Here are a few tips for increasing your chances to win a recipe contest found on Cooking Contest Central.

Follow the rules.
You don’t want to miss out because you took a short cut. This is probably the most important. If you omit something because you don’t think it’s important, it could disqualify you.

Play the name game.
A creative and unusual name will get the judges’ attention. Descriptive words that capture the feeling of your dish add to its overall interest. A catchy name is good except if the rules specify no catchy names, of course.

What is currently a hot food topic?
Check out some food magazines and see what everybody is talking about. If southwest flavoring is hot, then think about adding a southwest twist to your recipe. Even if you are submitting a tried-and-true dish from your favorite family cookbook, you might want to give it a trendy new twist. Judges seem to favor recipes that have a popular twist.

Keep it simple.
Make sure your ingredients can be found at most markets.Complicated recipes don’t often win.

Appearance is very important.
It might taste delicious, but, if it doesn’t look good, it doesn’t have a chance.