Battle of the Bay: Wild Caught Blue Catfish Chowdown

Location: Timonium, MD
Date: 09-05-2025

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Sink Your Teeth In Eaters: The Battle of the Bay is Born!

Think you’ve seen fierce competition? You haven’t seen anything until you’ve watched a dozen elite eaters go fin-to-fin in a catfish strip frenzy for the ages. Get ready, Competitive Eating fans—the inaugural Battle of the Bay: Wild Caught Blue Catfish Chowdown is making its debut at the Maryland State Fair, and it’s about to make waves.

Let’s talk catfish
These aren’t your average fish sticks. We’re talking golden-fried, wild-caught Maryland blue catfish strips—crispy on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside, seasoned to perfection and served in heaping mounds that would make Poseidon proud. For 10 grueling, glorious minutes, Major League Eating’s best will devour as many of these Southern-style beauties as humanly possible—and maybe a little more.

New event, new legend
This is the very first Battle of the Bay, and you know what that means: a new world record is up for grabs. This isn’t just another eating contest—it’s a chance to witness history in the making. Who will rise from the grease as the first-ever Catfish King or Queen of the Chesapeake? You’ll have to be there to find out.

Brought to you by the Maryland State Fair
We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than the Maryland State Fair to bring this seafood spectacle to life. Known for celebrating all things local and legendary, they’re the perfect co-host to spotlight this slippery showdown in Timonium. From fair food to fierce competition, this is the place to be.

We'd aslo like to extend a huge thank you to the generous sponsors of this event which include; the Maryland Sports Commission, Maryland's Best/Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Maryland State Fair, Maryland Tourism Coalition, Tilghman Island Seafood, the Maryland Lottery, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Ready to chow down or cheer loud?
Join us at 4:30 PM on Friday, September 5th, 2025, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. Register for your chance to chowdown with the champs!

$5,000 TOTAL PRIZE PURSE
1st: $2,500
2nd: $1,200
3rd: $650
4th: $400
5th: $250

This contest will take place at 4:30pm ET on Friday, September 5th, 2025, at the Maryland State Fair.

Learn more about the Maryland State Fair on their website and follow them on FaceBook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

About the Chesapeake Blue Catfish The Chesapeake blue catfish was introduced into the Chesapeake Bay decades ago and has drastically increased in numbers. Tasting similar to rockfish, blue catfish are not your typical “catfish.” The fish is a tasty, white flaky fish that is excellent in a variety of recipes, such as our Maryland’s Best recipes. Eating the wild-caught Chesapeake blue catfish is not only good for you, it’s helping the Chesapeake Bay. Blue catfish is consuming other species in the Bay, such as crabs, oysters, rockfish, and anything else in its path, which is causing ecological damage. Consumers can find the fish in select grocery stores and restaurants. Maryland’s Best has compiled a list of both retail and restaurants that serve the wild-caught Chesapeake blue catfish.

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*All applicants must be 18 years of age or older and fully acknowledge and understand the inherent dangers and risks associated with participating in an eating contest. The applicant further acknowledges and understands that the MLE/IFOCE coordinates with event sponsor(s) to select and approve eligible participants, and that the MLE/IFOCE shall decide, at its sole discretion, whether an applicant is eligible to participate in any eating event, and/or related activities. The MLE/IFOCE may revoke an applicant's eligibility to participate in the eating contest, or related activities, at any time, for any reason, at its sole discretion. The MLE/IFOCE and the event sponsors reserve the right, at any time, to change any and all details concerning the event, including, e.g., time, duration, location and prize structure.