Saturday, November 2 - Friday, December 13, 2024

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is proud to present the Escoffier Crown Scholarship Competition: The Gingerbread Structure Spectacle! Contestants have the chance to compete for 1 of 30 scholarships totaling $65,000. All registered participants will be awarded a $500 scholarship toward an education at Escoffier.

Contestants will be asked to create and decorate a gingerbread structure and upload a series of photos of their work for consideration. Submissions will be accepted from Saturday, November 2 – Friday, December 13, 2024.

Scholarship Competition Details and Eligibility:

This contest is open to high school students graduating in 2025 or 2026 (seniors or juniors) who are interested in attending Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (Residential or Distance Learning Programs). Students must enroll and start by October of the year graduating from high school.

The contestant must be a minimum of 16 years of age and have proof of high school graduation before enrolling at Escoffier.

 Scholarships Will Be Distributed As Follows*:

1. All registered participants who submit photos of their work will receive a $500 scholarship toward an education at Escoffier.**

2. Winners selected:

  • 1st place – $3,000 Scholarship (10 participants selected)
  • 2nd place – $2,000 Scholarship (10 participants selected)
  • 3rd place – $1,500 Scholarship (10 participants selected)

**Students receiving a winners scholarship will receive this in addition to the participant scholarship.

 Submission Instructions:

Step 1: Create and decorate a Gingerbread Structure.

Step 2:  Take 3 photos that illustrate your dish in the following stages:

  • Mise en Place (gathering and preliminary preparation of the ingredients)
  • In process (include photo of structure midway through)
  • Finished structure 

Step 3: Contestants must fill out our registration form, submit 3 photos from step 2, and add a title and description of their final structure via our submission form. Submissions will be accepted from Saturday, November 2nd – Friday, December 13, 2024.

>>You can fill out the form by clicking here!

Deadline for entry is December 13th, 2024 by 11:59 pm CT.

For added fun, but not required, share your photos with us on Instagram by tagging @escoffierschools

Judging Criteria:

Structures will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Creativity

2. Technique

3. Presentation

Winners will be determined by a panel of chef judges from our academics team.

Scholarship Winners:

Scholarship winners will be notified via email by January 10, 2025. In order to be notified, please include a personal email address on the submission form.

Rights in Submissions:

By entering the Escoffier Crown Scholarship Competition: The Gingerbread Structure Spectacle, each participant is giving Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts the permission and rights to use the pictures of your dish and your name on all media platforms, social media platforms, and marketing material; including but not limited to local/national television shows, Instagram, Facebook, and website without further right of approval by or compensation to the participant. Winners may be required to share progress during and after their education with Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts on how the scholarship affected their path.

*Scholarships are disbursed to a student’s account over the course of a student’s enrollment in their program of choice, not to be applied in one payment. Students must remain actively enrolled in the program of their choice to receive monthly scholarship payment. Institutional scholarships cannot create a credit balance for stipends. The scholarships in this category are eligible to be awarded together, but students cannot exceed the overall scholarship maximum of $7,500 in a residential or online diploma program or $15,000 in a residential or online Associate Degree program. Competitive Culinary Arts Scholarships are not limited to tuition but are eligible for any institutional expense. Students must enroll and start by October of the year graduating from high school.

For questions please email Mike Keith at [email protected].