Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Winners List

There are numerous rumors and folk tales about when the first Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was, but the first recorded competition we know of dates back to 1967. A 400-pound, 32-year-old trucker by the name Walter Paul took down the competition by eating 127 hot dogs in 60 minutes flat. The contest was held to designate the 100th anniversary of the hot dog and Mr. Paul made damn sure that celebration wasn't in vain.

There have been several iterations of the competition over the years that have seen numerous changes to the format. The first contest was a male only competition in 1967, but from 1972-1974, females were free to enter. From 1978-2010 the contest was also a joint male/female setting, but since 2011 the competition has been split into genders.

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is held annually at Nathan Famous Corporations original restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the iconic Coney Island. The restaurant initially took off during the Great Depression due to the low prices of the food. People were able to feed their families to survive through the hard times thanks in part to hot dogs, making them an American staple.

The restaurant was founded in 1916, nearly 110 years ago in Brooklyn, New York, by Nathan Handwerker. Today, there are over 198 Nathan's Famous restaurants spanning across the United States. The Nathan's Famous headquarters are located in Jericho, New York.

The prize for winning the Nathans Hot Dog eating contest has changed drastically over the years. Funny enough, in 1974 the prize for winning the competition was a coupon for 40 free packs of hot dogs. The winner of the men's competition is awarded the coveted 'bejeweled' mustard yellow belt. The winner of the women's competition is awarded a 'bejeweled' pink belt.

In 2007, a $10,000 cash prize was established as a reward to whichever competitor comes in first place every year. As the contest continues to grow in popularity and become more competitive, it will be interesting to see if the prize purse increases.

• 2022: 63 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2021: 76 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2020: 75 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2019: 71 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2018: 74 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2017: 72 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2016: 70 Hot Dogs Consumed

Since 2016, there has been no competitive eater on earth as dominant as the great Joey Chestnut. When he finally hangs it up one day, they may very well rename the competition the Joey Chestnut Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Chestnut has won 15 total hot dog eating contests over the years and holds numerous world records. Notably, his best year came in 2021 when he downed 76 glizzys to take home his sixth straight title.

• 62 Hot Dogs Consumed

Matt 'Megatoad' Stonie rose to fame on Youtube after regularly uploading videos of him devouring different food challenges or smashing world record times. He went viral a number of times and pursued a full time career in competitive eating.

He ran second fiddle to Joey Chestnut for a number of years before finally dethroning the king in 2015. This is truly one of the greatest comeback moments in sports and a true showing of how grit and determination leads to greatness.

• 2014: 61 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2013: 69 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2012: 68 Hot Dogs Consumed
• 2011: 62 Hot Dogs Consumed

In 2011 the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest switched to a male and females specific contest, but that didn't stop Joey Chestnut. He became the first person to consume 69 hot dogs during the contest in 2013 and won four straight titles before being dethrone by Matt Stonie. Chestnut's run of 11 titles in 12 years is only comparable to the 1960's Boston Celtics level dominance.