A food or drink contest is easy to organise and surprisingly hard to score. A table of judges gives you one opinion and a lot of arithmetic. Voting contests let the whole room decide instead — entries with photos and tasting notes, a live leaderboard, and an optional head-to-head bracket to crown the winner.
No signup required. Just enter teams and get a printable PDF bracket instantly.
You do not have to build a contest from scratch. Selecting a template pre-fills the contest name, description, competitor labels and placeholder entries, so the only thing left is to swap the placeholders for your own dishes, drinks or bakers.
Compare brews side by side and let the room pick a favourite.
A ranked or head-to-head tasting flight, one vote per taster.
A flight of beers voted on by everyone holding a glass.
Cakes, pies and bakes judged by the crowd instead of one table.
The classic pot-by-pot showdown, scored by the people eating.
Ribs, brisket and sides in a bracket that builds to a final.
Slice against slice, head-to-head, until one pie is left.
Mixed drinks, one category per round, one vote per person.
Open the picker on create a voting contest and choose the template that matches your event. The full lifecycle — setup, entries, voting windows and results — is covered in the voting contest format guide.
Every voting contest runs on one of three voting modes. Pick the mode that matches how you want the room to decide, not the size of your table.
A single ranked poll. Voters pick their favourite from the whole field.
A large field, or a quick office tasting where everyone wants one simple vote.
Head-to-head single elimination. Tasters compare two entries in each matchup and vote.
A judged or fundraiser format, where each round gives the room a moment of tension.
Run the poll to rank the field, then seed the top entries into a bracket.
Cutting a big field down, then settling it with a knockout final.
For a tasting, bracket mode means tasters compare two entries head-to-head in each matchup and vote. That is the format to reach for when the event is judged or you are charging for tastings at a fundraiser — each round becomes a small moment of theatre.
Leaderboard mode is a single ranked "pick your favourite" vote across all entries. It suits a large field, or a quick office tasting where people want one tap and a result.
Hybrid is the middle path: run the poll to cut the field, then let the bracket decide the winner.
The whole setup is a handful of screens. Here is the order that keeps the event simple.
Choose the closest of the eight food and drink templates. The name, description, competitor labels and placeholder entries are filled in for you, so you are editing rather than starting blank.
One category per dish or drink type, if your event has more than one. A single clear category is easier to explain than five, so split only when the food genuinely differs.
Entrants or the organizer add entries with photos and tasting notes. Public submissions can be enabled with organizer approval, so competitors upload their own entry and you approve it before it appears.
Leaderboard for a single ranked poll, bracket for head-to-head single elimination, or hybrid to poll first and then seed a bracket from the results.
One vote per person per category. Voters can change their vote while the poll is open, and duplicate voting is prevented by IP for open polls or by account for registered polls.
The page polls for new data about every 15 seconds, so results move as the votes come in. An embeddable widget puts the same vote on a club or venue website.
Top entries move to the next round or the finale. Anything level goes to you to break — see the next section.
Voting splits. When two entries finish a matchup level, the software does not guess — the matchup is marked "Tied" and the organizer breaks it in the admin panel. That keeps the outcome auditable and keeps the bracket moving instead of stalling on a dead heat.
The admin controls for reviewing votes and breaking ties are documented in the voting help page.
Give each matchup a clear voting window, so people vote once per round rather than drifting in late after the result is known.
Decide up front who makes the call in a tie — the head judge, the organizers, or a coin toss — so nobody argues the rule after the result.
A voting contest is not a tournament, and that changes what you need on the day. There is no tournament registration, no entry fees and no player roster to sign up — participants simply sign in on the category poll pages to vote. You can open the vote to anyone in the room, or to anyone online, without building a competitor list first.
The page polls for new data about every 15 seconds, so a venue screen shows the standings moving as the room votes.
An embeddable widget puts the vote on a club or venue website, so people can take part without an account.
In bracket mode the head-to-head matchups give each round a natural point to call for votes.
Photos and tasting notes travel with each entry, so people vote on what they can actually see and read.
If your event has more than one kind of dish or drink — pies and cakes, or red and white — run a separate category for each. Multiple categories can feed a grand finale: the top N from each category advance to a Best in Show, run as its own contest.
Categories and the finale use separate voting windows. That lets you close the category polls, publish the qualifiers, and then open voting on the finale — so the final vote is a clean contest between finalists rather than a rerun of the group stage. The format guide covers how those windows are configured.
Entries are the only number to plan around, and the limit applies per contest.
Free
Up to 16 entries
Enough for a single category at a club or office event.
