to take place in the infield of the World Series of Barbecue at the Kansas Speedway.
In order to participate, you must be a current KCBS member. Please sign up here prior to signing up for the class: https://www.kcbs.us/
Certified Barbecue Judge Class
Thursday, September 16, 2021
10:00am – 2:00pm (estimated)
Certified Table Captain Class
Thursday, September 16, 2021
3:30pm – 5:00pm