Every chili comp cook I've talked to uses all powders, and no fresh anything. Onion powder, garlic powder, and their own special blends of chili powders made directly from a variety of dried chile peppers (no Gebhardt's for those dudes).
The Wick Fowler's 2-alarm chili kit is all powder and actually makes a decent pot of red. It was my standard in college when I was poor and didn't know what I was doing. You know, before I became a stereotypical Texan chili snob.