A Tobacco Pipe Slow Smoke Contest is a competitive event where participants aim to keep a pipe lit and smoking for as long as possible using a fixed amount of tobacco, without relighting. It’s a test of skill, patience, and technique—essentially a pipe smoker’s endurance challenge. These contests are popular in pipe-smoking clubs worldwide. The UPCA (United Pipe Clubs of America) was initially formed to join the CIPC (Comité International des Pipe Clubs), who have been organizing the world competitions since the 1960’s. 

National Contest:

The Vernon Vig National Pipe Smoking Contest takes place at the Chicago International Pipe Show in Chicago, Illinois each year, typically in April or May. The National Champion can be sent to the World Cup (Individual) or World Championship (Team), most often held in Europe in October of each year (Cup and Championship alternate years). 

Regional Contests: 

Champions of  Regional Contests receive free entry to the National Slow Smoke Contest. Regional Contests are awarded based on multiple criteria.

The current Regional Contests are: 

Northeast : Capitaland Pipe Show (Albany, NY)

Midwest: NASPC (Columbus, OH)

Northwest: Seattle Pipe Club (Fife, WA)

Southcentral: Texas Pipe Show (Cedar Hill TX)

Southeast: Not Assigned

Southwest: Not Assigned 

Sanctioned Contests: Any member club can host a sanctioned slow smoke competition by using and abiding by the UPCA Rules and Regulations. Sanctioned contests will be promoted on the web, and the event can use “UPCA Contest” in their promotion. If you are non-affiliated club or event using the UPCA Rules, please reach out with any questions as a non-sanctioned contest.     

Basic Rules

Each contestant is given:

• A standardized pipe
• 3 grams of the same tobacco
• Standardized tamper 
• Two matches to light their pipe (used within one minute)
• Sheet of paper for tobacco preparation.

No relights are allowed. Once the pipe goes out, that’s it. The winner is the person whose pipe remains lit the longest with no relights. 

A complete list of rules can be found here:



UPCA Slow Smoke Contest Rules

A Tobacco Fast Smoke Contest is a competitive—and often hilarious—event where participants race to finish a bowl of pipe tobacco as quickly as possible without breaking certain rules. It’s essentially the wild, rowdy cousin of the more formal Slow Smoke Contest.

How it works:

Each contestant gets:

• The same type and amount of pipe tobacco (3 grams)
• A corn cob pipe, contestants can use their own pipe but be warned it will likely be destroyed.
• Any ignation method for burning the tobacco
• A piece of tin foil
• Water

At the signal, everyone lights up and starts puffing furiously.

The goal is simple: Be the first to completely finish your bowl of tobacco—burned to ash.

Why do it?

It's a fun, high-energy contest often run alongside pipe shows or club gatherings.

It celebrates the lighter side of pipe culture, with bragging rights (and sometimes prizes) for the speed demons of the pipe world.

Think of it as a tobacco-powered drag race—fast, hot, and just a little bit ridiculous.

Rules and Regulations can be found here:

Fast Smoke Contest Rules