CAPS
Awards
If it has a cap, it can compete. A premium gold-ring awards platform built to recognize serious craft makers — hot sauce, salsa, barbecue sauce, honey, mustard, and spice — judged blind by a professional panel and celebrated live.
CAPS Honey
Awards
Show off your honey. We welcome pure liquid and naturally crystallized honey, honeycomb, chunk honey, creamed and whipped honey, flavored and infused honey, and hot honey.
8 Honey Categories
- 01Pure Honey: Liquid or Naturally Crystallized
- 02Creamed / Whipped Honey: Plain
- 03Comb Honey / Honeycomb
- 04Chunk Honey
- 05Flavored / Infused Honey: Non-Hot
- 06Creamed / Whipped Honey: Flavored, Non-Hot
- 07Hot Honey: Liquid
- 08Hot Honey: Creamed / Whipped
Send 2 full-size retail containers of each product, exactly as you sell them — no samples, minis, or tasting cups. All entries are subject to category review and are not complete until payment is received. Registration and shipping deadlines will be announced.
The Official CAPS Look
If It Has a Cap,
It Can Compete
Six divisions under one gold ring — the same professional blind judging, whether your craft comes in a bottle, a jar, or a shaker. Honey is open now; more divisions are on the way.
CAPS Hot Sauce Awards
Our founding division. Each sauce is placed into a heat-level category and is automatically eligible for applicable specialty and overall awards.
Get More Value From Your Entry
For sauce makers who want deeper insight, we offer an optional CAPS Awards Sauce Evaluation Report. This written report gives you feedback on what stood out, where your sauce was strongest, and where there may be room to improve. It's a great option for makers looking to refine their recipe, strengthen their brand, or better understand how their sauce performs in a judged setting.
- Best in Show
- Best Overall Flavor
- Best Heat Experience
- Best Label Design
- Best Mild
- Best Medium
- Best Hot
- Best Extra Hot
- Best Super Hot
- Best Verde Sauce
- Best Fermented Sauce
- Best Fruit-Based Sauce
- Best Jalapeño Sauce
- Best Habanero Sauce
- Best Cayenne Sauce
- Best Ghost Pepper Sauce
- Best Carolina Reaper Sauce
CAPS Salsa Awards
Salsas compete across five heat-level categories under the same professional blind judging.
Best Mild
Level IBest Medium
Level IIBest Hot
Level IIIBest Extra Hot
Level IVBest Super Hot
Level V
CAPS Barbecue Sauce Awards
Sweet, smoky, tangy, or fiery — barbecue sauces judged on flavor, balance, texture, and finish across the great regional styles.
Sweet & Smoky
Kansas City StyleTangy & Vinegar
Carolina StyleMustard-Based
Carolina GoldSpicy
Heat-ForwardWhite & Specialty
Alabama White & Beyond
CAPS Mustard Awards
From classic yellow to stone-ground and fiery blends — mustards judged on bite, balance, texture, and character.
Classic Yellow
Ballpark StyleDijon & Smooth
French StyleStone-Ground
Whole GrainSweet & Honey
Sweet-ForwardHot & Spicy
Heat-Forward
CAPS Spice Awards
Rubs, seasonings, and chile blends — judged on aroma, flavor, balance, and versatility in the kitchen and on the grill.
BBQ Rubs
Meat & GrillAll-Purpose
Everyday SeasoningChile Blends
Powders & FlakesSalt-Free
Herb & Spice OnlySpecialty
Global & SignatureOur Home Festival
Wabash Valley Pepper Fest
& Hot Sauce Expo
Building on a strong inaugural year with 400+ attendees — now expanding to two days for 2027.
League of Fire Belt Match
The "Road to the Americas" Belt Match brings world-class competitive eating to the festival stage.
LIVE Guinness Record Attempt
Hot Pepper Eating World Champion Stephen "Fiery Redd" Curgan attempting a LIVE Guinness World Record.
Media & Crowd Energy
Major attractions bringing strong attention, media interest, and engaged spice-loving audiences to the event.
Winners Announced Live
CAPS Awards winners revealed in person at the festival — recognition with real audience presence and momentum.
The Panel
Certified CAPS Judges
Recognizable voices from the craft food, culinary, and media community — chosen for palate, credibility, and passion.
