Thursday, October 1 - Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is proud to present the Escoffier Crown Scholarship Competition for 2027 and 2028 high school graduates! Contestants have the opportunity to compete virtually for 30 scholarships totaling $65,000, toward an education at Escoffier. All registered participants will be awarded a $500 scholarship toward an education at Escoffier.

Contestants will be asked to make a Spooktacular Halloween-inspired savory or sweet dish and upload a series of photos of their work for consideration. Submissions will be accepted from Thursday, October 1 – Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

Scholarship Competition Details and Eligibility:

This contest is open to high school students graduating in 2027 or 2028 (seniors or juniors) who are interested in attending Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (Residential or Distance Learning Programs). Students must enroll and start classes no later than twelve months following their high school graduation date.

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 a Spooktacular Halloween-inspired sweet or savory dish. 

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 dish midway through)
  • Finish plated dish 

Step 3: Contestants must fill out our registration form, submit 3 photos from step 2, and add a title and description of your final dish via our submission form. Submissions will be accepted from Thursday, October 1st – Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

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

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

Deadline for entry is November 4th, 2026, by 11:59 pm CT.

Judging Criteria:

Dishes will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Creativity (extra points given to creativity pertaining to Halloween. Ex: colors, originality, messaging)
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 November 7, 2026. 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 Spooktacular Halloween Dish-Off, 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 classes no later than twelve months following their high school graduation date.

For questions, please email Chef Steve Harden at [email protected].