This June, the first-ever Shanghai-based charity pizza eating competition is coming to Jing'An, featuring New York slices from Joe's Pizza's and sponsored by BrewDog Craft Beer. 

Hosted at Jing An Kerry Center's South Plaza, the event is benefitting the Shanghai Food Bank, which helps economically disadvantaged families access proper nutrition. They collect leftover food from restaurants and markets and distribute donations to those less fortunate. All proceeds from Pizzathon will go to support the transport, storage, utility, and rental costs for the Food Bank. 

Joe's Pizza is a regular donor of Shanghai Food Bank and has signed on to provide their New York style slices for the pizza chow down. BrewDog, a Scottish-born brewery, will be providing beers for all the contestants before, during and after the competition.  BrewDog will also feature a "Bring Your Own Cup" deal for audience members to help promote zero-waste!

The cost for registering a team (3 to 5 members) is RM1500 and will include Pizzathon shirts, a Pizzathon hat for the team captain, a case of beer from BrewDog, all pizza costs covered and their team logo placed on the Pizzathon official flyer. 

Over half of the entry fee will go directly to Shanghai Food Bank, with a goal to raise a total of ¥30,000 for the bank on that single night!  In addition, all proceeds from Joe's Pizza, BrewDog, and other select vendors that night will also go to the overall donation effort.

The Pizzathon itself will consist of 12 team going head-to-head in a three-round, eat-it-all pizza showdown, featuring Joe's Sicilian, White, and Pepperoni Pizzas.  For a full breakdown of Pizzathon's rules and schedule, keep reading...

The Offical Rules:

1. Teams will consist of 3-5 members.

2. Each team must finish their pizza in order to earn points.

3. Each round has its own winner, but points will be awarded to each team for each round, and the team with the most collective points will be crowned Pizzathon Champions.

4. Points will be determined on the speed of consuming the entire pizza, ie: Fastest receives 12 points, second fastest receives 11 points, and so on.

5. Teams are allowed one "team tag-in" per round, where a fellow teammate can be tagged in to replace the current eater and finish the pizza.

6. Teams that do not use their team tag-in for that round are awarded one extra bonus point.

7. Tag-in team members must be assigned before the round and will be waiting in the designated eating area off stage. Upon the eating teammate giving the signal for a team tag-in, that member must run up to the stage, replace the team member, and wait for the previous team member to get off the stage before he/she can begin to eat.

8. There will be bonus eating rounds between each round that will earn a small number of points for their team. The content of the bonus rounds will be announced during the Pizzathon.

9. All pizza, including the crust, must be consumed to count as finishing the pizza.

10. Teams unable to finish the pizza will be awarded a single point for the round.

11. There is no time limit to finishing the pizza.  Just eat as fast as you can.

12. Vomiting during or up to 10 minutes after the round is over will count as 0 points to your overall team score for that round.

13. Water will be available for drinking, but no part of the pizza can be dunked or submerged in the water.

The Schedule:

Timing is crucial, as there needs to be a decent amount of time between each round of pizza eating.  The entire event will kick off at 4 pm with introductions of the sponsors, the charity and all participating teams. 

Round 1 will begin at 5pm, featuring Sicilian Pizza. Once all the pizza has been consumed, there will be music, a bonus round and an audience participation round.

At 6.30pm, Round 2 begins. This time, it's White Pizza. After the round ends, there'll be more medals and music, as well as another bonus round and audience round.

The final round, dedicated to Pepperoni Pizza, begins at 8pm. Once the last of the pizzas have been gobbled up, the judges will tally the scores, and the award ceremony will begin. Low-scoring teams will receive a participation trophy, and the top three teams will be properly recognized for their respective places and eating prowess. 

In additon to the contest, Jing'an Kerry Center will play host to a sustainability market on their outdoor piazza, where you can expect to see many different lifestyle, fashion, food and beverage vendors.

If you are interested in sponsoring a team for the Pizzathon or wish to learn more about donating to the Shanghai Food Bank, scan the QR code below. You can message the Bearded Bear for payment and registration details!