McVitie’s stage National Dunking Championship.

Simon Girma, a North London resident aged 35, has been crowned the winner of a national biscuit dunking championship held in central London.

Leading British biscuit maker McVitie’s staged its inaugural ‘National Dunking Championship’ as part of a campaign to transform the time-honoured but typically solo pastime of biscuit dunking into a sport, aiming to bring people together in a competitive showcase of skill and biscuit know how.

Kicking off a great summer of sport, the inaugural contest was held in honour of National Biscuit Day (29^th May) and saw dunkers from across the nation come together to go head-to-head in a series of ‘dunk offs’. The participants demonstrated exceptional dunking skill, precision and strategy while adhering to a strict set of rules.

Each ‘dunk off’ tests contestants’ ability to out dunk their rival – immersing their biscuit in a hot drink for as long as possible without it crumbling. Each second the biscuit is submersed gives the player one point. However, upon removing their biscuit, it must remain intact, otherwise they get zero points. The person with the most points after three dunk offs wins, and goes on to the next round.  Each round features a different McVitie’s biscuit, challenging contestants’ knowledge of each biscuit’s dunking characteristics.

Simon was crowned victorious after a series of intense dunk off rounds, including a sudden death tie breaker. And the biscuit that delivered the winning dunk? The Chocolate Hobnob.

Speaking shortly after his win, Simon said: “I’m so proud to be the winner of the first ever McVitie’s National Dunking Championship. It was an amazing competition – credit to all the other contestants who were worthy opponents, but I knew my extensive dunk training regime would pay off!”

A panel of judges – led by McVitie’s Chief Dunking Officer Dr. Helen Pilcher -oversaw gameplay. One of the standout moments of the championship was the Jaffa Cake round – a less common dunk choice, and one which flummoxed players thanks to its unique sponge-like texture.

The Rich Tea round also proved perilous, as contestants worked to keep their nerve and avoid a dunking disaster.

With each McVitie’s biscuit offering different dunking qualities, a deep level of biscuit knowledge was required from all contestants.

Research conducted earlier this year by McVitie’s Chief Dunking Officer, Dr Helen Pilcher, found that a Hobnob can withstand 12.5 seconds of dunking (depending on hot drink temperature), whereas the ‘dunking danger zone’ of a Rich Tea kicks in at 8.8 seconds – deeming it a higher risk biscuit.

Dunking is deeply ingrained in British culture and McVitie’s, having baked its original biscuit in 1839, has been an integral part of this cherished ritual for over 180 years.

Today, just in time for National Biscuit Day, McVitie’s has shared the rules of this new sport that honours dunking, and invites the nation to challenge friends, family or co-workers to a game.

James King, spokesperson for McVitie’s, said: “As the true original biscuit maker, McVitie’s knows the positive social impact of bringing people together over a cup of tea and biscuit. So, let’s have some fun, Britain! Rally your friends or rivals and become a dunking champion. Get training and we’ll see you at next year’s championship.”

Dr Helen Pilcher, McVitie’s Chief Dunking Officer, commented: “Being the judge of the National Dunking Championship felt like the perfect evolution of my role as Chief Dunking Officer. The contestants were all amazing and had brilliant biscuit knowledge. As a dunking enthusiast myself, it was extremely rewarding to see my dunking research put into practice and brought to life in such a unique way.”

McVitie’s wants to inspire the nation to embrace the sport of competitive biscuit dunking by hosting their own ‘dunk offs’ with friends, family or colleagues.

Those joining in on the dunking fun are encouraged to share the action on social media, tagging @McVitiesOfficial using the hashtag #McVitiesDunkOff.