How much do Joey Chestnut, other eaters make at Nathan's hot dog contest?

Josh Peter, USA TODAYSat, July 4, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC

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The bejeweled Mustard belts awarded to the men’s and women’s winners at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest are priceless. (Even though the jewels aren’t quite authentic.)

The top finishers also walk away with prize money, with the men and women each competing for a $20,000 purse.

The winners on the men’s side and women’s side both get $10,000.

Second-place finishers get $5,000.

Third-place finishers get $2,500.

Fourth-place finishers get $1,500.

Fifth-place finishers get $1,000.

The total annual prize money of $40,000 has been the same since 2011, the first year Nathan’s held separate contests for the men and women, according to the Majority League Eating website. Like today, in 2011 both the men and women vied for $20,000.

Nick Wehry, who finished fifth last year, said he's "super thankful'' for everything provided by Nathan's and Major League Eating, which runs the Nathan's contest.

"With that said,'' Wehry added, "as the event and media attention continue to grow, I’d love to see the overall prize purse and athlete compensation continue to grow with it. As competitors, we put in months of preparation, travel, and sacrifice for one day, on the biggest stage in our sport, so I think there’s always room for the compensation to reflect that more over time as the sport grows."

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On top of that, Joey Chestnut has a contract with Nathan’s that he has said pays him far more than the prize money.

Breaking down the prize money

Chestnut ate 70 ½ hot dogs last, meaning his $10,000 prize worked out to $141.84 per hot dog.

By contrast, Miki Sudo ate 33 hot dogs, meaning her $10,000 prize worked out to 303.03 per hot dog.

Additional compensation for the eaters

Nathan’s pays for airfare and hotel rooms for all of the qualifiers with a hitch. The women have to eat at least 10 hot dogs and buns and the men have to eat at least 20 hot dogs and buns.

Last year, only seven of the 13 women ate at least 10 hot dogs and buns.

All 15 men ate 20 or more hot dogs and buns.

The road to Coney Island

For first-timers, it starts with the qualifiers. The first one for the 2027 contest takes place July 4 in Las Vegas.

The registration is already closed, according to the Major League Eating website.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nathan's hot dog contest prize money for Joey Chestnut, other eaters

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Source: “AOL Sports”