Eric "SpicyRunner" Rice
Certified CAPS Judge
Matt Stewart
Certified CAPS Judge · Director of Competition Integrity & Judging Operations
Matt Mottor
Award-winning Chef & CAPS Awards Judge
Ben Verbanic
WTHI TV 10 Anchor & CAPS Awards Judge
Jay Savage
Co-Founder of the High Council of Verde. Commander of #verdewars. Has tasted more than 5,000 different hot sauces.
Jeremiah Johnson
Adjunct Instructor of Culinary Arts at Ivy Tech Community College. Recipient of the 2025 ACF Indianapolis Chapter President's Award and nominee for both ACF Educator of the Year and ACF Chef of the Year.
Annee "The Reaper Teacher" Boyer
Three-time League of Fire Chili Eating Champion and Guinness World Record co-holder for the Longest Habanero Kiss. Best of Show at the 2023 Orange County Fair, NCSU-certified in Acidified Foods Manufacturing, and collector of 400+ hot sauces.
Become a Certified CAPS Judge
Have a trained palate and a passion for craft food? We're building a judge certification program for the CAPS Awards. Applications will open here soon.
Applications Opening SoonLeadership
Executive Team
Overseeing marketing, media, judging operations, competition integrity, and professional event execution.
Craig McCulloch
Executive Director
Jay Savage
Director of Marketing, Media & Public Relations
Matt Stewart
Director of Competition Integrity & Judging Operations
What Sets Us Apart
Built for Credibility
CAPS is designed to feel professional, organized, and worthy of the makers who pour real craft into every bottle, jar, and shaker.
Blind Judging
Fair review with consistent scoring, clear category standards, and conflict-of-interest protection.
More Than Heat
Judges reward balance, creativity, aroma, finish, mouthfeel, and the full sauce experience — not just burn.
Brand Presentation
Label design matters. Strong shelf appeal and professional packaging are scored alongside flavor in every division.
Festival Recognition
Winners announced live at the festival — a platform to build lasting attention, credibility, and momentum.
Beyond the Podium
Recognition for Every Entrant
The top-scoring products in each category receive the primary CAPS Awards — but our goal is to recognize quality, creativity, craftsmanship, and outstanding characteristics throughout the competition, not only among category winners.
- Judges' Commendation
- Flavor Excellence
- Outstanding Heat Balance
- Exceptional Label Design
- Most Original Flavor Profile
- Rising Craft Maker
- Culinary Excellence
- Small-Batch Standout
- Judges' Hidden Gem
These distinctions are not awarded automatically. They are based on judging scores, written feedback, and qualities that stand out during the blind judging process.
Participation Certificate
Every participating company receives an official CAPS Awards Participation Certificate recognizing its commitment to craftsmanship — designed bold and professional, and worthy of displaying at your business, booth, or event.
Official Entrant Badge
All participants receive an official CAPS Awards Entrant badge for use on websites, social media, promotional materials, and product pages.
Winner Stickers
Winners receive professionally designed stickers for bottles, packaging, displays, and promotional materials — a clear way to showcase the achievement to customers and retailers.
Our goal is for every entrant to take real value from participating — through an award, constructive feedback, professional recognition, promotional exposure, or the chance to return next year and demonstrate continued improvement.
Future Honors for Returning Participants
How to Enter
Honey Entry Process
$30 per product, up to 9 products per form. Optional written Evaluation Report: $45 per product. Registration and shipping deadlines will be announced.
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Register Online
Complete the CAPS Honey Awards entry form. For each product, give its name, category, ingredients, and allergens.
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Complete Payment
Entries are not complete until payment is received. All entries are subject to category review.
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Ship Your Honey
Send 2 full-size retail containers of each product, exactly as you sell them. No samples, minis, or tasting cups. Shipping deadline to be announced.
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Judging & Results
Blind judging on Saturday, January 16, 2027. Results announced Saturday, February 6, 2027.
Now accepting honey entries
Go for the Gold
Put your honey in front of a distinguished panel of judges and compete for the CAPS gold. Judging January 16, 2027 · results February 6, 2027.
Terre Haute, IN 47805 2 full-size retail containers per product · shipping deadline to be announced
Questions? Contact Craig McCulloch — craig@wabashvalleypepperfestandhotsauceexpo.com · 812-298-4737