LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you think you've got the best burger recipe in the Bluegrass, it could win you a host of Derby Festival-themed prizes! The Kentucky Derby Festival and Kentucky Beef Council are looking for the next "Derby Burger" Champion.

Burger recipes are being accepted online now through March 3. It’s the eleventh year for the beef showdown sponsored by the Kentucky Beef Council, after taking a year off in 2022. 

The winning chef receives a 2023 Official Derby Festival Poster, 2 VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville and VIP tickets to BourbonVille, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger, and a grilling prize package from Kentucky Beef Council.

The competition is open to all chefs, from the home kitchen to bustling restaurants. Officials are encouraging each burger flipper to use a creative description, photo and name for their culinary creation.

"Derby Burger" contenders must be 100% beef. Each recipe is judges based on taste, appearance, creativity and ease of preparation, officials said.

Derby Festival and burger fans alike will help choose finalists in the competition. Eight preliminary finalists will be chosen in early March before online voting opens, where all can decide how each recipe stacks up. Online voting will help narrow the field to a final four, where contestants will move on to a cook-off at the end of March.

“Burgers are one of the most popular foods in America and they’re even better made with 100 percent beef,” said Alison Smith, Kentucky Beef Council. “With the many ways burgers can be prepared, seasoned, and dressed, we always look forward to the unique recipes that are submitted from around the state.”

The winning burger will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville during Derby Festival, as well as inside Kroger stores.