Judge applicants may use the following online form to apply for the Grand Am. Judges must have a current Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) membership and have taken the official KCBS Certified BBQ Judge (CBJ) course/refresher to sit at a table and score the meats presented, but non-CBJ volunteers are welcome to assist with other tasks. Judges are required to arrive no later than 9:30 am each day, at which time a chip draw will take place to assign tables and tasks, followed by the official Judges Meeting.

For the Saturday World Championship, judges with 30+ contests will be seated at tables and serve as table captains, in order to assure the highest quality experience for our championship teams. Table captains and volunteers from the Saturday contest get first opportunity to be seated for the Sunday Contest. ALL JUDGES ARE CRITICAL to pull off this World Championship event, so thank you for applying!

All judges are assigned to the Wait List until a minimum number of teams have signed up per contest. At that point, the Grand Am will contact judges in the order of application to confirm their participation. This may not happen until a few months or weeks before a contest, so we appreciate your patience. Please do not make lodging arrangements until you are confirmed to participate.

Lodging and Camping suggestions can be found here: Where to Stay. Besides local hotels and campgrounds, you may wish to look at Airbnb or VRBO options and share space with other judges. For RV rentals, consider www.RVShare.com. We may have a limited number of RV sites available at the Festival location, but teams get first priority.

gRAND aM Merch

Get your official Grand Am merchandise only available online.

BUY NOW

JUDGE APPLICATION

Up to (4) Judges may sign up on the application below. All Judges will be placed on the Wait List until sufficient Team numbers have been confirmed. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

Reminder: Upon submission of the judging application, you agree to be part of the entire event.

This includes (but is not limited to):

  • Judging (seated at a table and scoring the meats)

  • Being a Table Captain,

  • Working the Turn-In-Table, Number Changing area and/or Leftover area,

  • Assisting a solo team as a runner with their turn-in boxes

  • Acting as a BBQ / KCBS liaison for public attendees on Saturday and Sunday

  • Acting as a Table Captain for VIP Honorary Judges on Sunday

If you are unable to perform any of these duties, please state so when you apply. Judging assignments and table/seat selection will be made at day-of registration.

* REQUIRED FIELDS

Judge RV Request

Judges selected to participate in the Grand Am may park their RV at a lot immediately across the road from the Festival. These sites are limited and include 50/30/20 amp electric and water hookups. A dump station is located in the same lot. The price is $175 for Thursday arrival with Monday departure. Judges may be able to extend their stay with prior confirmation; contact The Grand Am for information.

Indicate your camper length and electric needs upon payment. A limited number of 50 amp receptacles are available, so bring a 30 amp adapter just in case.

JUDGE RV REQUEST