Overview

Culinary Artists have a good knowledge of all aspects of a modern kitchen including basic butchery, fishmongery and bakery, along with good cookery and presentation skills.

Responsible for the high-quality production of food served to customers in a retail dining situation; culinary artists work with raw ingredients to create complex and intricate dishes to be served to customers. They may also be responsible for the creative aspect of compiling a menu.

This competition assesses the skills and abilities of competitors entering the field of Culinary Arts. Candidates will be expected to have a good knowledge of all aspects of a modern kitchen, along with good cookery and presentation skills and be familiar with the core competencies.

How competing has helped Ashleigh’s career progress.

The skills you need to demonstrate

  • Creativity

  • Time management

  • Work under pressure

  • Hygiene

  • Attention to detail

  • Safe handling of equipment

  • Nutritional science

  • Communication skills

Useful resources

Prepare for competition success

Our library of endorsed local skills competition briefs ‘benchmarking assessments’ helps prepare learners to build technical skills, productivity, and mindset competencies for national competition success, including employability progression pathways.

Paired with the benchmarking tracker, educators can record progress, identifying strengths and target areas for improvement. Together, they offer a reliable, standards-led framework, creating a sustainable model for skills development that supports educators to empower learners to be competition ready.

Access on the Learning Lab

Contact details

cgcworldskills@hotmail.com

Entry criteria

  • This is an individual competition.
  • There is no limit to the number of competitors permitted to enter this competition per organisation.
  • Competitors must be familiar with the core competencies (these can be found in the ‘Useful resources’ section below) and must not have more than 3 years’ industry experience.
  • Competitors must be working towards or have completed a relevant Level 3 qualification or equivalent in the last 12 months.
  • When entering the competition please bear in mind that if successful applicants will be committed to up to 2 years of training which will involve training sessions and opportunities to gain skills and knowledge that will be pivotal to your career going forward

How it works

Registrations open on Monday 2 March 2026, 9am and will close Friday 27 March 2026, midnight.

Entry stage will be released on Monday 2 March with a final deadline of Friday 3 April 2026.

National Qualifiers will take place from May to June 2026 as follows:

Bedford: Tuesday 26 May, Start 12am
Cheshire: Tuesday 2 June, Start 11am
Cheshire: Wednesday 3 June, Start 11am
Belfast: Tuesday 16 June, Start 10am
Cardiff: Tuesday 23 June, Start 10am
Cardiff: Wednesday 24 June, Start 10am
Hull: Tuesday 30 June, Start 10am

A maximum of 10 competitors per heat will be invited to compete at the qualifier stage.

To help finalists prepare ahead of the UK Final, we will provide relevant technical training and share mindset development techniques, to support them to remain focused on achieving success.

Prepare students and apprentices by engaging with our benchmarking resources to master their skills and mindset masterclasses to build confidence and resilience on the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab.

The National Finals are scheduled to take place in Wales during the week commencing 16 November 2026.

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