State High School BBQ Association Charter

A Governing Framework for Scholastic Barbecue Competition

The Constitution of ‘Que establishes the official governance framework for State High School BBQ Associations operating under the authority of the National High School BBQ Association (NHSBBQA®).

Its purpose is to provide a fair, scalable, and educationally aligned competition system that empowers students, protects teachers, and builds community through the craft of live-fire cooking.

State associations operate as sanctioned divisions of NHSBBQA®, forming a national scholastic league that culminates in THE S.L.A.B.: National Championship of Barbecue.

Article I

Purpose and Educational Mission

The purpose of each State High School BBQ Association is to:

• Promote career and technical education through live-fire cooking
  Support teachers and school-based programs
  Provide structured competition for Middle School (MSBBQ) and High School BBQ (HSBBQ) teams
  Foster leadership, craftsmanship, and teamwork among students
  Connect communities to their local schools through shared culinary traditions

Barbecue competition under NHSBBQA® is not merely an event—it is a project-based learning ecosystem rooted in agriculture, culinary arts, business, STEM, and hospitality pathways.

Article II

Authority of the National High School BBQ Association

All State High School BBQ Associations operate under the sanctioning authority of the National High School BBQ Association (NHSBBQA®).

NHSBBQA® establishes:

• official competition rules
  judging standards through the M.E.A.T. Certified Judge Program
  scoring infrastructure through PITMSTR™
  national qualification standards
  advancement to THE S.L.A.B.: National Championship of Barbecue

State associations must comply with all national standards to maintain good standing.

Article III

Founding School Recognition

The first school to organize and host a sanctioned BBQ competition within a state may be recognized as the:

Founding School of the State High School BBQ Association

To qualify for Founding School recognition, the institution must:

• host the inaugural sanctioned state BBQ event
  recruit a minimum of five participating schools
  certify at least twenty M.E.A.T. Judges within the state
  implement PITMSTR scoring and NHSBBQA competition standards

Upon recognition, the Founding School will be permanently recorded within the official State Constitution of ‘Que.

Founders receive historical recognition as the institution that ignited scholastic barbecue competition within their state.

Article IV

State Championship Governance

Each State High School BBQ Association will host an annual:

State HSBBQ Championship

The State Championship serves as the culminating event for regional competitions and determines advancement to the national championship.

Standard capacity:

Division	Teams
Middle School	100 maximum
High School	100 maximum

Total teams: 200 maximum

State Championships typically occur over a two-day weekend event hosted on a school or university campus Middle School and High School BBQ teams can be hosted on separate days or if under 100 teams at the same site on the same day with separate awards for each Division.

Article V

Hosting Rotation

To ensure fairness and statewide participation, the HSBBQ State Championship follows a rotating host system.

The Founding School receives initial hosting priority but shares hosting responsibilities with other schools over time.

Standard Hosting Cycle

Year	Host Institution
Year 1	Founding School
Year 2	Founding School
Year 3	School B
Year 4	School B
Year 5	School C
Year 6	School C
Year 7	Founding School

Hosting cycles prioritize schools with strong culinary, agricultural, or career and technical education programs capable of managing a large-scale competition.

Article VI

Regional Qualification System

Large states may establish Regional HSBBQ Qualifiers to determine which teams advance to the State Championship. Example: In Texas we have 20 Regional Qualifier that feed into the invitations and qualifying for their State Texas HSBBQ Championship to determine who advances to THE S.L.A.B.: (Student's Learning About Barbecue), SCHEELS National Championship of Barbecue.

Regional qualifiers provide accessible travel distances and allow more schools to participate.

Typical regional structure:

Region	Teams
Middle School	30–40
High School	30–40

Top-performing teams from each region advance to the State Championship.

Article VII

Golden Ticket Advancement

Top teams from the State Championship receive Golden Tickets to advance to:

THE S.L.A.B.: National Championship of Barbecue

Golden Tickets represent official national championship qualification.

Typical allocation:

Division	Golden Tickets
Middle School	3
High School	3

Golden Ticket events must adhere to NHSBBQA® competition and judging standards.

Article VIII

Competition Equity Standards

To ensure fairness and accessibility for all schools, sanctioned events follow standardized competition procedures.

Each team entry includes host-provided competition proteins, ensuring that all teams cook the same quality meat.

Standard entry fee:

$250 per team

Competition proteins are distributed equally to maintain:

• fairness
  consistent judging conditions
  cost control for school programs

Article IX

Judging and Scoring

All sanctioned events must use:

• M.E.A.T. Certified Judges
  PITMSTR™ digital scoring platform

Judges may include:

• teachers
  community members
  parents
  culinary professionals
  trained volunteers

Judges must maintain active certification to participate.

Article X

School Priority Principle

NHSBBQA® competitions prioritize school campuses as host venues whenever possible.

This ensures:

• strong teacher oversight
  student safety
  community engagement
  fundraising opportunities for schools

Adult competitions and community events may occur alongside student competitions but must respect the educational mission of the organization.

Article XI

Scholarship and Workforce Development

Judge certification fees and sponsorship programs contribute to scholarship funding for participating students.

These scholarships support students pursuing careers in:

• culinary arts
  agriculture
  hospitality
  food science
  entrepreneurship

Article XII

National Championship Advancement

State champions and Golden Ticket recipients advance to compete at:

THE S.L.A.B.: National Championship of Barbecue

This national event brings together top teams from across the United States to celebrate craftsmanship, teamwork, and the future of live-fire cooking.

The Spirit of the Constitution of ‘Que

The Constitution of ‘Que exists to ensure that scholastic barbecue competition remains:

• fair
  educational
  community-centered
  nationally organized

It represents a commitment to the belief that through fire, food, and fellowship, students can develop the skills and character necessary to thrive in life and career.

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