Contest
$149
Up to 64 entries — a full multi-category event or fundraiser.
Larger
Custom quote
For contests beyond 64 entries.
Running several categories inside one contest? Count the entries across the whole event, not per category, and reach out for a quote if you expect to go past 64.
Yes. Bracket mode is head-to-head single elimination for 4 to 64 entries. Tasters compare two entries in each matchup and vote, so the contest builds to a final instead of one flat poll.
Leaderboard mode is a single ranked poll — voters pick their favourite across the whole field, and it supports up to 200 entries. Bracket mode is head-to-head single elimination for 4 to 64 entries. Hybrid mode runs the poll first, then seeds the top entries into a bracket.
The Free plan covers up to 16 entries. The Contest tier is $149 for up to 64 entries, and larger contests are available by custom quote.
Yes. Voters get one vote per person per category and can change that vote while the poll is open. Duplicate voting is prevented by IP for open polls, or by account for registered polls.
A tied matchup is marked "Tied" rather than resolved automatically. The organizer breaks the tie in the admin panel, which keeps the outcome auditable and keeps the bracket moving.
No. Voting contests do not use tournament registration — there are no entry fees and no player roster signup. Participants simply sign in on the category poll pages to vote.
Yes. Multi-category contests can feed a grand finale: the top N from each category advance to a Best in Show. Categories and the finale use separate voting windows, so you can publish qualifiers before opening the final vote.
Yes. Entrants or the organizer can add entries with photos and tasting notes, and public submissions can be enabled with organizer approval so competitors upload their own entry before it appears.
Pick a bake-off, chili cook-off, coffee cupping or wine tasting template and open voting in minutes. Free for up to 16 entries.
Join thousands of organizers who save hours every tournament with Brakto's automated bracket management.
✓ No credit card required · ✓ Set up in 2 minutes · ✓ Cancel anytime
Join thousands of organizers who save hours every tournament with Brakto's automated bracket management.
✓ No credit card required · ✓ Set up in 2 minutes · ✓ Cancel anytime
Free printable 4-team bracket for quick tournaments.
Read more Bracket TemplatesPerfect size for small tournaments and office competitions.
Read more Bracket TemplatesHandles byes automatically for 10-team tournaments.
Read more Bracket TemplatesIdeal for mid-size leagues and club competitions.
Read moreA food or drink contest is easy to organise and surprisingly hard to score. A table of judges gives you one opinion and a lot of arithmetic. Voting contests let the whole room decide instead — entries with photos and tasting notes, a live leaderboard, and an optional head-to-head bracket to crown the winner.
No signup required. Just enter teams and get a printable PDF bracket instantly.
You do not have to build a contest from scratch. Selecting a template pre-fills the contest name, description, competitor labels and placeholder entries, so the only thing left is to swap the placeholders for your own dishes, drinks or bakers.
Compare brews side by side and let the room pick a favourite.
A ranked or head-to-head tasting flight, one vote per taster.
A flight of beers voted on by everyone holding a glass.
Cakes, pies and bakes judged by the crowd instead of one table.
The classic pot-by-pot showdown, scored by the people eating.
Ribs, brisket and sides in a bracket that builds to a final.
Slice against slice, head-to-head, until one pie is left.
Mixed drinks, one category per round, one vote per person.
Open the picker on create a voting contest and choose the template that matches your event. The full lifecycle — setup, entries, voting windows and results — is covered in the voting contest format guide.
Every voting contest runs on one of three voting modes. Pick the mode that matches how you want the room to decide, not the size of your table.
A single ranked poll. Voters pick their favourite from the whole field.
A large field, or a quick office tasting where everyone wants one simple vote.
Head-to-head single elimination. Tasters compare two entries in each matchup and vote.
A judged or fundraiser format, where each round gives the room a moment of tension.
Run the poll to rank the field, then seed the top entries into a bracket.
Cutting a big field down, then settling it with a knockout final.
For a tasting, bracket mode means tasters compare two entries head-to-head in each matchup and vote. That is the format to reach for when the event is judged or you are charging for tastings at a fundraiser — each round becomes a small moment of theatre.
Leaderboard mode is a single ranked "pick your favourite" vote across all entries. It suits a large field, or a quick office tasting where people want one tap and a result.
Hybrid is the middle path: run the poll to cut the field, then let the bracket decide the winner.
The whole setup is a handful of screens. Here is the order that keeps the event simple.
Choose the closest of the eight food and drink templates. The name, description, competitor labels and placeholder entries are filled in for you, so you are editing rather than starting blank.
