You won't find a more American pop culture tradition on the Fourth of July than the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. For nearly two decades now, viewers spend the early afternoon on July 4 with their eyes on Coney Island, looking for Joey Chestnut to assert another level of dominance in the men's division, for Miki Sudo to continue dominating the women's division. They have always lived up to the billing and, of course, taken home the prize money for their efforts.
Over recent years, and especially with streaming options now available, we've seen the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest become even more popular. Having the GOATs in Chestnut and Sudo dominate has certainly helped that cause. But one also has to wonder how the popularity of the event and competitive eating has also affected the payouts.
Let's take a look not only at the prize money that's on the line at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, but what else the winners get for dominating the competition.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest payouts: Prize money for winners and more
The winners of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in both the men's and women's division receiver $10,000 for their victory out of a $50,000 total prize pool. Here's how the rest of the payouts break down for the runners-up and the other top finishers in the Coney Island contest.
Finishing Position | Prize Money (Men's and Women's) |
|---|---|
Winner | $10,000 |
Runner-Up | $5,000 |
Third Place | $2,500 |
Though the winners obviously get the spotlight in each contest — which has often been a prize reserved for Chestnut and Sudo over recent years — the second and third-place finishers still walk away with more than just a full belly as they get a nice little chunk of change for their efforts in the contest and being on the proverbial podium as a finisher.
What else do Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest winners get?
Beyond just the prize money, the winners will also receive the championship belt. In the men's division of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, that means the famous bejeweled Mustard Belt. In the women's division, they have a pink belt that is also bejeweled. Both winners also receive a massive trophy for their efforts.
Other prizes vary depending on the year and any special sponsorship deals that could be at play. There have been actual sponsorship deals on the line, travel packages, and other things available to the winners in regard to what the winners receive. However, the belt is clearly the top prize that everyone is after, in addition to, of course, the money.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest didn't offer prize money until relatively recently
One thing that's interesting, however, is that the prize money for winning the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, much less for the runners-up and the third-place finishers, wasn't always a thing. In fact, it wasn't until 2007 that we saw payouts actually offered to the winners of the contest, meaning that prize money has only been available for less than 20 years in the contest.
Incidentally, that has worked out quite well for Chestnut, whose first victory came in 2007 and has won every contest since except for two, losing to Matt Stonie in an upset in 2015 and then not competing in 2024.