Team of the Year Points
KCBS Team of the Year Program Overview
The Kansas City Barbeque Society Team of the Year program is a year-long points chase between November 1st through October 31 to determine a world champion among top barbeque pitmasters. KCBS-member KCBS-members cook teams in good standing earn points for every KCBS-sanctioned barbeque contest in which they compete. Points are earned based on how the team ranks in Chicken, Ribs, Pork and Brisket as well as Overall finish. Extra points are given based on the size of the contest. Points for the five categories accumulate throughout the entire barbeque season; a cook team’s highest scores at ten contests count for the total points. Team of the Year prizes are awarded at the KCBS Annual Banquet with prize money, trophies and significant exposure going to the top teams. To be eligible for Team of the Year points and awards, you must be a current KCBS member in good standing.
Master Series: Master Series teams across the U.S. and globally can win in each of the four main meat categories plus overall; leading to one KCBS-member barbeque cook team being crowned the KCBS Team of the Year World Champion. In the Master Series Team of the Year program, a cook team’s highest 10 scores count within each meat category and overall.
For Master Series teams who don’t cook as many contests throughout the Team of the Year season, KCBS also provides Team of the Year recognition to the top team who cook a smaller number of contests. Awards are based on Overall score of those competing in 5 or fewer contests, 6-10, 11-15, and 16-20 contests.
International Regions: The KCBS Team of the Year awards program also recognizes the top cook teams internationally among Canadian, European, and Australian divisions. Canadian and European teams keep their top 5 highest scores and Australian cook teams keep their top 3 highest scores.
Backyard Series:
Backyard Series: Based on the growth and excitement among Backyard barbeque cook teams, the Kansas City Barbeque Society developed a Backyard Series Team of the Year program that launched in 2020. KCBS-Member Backyard Series teams can be crowned KCBS Backyard Team of the Year in the Chicken, Pork Ribs and Overall categories. A KCBS Backyard team’s top highest 5 scores in Chicken, Ribs and Overall count for Team of the Year points.
Team of the Year Point System:
Every team in good standing at a KCBS-sanctioned contest will receive points, even the last place team. If your KCBS membership lapses or you are not a current KCBS member when you compete, the points will not be added to your profile. Additionally, every team participating in a contest will be awarded bonus points based on the number of teams at an event, up to a maximum of 35. There are no double and triple points, only the bonus points based on the number of teams competing at each event. While teams will still be rewarded for doing well in large contests, this system helps to bridge the gap between smaller and larger events, rewarding teams for their consistency on the competition circuit regardless of event size.
In order to prevent a tie in the top position, the following procedures will be applied. Look to the eleventh contest cooked by the tied teams. This contest score will be factored in with the other ten contest scores. Should this not break the tie, continue with contest twelve and so on until the tie is broken. Should a team not have cooked more than ten contests; a zero will be input for the tie-breaking contest.
The following is a breakdown of the points awarded at each event. Take for example the third-place overall finisher at a 27-team event. The team will receive 200 points plus 27 bonus points based on the number of teams competing, for a total of 227 points.
| 1st---250 |
| 2nd---225 |
| 3rd---200 |
| 4th---175 |
| 5th---150 |
| 6th---140 |
| 7th---130 |
| 8th---120 |
| 9th---110 |
| 10th--100 |
| 11th--95 |
| 12th--90 |
| 13th--85 |
| 14th--80 |
| 15th--75 |
| 16th--70 |
| 17th--65 |
| 18th--60 |
| 19th--55 |
| 20th--50 |
| 21st--45 22nd--40 |
| 23rd--35 |
| 24th--30 |
| 25th and down---25 |