Dividing the world into 20 regions and involving around 100 top chefs as jurors, 20 young chef finalists, 20 chef mentors and a stellar chefs jury, the competition reflects S.Pellegrino’s commitment to supporting emerging talent. Applications will open on 1st January 2016.

Mark Moriarty, global winner of the 2015 competition representing the UK & Ireland, said: “I was delighted and honoured to be named S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015. The journey was an unforgettable, one off experience that I will always remember. I met so many fantastic chefs along the way and the title has made an incredible difference to my career as a whole”.

The 2016 competition will feature a new panel of judges, known as the Seven Sages, who will be responsible for crowning the most talented young chef in the world. Composed of some of the world’s most renowned culinary masters, the jury includes David Higgs, Carlo Cracco, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack.

S.Pellegrino Young Chef is a global competition, split into four phases:

Phase One (Jan-Mar 2016) - Online Application - from 1st January – until 31st March 2016. Young chefs signature dishes can be submitted here: via www.finedininglovers.com

Phase Two (Apr 2016) - Selection of regional shortlist and winner - All candidates will be divided into 20 regions and their applications will be assessed by ALMA. Throughout the month of April, ALMA will select the ten finalists for each region following five Golden Rules: ingredients, skills, genius, beauty and message.

Phase Three (May-Aug 2016) - Regional finals - The UK/Ireland finals will be held at renowned cooking school, L'atelier de Chefs. The Young Chefs will cook and present their dishes to a jury of top chefs, including Claude Bosi and Ollie Dabbous. One chef will walk away with a place in the global final.

Phase Four (Oct 2016) - Grand Finale Event – this will be held on 13th October 2016 in Milan.

S.Pellegrino is an international trademark of Sanpellegrino and is distributed in over 130 countries through branches and distributors on all five continents.