5th & Maple | Thursday, September 18 | 6:00pm

Presented by the Historic Valley Junction Foundation and Iowa Pepper Co.

Signups close end of day, September 4 

Official Rules & Registration

• 1st Place: $100, trophy, swag bag, bragging rights
• 2nd Place: $50
• 3rd Place: $25
• All contestants will receive a free t-shirt

All contestants agree to take part in the competition under the following rules:

1. $100, $50, and $25 prizes are in the form of gift certificates valid at any Valley Junction business.
2. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and present a valid ID on competition day;
3. The first 12 contestants to fill out the application and sign the waiver will be admitted to the competition. Any applications received after the first 12 will be put on a waitlist in case of any cancellations;
4. The competition will consist of a series of rounds with participants able to withdraw at any stage either during a round or before the next one begins;
5. The peppers will begin at mild heat and will increase based on the Scoville Scale as rounds progress;
6. Each contestant will receive the pepper(s) for that round at the beginning of that round;
7. Each round contestants will have one minute to eat the entire pepper; flesh, seeds & membrane – only the stem may remain uneaten;
8. Contestants will have one minute to eat one pepper each round, and contestants will be allowed to finish any pepper remaining in their mouth when time is called.
9. The winner will be determined by being the last remaining contestant willing to continue in the competition unless there is a tie;
10. In the event of a tie, remaining contestants will be given an equal amount of ice cream, and the first one to finish all their ice cream will be declared the winner;
11. Contestants may not coat the inside of their mouth with any kind of protective coating and will be disqualified if caught doing so;
12. Each contestant will be given a bottle of milk to consume when desired, but drinking any liquid including the milk provided will result in automatic disqualification;
13. Any contestant that vomits at anytime before a winner is announced will be disqualified;
14. Each contestant recognizes that excess consumption of peppers can lead to and/or contribute to health issues;
15. The judge’s decision is final.