CompBBQUK Champion Series Freestyle

Our own Champion Series Freestyle contests is a contest format and structure that enable your creative juices to flourish. The contest uses a consistent set of rules in terms of contest processes and scoring, but gives teams competing a loose theme, ingredient or guidelines for them to produce their turn-ins.

The contest structure is loosely based around the more tradition low and slow style contests. but with much less prescriptiveness around what your entry must be. There are no turn-in boxes or specific types of turn-ins, the contest briefs are deliberately loose enough for you to interpret how you would like. The brief may be a specific type of product, such as a burger, but with the team able to interpret that how they like. It might be a theme like picnic or afternoon tea, or it may be a specific ingredient like cheese, or cow.

Each contest will have a number of rounds, usually 3 or 4, but it's entirely contest specific. Each round will have a brief, which as long as you meet it, anything goes. The brief may dictate how your turn-in needs to be submitted, or it may dictate the type if turn-in.

There are a standard set of rules, but these do not include rules around the type of turn-in. There is a standard scoring structure and judging process to ensure blind and fair judging, and the judging process is designed so that turn-ins are judged on how close they are to their potential and not judged against the other entrants.

Turn-Ins are scored against four categories.

Visual Appeal – How appetising does the entry look? How much does its visual appeal make you excited to eat it?

Flavour – How appealing are the flavours? Does the combination of flavours work together? Is there a good balance of flavours? Are the key elements identifiable and pleasing?

Mouth Feel – Does the entry feel pleasant in the mouth? Are the textures appropriate and pleasant? If there are combinations of textures, do they work together?

Creativity – How well has the brief been interpreted, how much imagination and skill has been used?