Application Process
Judges application MUST be filled out online – no email or phone entries will be accepted. You may judge more than one contest. Only one form needs to be completed to judge for the World Series of Barbecue. You will be asked on the form which contest(s) you are applying to participate in. Select all that you are interested in judging.
Judges who have applied for the 2020 World Series of Barbecue will be notified no later than end of July if they have a confirmed seat and/or are on the waiting list.
Notes about Judging
- Judges are encouraged to sign up to judge more than one event (with the exception of Open Sides and Kids Que due to timing).
- Filling out an application does not guarantee you a spot judging or as a table captain.
- Please only fill out one application per person
- Please DO NOT share an email address with another judge. It is requested that each judge has their own email address.
- Questions? Email the BBQ Team [email protected].
OPEN MEAT JUDGING
Open Meats judging will occur on Sunday, September 20, 2020.
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 SIDE JUDGING
Open sides judging will occur on Saturday, September 19, 2020.
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.
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.
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.
KIDS QUE JUDGING
Kids Que Judging will occur on Saturday, September 19, 2020.
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.
INVITATIONAL JUDGING
Invitational Judging will occur on Saturday, September 19, 2020
The process to become an Invitational Judge is as follows:Invitational judges from the year prior (2018) 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.
SAUCE & RUB JUDGING
The American Royal has postponed the judging dates for the 2020 Sauce and Rub contests. The new dates have not yet been determined, but we are still taking judging applications.
If you are interested in judging the BBQ Sauce and/or BBQ Rub Contest, please apply online via the links below. You must apply per contest if interested.
BBQ JUDGING CLASS
The American Royal will host a KCBS Certified Barbecue Judging class and Table Captain class on Thursday, September 17, 2020. Classes will be provided by KCBS. All class participants must be KCBS members prior to taking the course. For more information or to register, please visit
All American Royal invitational judges must be certified KCBS judges. These classes will provide you the opportunity to learn about how to judge competition barbecue and further your education in barbecue.
Barbecue teams: want to learn exactly how your competition protein is judged and help your overall score? Come take the CBJ class on Thursday before the competition begins on Saturday!