Here at the beginning of 2026, Edible Memphis has a brand-new way for you to start your year: the Edible Memphis ChampionSip: Soup competition. This bracket-style competition brings together sixteen of the best bowls Memphis has to offer—from old family recipes to modern fusion flavors.
Here are three reasons to participate:
1) Restaurants need you!
January is usually a slow month for restaurants. ChampionSip: Soup gives you sixteen good reasons to get out and try something new while supporting restaurants when they need it most.
2) Celebrate Memphis!
Being part of ChampionSip: Soup is a great way to get to know—and love—our city. Participating restaurants are spread out all around the Memphis area. Some spots are favorites that have been around for decades, while others are exciting new additions. And the soups they’re cooking up offer flavors as diverse as Memphis!
3) You can win too!
Tag Edible Memphis in soup photos on Instagram throughout the month of January to be entered to win a $150 gift card to the participating restaurant of your choice. Readers who sample all 16 soups before January 31 will be invited to cast a vote as an official judge.
What better way to start your year than by tucking into one bowl after another of hot, tasty goodness? Whether you go for classic comfort soups or something more imaginative, ChampionSip: Soup has a bowl for you! Try them all, and you’ll probably walk away with some new favorites.
There are three ways for contestants to win:
Overall Bracket Winner, Most Tagged Soup, and Judges’ Choice.
The bracket-style competition begins on January 17.
Voting for each individual matchup will take place exclusively in an Edible Memphis Instagram Story poll over an assigned 24-hour period. Here’s what to expect:
January 1-16: Competitors introduced one by one on social media
January 16: Bracket announced
January 17-24: Sippin’ on Sixteen
January 25-28: Spicy Eight
January 29-30: Pour of Four (Semi-finals)
January 31: ChampionSipper (Finals)
Head on over to Edible Memphis to decide which ChampionSip: Soup to try first!
This blog was written by Manda Gibson
Manda Gibson is copy editor of Edible Memphis. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s often running through Overton Park, teaching literacy to Memphis’s vibrant immigrant community, and loving life in Midtown with her husband and teenage kids.
