This year, dare dill-vils from across the land competed for a shot at gherkin glory in three heart pounding events

Preliminary heats took take place on Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20, culminating in championships on Sunday, July 21. The winning champion of each event relished their victory with $500 in grand prize money, a life-like pickle trophy, and—most importantly—a “royal” title fitting of their pickle prowess.

Congrats to our 2024 Champions!

Pickle Juice Drinking

Quench your thirst for brine in this test of speed and fermented fortitude. Whoever can chug a quart (32 fl oz.) of Pittsburgh Pickle Company’s Picklexir the fastest will be deemed the winner of their round and vie for the title of Duke of Drinking in the championship on Sunday.

Pickle Eating – New!

Only stomachs of steel will prevail in this new contest category! Whoever eats the most pickles by weight in five minutes (‘chipmunking’ is allowed) will win their round and earn a spot in the final, where the Earl of Eating, first of their name, will be crowned.

Bobbing for Pickles – New!

No hands are allowed in this pickled take on the peculiar party pastime. Whoever can retrieve the most pickles by weight in 90 seconds using only their mouth will win the round and face-off in the finals to become Picklesburgh’s first Baron of Bobbing!

General Contest Rules & Regulations

All contestants must be 18 years of age or older.
All contestants will initially be selected through the pre-registration process.
Contestants may complete only one registration form per event – duplicate entries in the same event will not be counted.
All contestants must complete a waiver of liability and publicity release on-site the day of the contest.
Contestants may only compete in one preliminary round of each game.
Contestants will receive an email confirming their assigned round time and further details.
Assigned competition slots are non-transferrable. If you can no longer participate, please let us know.
There will be preliminary rounds held each day of the event and a final championship round held on the final day of the event. The winners of each preliminary round will be required to return to the festival to compete in the championship round on Sunday, July 21.
Contestants must arrive at the assigned check-in area (included in their acceptance email) no later than 30 minutes prior to their assigned competition round or they forfeit their time slot.
Any forfeited/open slots will be randomly assigned to on-site walk-ups, which are open to any eligible adult.
The raffle for any open/forfeited slots will occur 15 minutes prior to each round. Interested contestants must be present during the raffle to be eligible for that round. Raffle drawings and assignments are final and up to the judges’ discretion.
Contestants who lose their assigned or raffled round may enter the walk-up raffle to compete again, but they are not guaranteed any additional competition rounds.
Organizers reserve the right to assign, reserve, remove, and reschedule competition slots as well as cancel anyone’s individual participation in any round. These decisions are non-negotiable and final.
Any unsportsmanlike conduct is grounds for immediate disqualification and removal from the contest at the discretion of the contest judges.
The winner will be determined by judges appointed by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
The judges’ decisions are final and non-contestable.
Rules, eligibility, times, and prizes are subject to change without notice at the discretion of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.