Watch this video of the Seafood Cooking Contest at the 2023 Maine Lobster Festival held in Rockland , Maine. Over 100 applicants sent in recipes, from which 5 contestants were selected. The amateur chefs in person prepare, cook, and present their seafood creations to a panel of judges ( extra samples are made for those in the crowd who have been able to watch this whole procedure). Amateur chiefs this year came not only from Maine, but also from Colorado, New York, and South Carolina.