I've competed with my chili. Here's the recipe I made last night:
2 Tablespoons of Canola Oil (or vegetable oil, peanut oil, or any other oil. Wouldn't recommend olive oil.)
1.5 Teaspoons of Cumin Seed (seeds, not ground cumin)
1 Teaspoon of Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Oregano
Kosher Salt (NOT iodized table salt!)
Black Pepper (freshly ground if possible)
3 small cans of tomato sauce
3 tomatoes - minced (just the regular-sized tomatoes)
1 medium white onion - minced (yellow in pinch, red and vadalia not recommended)
2 jalapeno peppers - minced, seeded and de-veined (see below for notes on peppers/chillies)
1 red bell-pepper - minced, seeded and de-veined (green or yellow bells peppers can work too.)
2 lbs of meat (I used finely diced chuck steak and pork steak. You can use ground meats, or whatever combination of meat you want.)
1 can of chili beans in chili sauce.
Put the oil in a skillet (preferably one that is not non-stick) and heat for a minute or two until hot and then put in the cumin seed. The hot oil will cook the seeds and cause them to release a lot of flavor and oils. When you heavily smell the cumin throw in the minced veggies with a heavy pinch of salt and a heavy dose of pepper and saute them until they are good and mushy, stirring occasionally - they will release a lot of juices.
While the veggies are cooking, in a large pot on a separate burner on medium-low heat. Heat the tomato sauce, beans, and seasonings along with another light pinch of salt and pepper.
When the veggies are cooked add them to the pot, stir.
In the now empty skillet add another light tablespoon of oil -maybe only half a tablespoon, just enough to make the pan slightly slick- and start browning your meat -again, seasoning it with another light pinch of salt and pepper. When the meat is good and browned -but not necessarily thoroughly cooked- drain off the grease and add it to the pot.
Stir the pot, mixing the ingredients well, and get it to a simmer. Cover the pot and let this simmer for at least an hour, better yet you can put this in a Crockpot on low for several hours. The longer it cooks the more the flavors will meld and the more tender the meat will become if you used diced steaks/chops/roasts.
If needed, you can add more tomato sauce if you want your chili "soupier", you can substitute the jalapeno peppers for hotter ones if you like a hotter chili, adjusting the numbers if needed -you may be surprised how hot one habenero pepper can make things- leaving the veins in the chilies can make them hotter, as well as leaving the seeds in. Adding in finely diced dried chilies too can do a lot for flavors, they'll rehydrate in the sauce as it cooks.
You may need to add more seasonings to taste, I sort-of guessed on my amounts as I'm not usually one to measure seasonings when cooking I just put in what feels good, cook it for a moment, take a taste, and then add more if I think it's needed. Adding another pinch of cumin, or even ground cumin, can go a long way to brining out more of a "chili flavor."
Letting this sit overnight in the fridge, too, brings the flavors together, and out, more.
And yes, I don't have "chili powder" on my ingredients list. I don't use it. I get the "chili powder" flavor through the use of cumin, veggies, and other seasonings. Chili powder, often, is nothing more than dried chilies, salt, oregano, cumin, and other seasonings anyway. All of which I just simply add separately.
I also made cornbread to go with it. I love cornbread with honey alongside it. 
