Chopped-style Challenge 2026

Calling all mycophagists, foragers and culinary daredevils! The NAMA Culinary Arts Committee is officially firing up the burners for our most anticipated event of the year. Inspired by the high-stakes creativity of the hit TV show, we’re inviting you to step into the kitchen and transform a “mystery basket” of wild and wonderful ingredients into a masterpiece.

The 2026 NAMA Chopped-style Challenge Mystery Basket
To win, your single, cohesive dish must feature these six required elements:

• Mushrooms of your choice
• Seaweed (kombu, nori or any variety)
• Vinegar of your choice
• Cherries (sweet, sour, fresh or dried)
• Foraged Finds (wild plants, roots or berries)
• Horseradish (fresh, pickled or…?)

The Grand Prize: Win a Ticket to NAMA Yoop, this year’s NAMA Annual Foray
The winner will receive a full scholarship (registration plus room and board at the double-occupancy rate) to attend NAMA’s 66th Annual Foray in beautiful Marquette, Michigan, August 27 to 30! Your winning recipe and photos will also be immortalized in the Mycophile Quarterly. Please note that in order to claim the scholarship, one must be a first-time NAMA Foray attendee. If a veteran winner is awarded, they may gift the slot to a foray-newbie (they must be a NAMA member to attend) or pass the prize to the next runner up.

To Enter:

1. Cook: create one dish using all six required ingredients. You can add any pantry staples (butter, cream, garlic, etc.) to round out the flavor. Make sure to write up the recipe carefully for us and for your fellow hungry mycophagists.
2. Snap and/or Film: we can’t taste your creation and so your photos, videos and written descriptions are your only tools to impress the judges. Photos of the ingredients are a nice addition!
3. Post: upload your creation to Facebook and/or Instagram, being sure to use the official hashtag #NAMAChopped2026 so our committee can find your entry. You may also email your entry to [email protected].

Important Dates

• Final Submission Date: May 1, 2026
• Award Announced: June 1, 2026

Judging Criteria

Judges will rate entries based on visual presentation, culinary creativity, and the clarity of your recipe/description.

Please note that in order to use the Annual Foray Scholarship, the recipient must have never attended a NAMA Annual Foray event before; however, if someone who HAS attended before ends up winning, they will have the option to pass on the scholarship slot to someone they choose who has not attended before! Or they can just decline the award in favor of the next finalist who has not attended. FUN – and spreading mycofellowship – are the point of this contest.

Have questions? We are happy to help you resolve them; please contact us at [email protected].