Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2015: Full Prize Money and Purse Payouts

Independence Day brings with it many traditions. There are feelings of patriotism, spectacular fireworks and families gathered together from all over the country. Yet none of these pastimes compares to the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which was won in an upset by Matt Stonie with 62 hot dogs. 

Joey Chestnut's eight-year winning streak at the Coney Island event came to an end, as he was only able to finish 60 hot dogs in 10 minutes. 

To the victor—in this case, Stonie—goes the spoils. Since 2007, Major League Eating has issued a cash payout to the top finishers. According to the official MLE website, the total prize payout for this year's field is $40,000. 

Zack Meisel of the Plain Dealer noted on Twitter what everyone was thinking when Chestnut lost:

ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted out the nutritional value information for Stonie's 62-dog "lunch":

Per Dan Lucas of NBC's Tampa Bay affiliate, Stonie noted after his win that he's had a good year and plans to keep going:

Chestnut has been the face of eating for years. Even though hot dogs are what he is most known for, the 31-year-old also holds records in four other professional eating events, per ESPN:

Yet after eight years, there is a changing of the guard. Stonie has been on the rise for a long time. He came into today's competition ranked second in the official MLE rankings, behind Chestnut. The San Jose native also has youth on his side, as he turns 23 in May.

Plus, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info, Stonie got the better of Chestnut multiple times in 2014:

There's always that one final hump every athlete in sports has to get over before being crowned champion. The Boston Red Sox had to beat the New York Yankees. Peyton Manning had to beat Tom Brady in the playoffs. Stonie had to beat Chestnut in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. 

Everything has fallen into place for Stonie. He finally got his moment in the sun and will be able to enjoy it, at least for a little while. 

However, now that Stonie is on top, all the pressure is on his shoulders. Everyone will be expecting greatness in every eating competition moving forward. He's got a track record of success and seems capable of handling this spot. 

There are 365 days until next year's competition, which gives Stonie plenty of time to maintain his groove as competitive eating's superstar.