2026 Maine Potato Blossom Festival
International Tater Tot Eating Competition Rules
Sponsored by VFW Post 6187 & Penobscot McCrum LLC
There are a limited number of entrants in each category of competition (Men's Division, Women's Division and Youth Division). Registrations will be taken on a first come basis and must be accompanied by the $5 entry fee and completed liability waiver before participation is confirmed. Cash or payment via free, non-profit online payment via Zeffy.com.
Deadline for pre-registration is Friday, July 17, 2026, at 10pm. Registration forms and liability waivers need to be completed in full online. If there are any remaining spaces, competitors may be able to sign up on the day of the event at the event location prior to the start of competition.
The competition will be held at 4:00pm on July 18, 2026 across from the Maine Potato Blossom Festival Food Court (in case of inclement weather, the event will be moved inside the VFW).
Competitors in the Men's and Women's Divisions must be at least 18 years old and sign a waiver of liability. Competitors in the Youth Division must be at least 12 years old and their parent or guardian must sign a waiver of liability.
Competitors will be competing against all other registrants in their division. Depending on the number of participants, the competition may be broken down into heats. All adult competitors will be given a plate of cooked & salted/seasoned tater tots. Each portion will weigh exactly 2 pounds prior to cooking and contain approximately 100-110 tater tots. (All portions will be equal in weight). All youth competitors will be given a plate that weighs one pound prior to cooking and contain approximately 50-55 tater tots. The tots will be cooled down. A small bottle of water for drinking will be provided. No dunking of tots is allowed, nor may water be poured onto the tots.
The first person to finish completely swallowing their full plate of tots in the shortest amount of elapsed time will be crowned the champion. Any residual tots (large pieces, excessive crumbs, etc.) must be eaten and it will be at the sole discretion of the judges when a competitor has completely finished their plate (tots that fall on the ground must be eaten).
A competitor is required to place both hands on the table (palm down) and open their mouth to signal they have finished eating. The time will stop ONLY when BOTH of these actions have occurred. Judges have ultimate discretion to determine the winner of the competition and their decisions are FINAL.
The competition time will be limited to 5 minutes or when the 1st plate has been judged to be clean. If no plate is cleaned within the 5 minutes, competitors will be asked to swallow the tots in their mouths and their plate will be weighed to determine the amount consumed. The competitor with the most weight consumed will be declared the winner.
Competitors are required to keep the contents of their stomachs internally for a minimum of 5 minutes. If a competitor gets sick after the competition, and before the 5 minute ‘settling period’, it will result in disqualification.
