[Video/Dazhong News]

The final stage of the first "New Era, New Shandong Cuisine" 2021 Shandong Cuisine Innovation Competition kicked off on Dec 9 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.

The final of the 2021 Shandong Cuisine Innovation Competition is held on Dec 9 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The competition, which was launched on Sept 16, is co-held by the Shandong Provincial Publicity Department, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Shandong Base Station of China Media Group, as well as the Shandong Tourist Hotels Association.

In addition to participants from 136 districts and counties in 16 cities in Shandong province, the competition has also attracted the attention and participation of gourmets from more than 40 countries such as Britain, the United States, and Russia.

According to the organizers, 1,099 dishes were submitted to the competition. As of 6 pm on Dec 8, the total number of votes for the participating dishes had reached 53.91 million, setting a new record for voting in China's hotel industry.

The competition has also become the most influential and largest food contest with the most diverse range of participants in China's hotel industry.

The competition has a jury of well-known food experts. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The competition is designed to develop new popular dishes, establish new brands, as well as build a new platform for the inheritance and innovative development of Shandong cuisine.

Participants are encouraged to produce new dishes with local historical and cultural characteristics and locally sourced ingredients, as well as highlight nutrition, health and green concept and artistic aesthetics.

A dish submitted by Heze highlights the elegant and dignified atmosphere of peony flowers, as the city is known of "peony capital of China". [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The competition organizing committee selected 200 dishes for the final through an online audition, a city evaluation panel evaluation, and an expert committee selection. The 200 dishes will be evaluated by a panel of food experts.

Following the conclusion of online voting at 11pm on Dec 31, the competition organizing committee will select the "2021 Top 10 Innovative Shandong Dishes", "100 Most Valuable New Shandong Dishes" and "2021 My Favorite New Shandong Dishes".

A dish submitted to the New Era, New Shandong Cuisine competition [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]