Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024: Time, competitors, prizes and more

As we are only a day away from the decades-old Fourth of July tradition, here's all you need to know about this year's event

The decades-old Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is one of the most highly anticipated events on the Fourth of July. Dating back to 1916, the competition takes place every year outside Nathan's flagship location in Coney Island near Brooklyn, New York. Here's all you need to know about this year's edition:

Nathan's hotdogs are displayed during a weigh-in ceremony before the Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)(AP)

When and what time will Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest take place?

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is held every year on Independence Day (Thursday, July 4). The event includes multiple competitions with different categories for men and women. The women's competition starts at 10:45 AM ET on ESPN3, while the men's event starts at 12 PM ET on ESPN2. Additionally, the broadcast from professional eater Geoffrey Esper's dedicated camera starts at 12:30 PM ET on ESPN3.

Prizes: What do the winners take home?

Those who bag the first place will get $10,000, while those in the second and third ranks will get $5,000 and $2,500, respectively. Meanwhile, those in the fourth and fifth spots will get $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. In addition to the monetary prizes, the top male competitor will be awarded a mustard-yellow belt, while the top female competitor will get a pink belt.

Who are the 2024 Hot Dog Eating contestants?

The male contenders for this year's competition are:

1. Geoffrey Esper, 49, Oxford, Massachusetts
2. Nicholas Wehry, 35, Tampa, Florida
3. James Webb, 35, Sydney, Australia
4. Gideon Oji, 32, Morrow, Georgia
5. Patrick Bertoletti, 39, Chicago, Illinois
6. Max Stanford, 36, Brixton, England
7. Darrien Thomas, 25, Orillia, Ontario
8. Ricardo Corbucci, 37, Brasilia, Brazil
9. Radim "Steel Rod" Dvořáček, 33, Ostrava, Czech Republic
10. King Yamamoto, 40, Osaka, Japan
11. George Chiger, 45, Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
12. Derek "Heavy D" Hendrickson, 36, Las Vegas, Nevada
13. Sean Yeager, 32, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
14. William Claude Lyon IV, 36, North Augusta, South Carolina

The female contenders for this year's event are:

1. Miki Sudo, 38, Tampa, Florida
2. Mayoi "Ebimayo" Ebihara, 28, Tokyo, Japan
3. Michelle "Cardboard Shell" Lesco, 40, Tucson, Arizona
4. Larell Marie Mele, 60, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
5. Katie Prettyman, 41, Marysville, Washington
6. Mary Bowers, Seoul, South Korea
7. Cherish Brown, 35, Edon, Ohio
8. Jocelyn Young, 43, Sherman, Texas
9. Julie Goldberg, 38, Astoria, Queens
10. Tandra Childress, 38, San Francisco, California
11. Ellen Straub, 29, Palm Bay, Florida
12. Crystal "Crystal Pistol" Ocampo, 28, Vallejo, California
13. Elizabeth "Glizzy Lizzy" Salgado, 32, Kern County, California
14. Rubianne Garcia, 32, San Antonio, Texas