October 13, 2026
Provided Image/Herr's
Herr's annual 'Flavored by Philly' contest has returned for its sixth year. The Chester County-based snack maker is calling on people in the region to nominate businesses that should inspire their next trio of chip flavors in a contest that will be put to a vote to decide which is best.
For the sixth year in a row, Herr's is calling on local potato chip lovers to nominate inspirations for a new batch of Flavored by Philly contestants.
The Chester County-based snack maker opened submissions Monday for people to suggest restaurants, eateries and food companies whose best-known dishes and products deserve to become chip flavors.The top three nominations will be sold at stores next summer and compete in a public vote to decide which is the best.
As in years past, the person with the winning nomination will get a $5,000 prize and the business that inspired the chip will receive $10,000. Submissions are judged by a panel of culinary leaders and others with cultural ties to the Philly area.
"From neighborhood favorites and local legends to hidden gems, we can't wait to see what the city will decide are the three undeniably Philly flavors for this year's contest," Ed Herr, the snack company's executive chairman, said in a statement.
Herr's welcomes people to submit their best ideas by following instructions on the company's website, where a submission form can be obtained by providing an email address. Those who nominate businesses will be asked to describe the flavors they want to see and why they will be a hit with customers across the region. Herr's offers a few sample nominations on the contest website.
People who want to make a nomination should note that the first submission for a given business will be treated as the official endorsement of that flavor for the purposes of the contest. Only the person who nominated the business first will be eligible for the $5,000 prize in the event that flavor wins the contest.
The nomination period will remain open through Nov. 2 and the top three nominees selected by the judges will be revealed early next summer. All three flavors will then be available in stores for people to try during an eight-week voting period. Everyone who votes will be entered into a lottery to receive a Herr's gift basket. The company will send one out for each week that voting takes place.
Herr's has gotten some solid ideas for chips by crowdsourcing in the Philly area. Here's a review of each of the company's contests over years.
The inaugural contest had a more general design, calling on people to nominate flavors that weren't rooted to any particular business. The chosen nominees were the (215) Special Sauce chip with a mixture of salt, pepper, ketchup and hot sauce; the Long Hots with Sharp Provolone inspired by classic roast pork sandwich toppings; and the Wiz Wit chip based on the flavor of savory cheesesteak goop.
The Long Hots with Sharp Provolone, favored by PhillyVoice's samplers at the time, came out on top. More than 11,000 votes were cast, the company said.
Herr's introduced nominations for specific businesses in its second contest. The finalists were a roast pork sandwich chip inspired by John's Roast Pork; Korean BBQ Wing chips derived from by Mike's BBQ in South Philly; and Tomato Pie chips with a flavor based on the famed flatbreads from Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli in Norristown.
The chips inspired by Corropolese, which has been around for more than a century, took the victory. More than 17,600 votes were cast.
The third contest featured a showdown of local restaurants that specialize in traditional, home-style dishes. The finalists were Potato Pierogi chips inspired by the Polish dumplings made at Mom-Mom's Kitchen in Port Richmond; Cheese Ravioli and Marinara chips based on a recipe from Talluto's in the Italian Market; and Special Hot Stromboli chips based on the doughy, baked folds at Romano's in Delaware County.
The Romano's-inspired Special Hot Stromboli chips took the victory, edging out the others in a contest that drew 26,340 votes.
Herr's held a "crunch off" in 2025 to determine the best of the winners from the three previous years. The company said it saw a huge spike in voter participation — a 654% increase over the 2024 contest — that gave Long Hots with Sharp Provolone a "clear victory" over its competitors.
The flavor has since become a year-round fixture in Herr's lineup of ripple chips. Herr's said there were 199,008 votes cast in last year's contest.
To mark the nation's 250th anniversary, Herr's took a different approach to this year's contest. The company created three broad categories — Freedom, Liberty and United — representing themes tied to the country's founding. Voters were asked to select the best flavors in each category.
Over the summer, Herr's released the top flavors: Freedom Loaded Cheese Fries, Liberty Hickory Barbecue and United Jalapeño Cream Cheese. Of the three, PhillyVoice's samplers agreed the United Jalapeño Cream Cheese chips were the best of the bunch.
Nearly 100,000 votes were cast in the company's "Taste the 250" contest.
