How much does the Nathan Hot Dog contest winner make?

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is the biggest competitive eating event of the year. How much money does the winner take home?

Thanks to their victories at the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi are household names.

But does that mean competitive eats make good money when they compete in the biggest event of the year?

Just how much does the 4th of July standard payout to the winners?

How much does the Nathan Hot Dog contest winner make?

The purse for the 2022 contest has not been revealed but it should be at least as much as it was  in 2021, which was a total of $40,000.

For winning the event on the men’s and women’s side respectively, Chestnut and Michelle Lesco took home $10,000 each. Both second-place finishers got $5,000, third place took $2,500, fourth place picked up $1,500 and fifth place landed $1,000 each.

Chestnut set a new world record by downing 76 hot dogs and buns during last year’s contest. Lesco finished 30.75 for her first Nathan’s victory, though she got down 32 in 2017 when finishing in second.

Coney Island will once again play host to the iconic event at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs. Chestnut is heavily favored to win his 15th championship while Miki Sudo is the favorite on the women’s side after returning from a year’s absence due to pregnancy.

The money both Chestnut and Sudo have made in the competition is definitely nothing to scoff at, though it’s not exactly life-changing for what they put their bodies through.