Des Moines has a regular BJJ competition calendar, with Sub Spectrum the most active organizer. Most events are held in the city, and some also run in nearby West Des Moines and Ames.
Sub Spectrum runs a series of adult No-Gi events including The Midlands No-Gi Championships, MayDay, Fallout and the Winter Trials. Its Future Stars events, such as StarFall and Aurora, are dedicated kids and teens competitions with Gi and No-Gi divisions. Submission Challenge also holds events in Des Moines.
Around three in five events offer Gi and No-Gi divisions, and around two in five include an absolute division. About a quarter run kids divisions. Both round-robin and double-elimination formats are used. November is the busiest month, followed by February, May, September and July.
