THE CHALLENGE

Forage it, hunt it, fish it, grow it or trade for it — then transform it into something memorable. Every entry must feature at least one wild ingredient, with additional credit given for locally sourced ingredients and the effort involved in gathering them.

Dishes can be hot, cold, raw, smoked, frozen, preserved or poured; anything goes. Open to professional chefs, home cooks, caterers, children, fishermen and first-time competitors. Entries are judged anonymously on taste, ingredients, presentation and effort. Entry is free for competitors.

REGISTER TO COMPETE
BUY TICKETS

HOW IT WORKS

  • SOURCE: Dive, Walk, Climb, Fish, Forage, Hunt, Barter, Gather. More effort = more points.

    HARVEST: Beach, bush, river, your garden or someone else’s. More local ingredients = more points.

    PREPARE: Shuck, slice, marinate, smoke, bake, ferment, distill. Bring most of your dish prepared in advance.

    PRESENT: Write a story about your dish. What happened on your culinary adventure? Inspiration? Ingredients?

HOW IT’S JUDGED

  • EFFORT: Tell us the story of your efforts to gather and prepare your dish.

    TASTE: Taste is subjective. Your flavors can be as simple or complex as you like.

    INGREDIENTS: The more wild and locally grown ingredients the better.

    PRESENTATION: Get creative and have fun with your entry. You can present your entry any way you like.

ABOUT

Founded in New Zealand by chef Bill Manson in 2009, the Local Wild Food Challenge celebrates the creativity and resourcefulness of communities connected to the land and sea. What began as a local competition has since travelled the world, with challenges held from Martha’s Vineyard to Finland, the French Alps, Italy and Hawaii - bringing people together through the simple joy of finding, gathering and sharing wild food.

A man smiling on a boat holding a large fish with water and hills in the background.

TAKE A LOOK AT WILD FOOD FESTIVALS

AROUND the worlD

A display of animal carcasses, including a partially skinned animal with exposed ribcage and skull, hanging on a metal fence at an outdoor fair or carnival. In the background, a banner reads 'Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives.'
Two children, a boy and a girl, standing outdoors with a backdrop of tall grass or reeds. The boy is smiling and holding a plate with a pizza, while the girl is looking at the pizza with her hands clasped together.
A white plate with a Charlotte Russe with a rose-like design and a stalk of green fern-shaped decoration underneath. A piece of cooked beef with a berry sauce is being poured over it from a pitcher. The dish is placed in a basket with fern leaves and
A long white oval plate with three different types of gourmet beef appetizers, garnished with herbs and sauces, on a wooden table.
Two young girls smiling at a party, standing behind a table with decorated desserts and surrounded by green plants and purple decorations.
A seafood platter with fried fish, lobster, crabs, and shellfish, garnished with lemon wedges, green sauce, and scallions, served on a bed of green leaves.
Close-up of a food display featuring baked cupcakes topped with herbs, lemon, and other garnishes, along with a salad with sliced oranges and lemon wedges, and handwritten labels describing the dishes.
Chef demonstrating cooking techniques on an outdoor stage to a group of children and adults under a blue canopy, with cooking ingredients and utensils on the table.
People gathered under a white canopy at an outdoor event, serving and eating food from a long table decorated with leaves and flowers.
A wooden platter with various Hawaiian-style foods on large green palm leaves, including slices of bread, fresh vegetables, and salads, at an outdoor event.
An outdoor gathering with people seated on benches on a grassy lawn, under tents, with trees including palm trees in the background and a cloudy sky.
People sitting at a table with salads, one woman handing a salad to another woman who is smiling, and a man smiling in the background.
Group of five people celebrating outdoors, smiling, with arms raised, holding certificates and a microphone, near a tree and umbrellas.
Charcoal grill with assorted vegetables and meats, including corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, chicken, and beef, cooking outdoors.
Signboard with directions at a local food festival, pointing to smoky zone, music stage, garden bars, food trucks, eco and market stalls, wharepaku, and water, in a park area with tents and people in the background.