Every year on the Fourth of July, crowds flock to Coney Island for the annual Nathan’s Famous hot dog-eating contest. Competitive eaters battle to see who will down the most dogs, and the numbers they are able to gobble are astounding.
The competition dates back to 1975, but Sports Illustrated says the modern format of the competition has been in effect and remained largely unchanged since the year 2000, when Kazutoyo Arai was crowned the winner after eating a little over 25 dogs. Read on to see who won the competition today.
Miki Sudo Wins 11th Title at Coney Island Hot Dog Contest
Longtime competitive eater Miki Sudo, 39, was the 2025 women’s champion. The AP says she ate 33 dogs and buns, down from her record number of 51 from last year.
The outlet says she told ESPN the crowd was encouraging her to “go for 52,” but she was unable to come close to beating her record because the buns “seemed larger this year.”
Contestants are allowed to dip the dogs in water to make chewing easier.
Before the competition began, Sudo posted an Instagram video about “the calm before the chaos.” The mom of one said in the clip, “We’re about to get on the buses of champions and see you all at Coney Island,” after showing her son and husband Nick Wehry, who sported a festive red mohawk.
Joey Chestnut Is Men’s Champion in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
The New York Post says Joey Chestnut has reclaimed the men’s title to win his 17th Mustard Belt, the most of any competitor, after being notably absent from last year’s event.
Two weeks before the contest, Chestnut took to his Instagram to say he was looking forward to making his big return, and took time to explain why he sat out in 2024.
“This event means the world to me,” he declared, before going on to say, “While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space, those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs.”
The 41-year-old also clarified that Nathan’s is the only hot dog brand he has ever worked with.
The statement was a response to the controversy which saw Chestnut excluded from the contest after signing a sponsorship deal with the company Impossible Foods, which sells plant-based alternatives to meat products, in June 2024.
The Sporting News says Major League Eating, which has jurisdiction over the Coney Island hot dog-eating contest, responded to Chestnut’s deal with Impossible by issuing a statement which read, “We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.”
Chestnut finished his July 2025 Instagram message addressing the situation by saying he is “grateful” to be back in the event once again after he and the organization were “able to find common ground.”
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Who Won the Coney Island Hot Dog Contest 2025