Doritos is paying $250,000 to whoever builds the best American landmark out of chips, and it even published a guide on how to stack them

Doritos has launched a contest called “Build Bold,” challenging fans to construct edible replicas of iconic United States landmarks entirely from chips. The campaign kicked off on May 26, with the grand prize winner set to receive a quarter of a million dollars. As detailed by Dexerto, entrants can use any Doritos variety, from Nacho Cheese to Cool Ranch, to bring their chosen monument to life.

Accepted landmark categories span a wide range. National monuments and memorials include the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Monument. National parks and natural landmarks on the approved list include the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, Arches, Great Smoky Mountains, and Niagara Falls. Historic buildings and sites include the U.S. Capitol Building, Independence Hall, Fort Sumter, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.

To help participants get started, Doritos built out a “Workbench” section on the contest page at DoritosBuildBold.com, packed with stacking techniques, adhesive advice, and structural tips. One tip recommends using naturally curved chips to create rounded edges on monuments. Another advises building from the bottom up, one layer at a time, for maximum stability. The site also features a “Chip Calculator” that estimates how many bags a build will require. For a 12-inch-tall Washington Monument, the tool suggests approximately three bags.

The contest is part of a broader wave of brand promotions tied to America’s 250th anniversary

Beyond the grand prize, Doritos is running a separate daily sweepstakes offering weekly prize packages valued at approximately $730 each. Each package includes a Doritos-branded cooler, speaker, beach towel, and a $200 prepaid gift card. Five prizes are awarded per entry period, with 50 total prizes across all entry periods, bringing the combined sweepstakes prize value to $36,500.

Eligibility is limited to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 or older at the time of entry, with Alabama and Nebraska residents required to be 19 or older. Entrants may submit up to three unique builds per person per email for the main contest, and one sweepstakes entry per day per person. To enter, participants must submit a video and optional photo of their build at DoritosBuildBold.com, include the name of the participating landmark, and complete the registration form.

The contest and associated sweepstakes run through Friday, July 31, 2026. Prize money will be delivered via check or wire transfer. Amid food brands drawing viral attention for quirky product launches, such as a Kirin electric spoon that makes food taste saltier using electrical current, the Doritos campaign lands as one of the more elaborate consumer activations of the year.

The “Build Bold” campaign is part of a wider trend of brands rolling out promotions around the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. Just days before Doritos announced its contest, Johnsonville unveiled its own America 250 campaign, a limited-edition box packed with 250 bratwursts and grilling gear sold exclusively through Sam’s Club starting June 1. Brands leaning into the milestone has extended beyond food, with restaurant portion complaints and food value conversations dominating consumer food discourse broadly this year.

Fans on X responded quickly to the Doritos announcement, with some joking about finally finding a use for broken chips at the bottom of a bag. Others debated which landmark would be the most difficult to recreate in chip form. The official contest page notes: “No experience necessary, just boldness.”