A day of perfect scores
45
perfect 180s
45 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ · Baked Beans
- CASUAL SMOKERS · Baked Beans
- Squirrels2bbq · Baked Beans
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides 2026
Sep 30 – Oct 3, 2026 · Kansas City, KS · 📍 1899 American Royal Way
Reps: Dave Rogers, David Dyche, Eugene Wickham, Forrest Bruce, Jo Dyche, John Scharffbillig, Larry Hadley, Larry Voth, Lynda Voth, Peg Rogers, Sarah Wickham · Prize money: $7,125
The American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides 2026 is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned barbecue contest held on September 30, 2026 in Kansas City, KS at 1899 American Royal Way. This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition came before it.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
Entries
176
4 side categories, no meats
Top score
180
Winning margin
Tie
identical totals — KCBS tiebreaker
Field average
168.79
Baked Beans · median 169.67 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
45 🔥
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (Baked Beans), CASUAL SMOKERS (Baked Beans), Squirrels2bbq (Baked Beans) + 42 more
Tightest race
Ancillary — Dessert
0 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
177.7028
10th place in Baked Beans
Field spread
32.6284
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,125
on the line
Double threats
1
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
Storylines (1 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per category)
Score distribution
This contest over the years full contest page →
No edition of this contest has results on file yet, so there is nothing to compare across the years: these are the dates it has run.
| Date | Where | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2022 | Kansas City, KS | Kansas City, KS 6611 |
| Sep 27, 2023 | Kansas City, KS | Kansas City, KS 66111 |
| Oct 30, 2024 | Kansas City, KS | Kansas Speedway |
| Nov 5, 2025 | Kansas City, KS | Kansas Speedway |
| Sep 30, 2026 ← this one | Kansas City, KS | 1899 American Royal Way |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baked Beans | 180 | 178.8572 | 177.7028 |
| Dessert | 180 | 180 | 180 |
| Potatoes | 180 | 178.2972 | 176.5600 |
| Vegetable | 180 | 178.8572 | 177.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Ancillary categories
This contest judged side dishes only — no meats and no overall — so these boards are the contest, and the figures and charts above are read off them.
Ancillary — Baked Beans
176 entries · top 180 · median 169.6742 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Dessert
159 entries · top 180 · median 176.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Potatoes
151 entries · top 180 · median 167.9772 · 🔥 perfect 180
Ancillary — Vegetable
146 entries · top 180 · median 170 · 🔥 perfect 180