One category per dish or drink type, if your event has more than one. A single clear category is easier to explain than five, so split only when the food genuinely differs.
Entrants or the organizer add entries with photos and tasting notes. Public submissions can be enabled with organizer approval, so competitors upload their own entry and you approve it before it appears.
Leaderboard for a single ranked poll, bracket for head-to-head single elimination, or hybrid to poll first and then seed a bracket from the results.
One vote per person per category. Voters can change their vote while the poll is open, and duplicate voting is prevented by IP for open polls or by account for registered polls.
The page polls for new data about every 15 seconds, so results move as the votes come in. An embeddable widget puts the same vote on a club or venue website.
Top entries move to the next round or the finale. Anything level goes to you to break — see the next section.
Voting splits. When two entries finish a matchup level, the software does not guess — the matchup is marked "Tied" and the organizer breaks it in the admin panel. That keeps the outcome auditable and keeps the bracket moving instead of stalling on a dead heat.
The admin controls for reviewing votes and breaking ties are documented in the voting help page.
Give each matchup a clear voting window, so people vote once per round rather than drifting in late after the result is known.
Decide up front who makes the call in a tie — the head judge, the organizers, or a coin toss — so nobody argues the rule after the result.
A voting contest is not a tournament, and that changes what you need on the day. There is no tournament registration, no entry fees and no player roster to sign up — participants simply sign in on the category poll pages to vote. You can open the vote to anyone in the room, or to anyone online, without building a competitor list first.
The page polls for new data about every 15 seconds, so a venue screen shows the standings moving as the room votes.
An embeddable widget puts the vote on a club or venue website, so people can take part without an account.
In bracket mode the head-to-head matchups give each round a natural point to call for votes.
Photos and tasting notes travel with each entry, so people vote on what they can actually see and read.
If your event has more than one kind of dish or drink — pies and cakes, or red and white — run a separate category for each. Multiple categories can feed a grand finale: the top N from each category advance to a Best in Show, run as its own contest.
Categories and the finale use separate voting windows. That lets you close the category polls, publish the qualifiers, and then open voting on the finale — so the final vote is a clean contest between finalists rather than a rerun of the group stage. The format guide covers how those windows are configured.
Entries are the only number to plan around, and the limit applies per contest.
Free
Up to 16 entries
Enough for a single category at a club or office event.
Contest
$149
Up to 64 entries — a full multi-category event or fundraiser.
Larger
Custom quote
For contests beyond 64 entries.
Running several categories inside one contest? Count the entries across the whole event, not per category, and reach out for a quote if you expect to go past 64.
Yes. Bracket mode is head-to-head single elimination for 4 to 64 entries. Tasters compare two entries in each matchup and vote, so the contest builds to a final instead of one flat poll.
Leaderboard mode is a single ranked poll — voters pick their favourite across the whole field, and it supports up to 200 entries. Bracket mode is head-to-head single elimination for 4 to 64 entries. Hybrid mode runs the poll first, then seeds the top entries into a bracket.
The Free plan covers up to 16 entries. The Contest tier is $149 for up to 64 entries, and larger contests are available by custom quote.
Yes. Voters get one vote per person per category and can change that vote while the poll is open. Duplicate voting is prevented by IP for open polls, or by account for registered polls.
A tied matchup is marked "Tied" rather than resolved automatically. The organizer breaks the tie in the admin panel, which keeps the outcome auditable and keeps the bracket moving.
No. Voting contests do not use tournament registration — there are no entry fees and no player roster signup. Participants simply sign in on the category poll pages to vote.
Yes. Multi-category contests can feed a grand finale: the top N from each category advance to a Best in Show. Categories and the finale use separate voting windows, so you can publish qualifiers before opening the final vote.
Yes. Entrants or the organizer can add entries with photos and tasting notes, and public submissions can be enabled with organizer approval so competitors upload their own entry before it appears.
Pick a bake-off, chili cook-off, coffee cupping or wine tasting template and open voting in minutes. Free for up to 16 entries.
Join thousands of organizers who save hours every tournament with Brakto's automated bracket management.
✓ No credit card required · ✓ Set up in 2 minutes · ✓ Cancel anytime
Join thousands of organizers who save hours every tournament with Brakto's automated bracket management.
✓ No credit card required · ✓ Set up in 2 minutes · ✓ Cancel anytime
Free printable 4-team bracket for quick tournaments.
Read more Bracket TemplatesPerfect size for small tournaments and office competitions.
Read more Bracket TemplatesHandles byes automatically for 10-team tournaments.
Read more Bracket TemplatesIdeal for mid-size leagues and club competitions.
Read more