Pastry competitions 2026

Participating in a pastry competition in 2026 is a real boost to your professional standing. Whether you're an apprentice, an experienced pastry chef, an ice cream maker, or a chocolatier , these competitions allow you to challenge yourself, showcase your skills, improve your technique… and often give your career a significant boost.

But be warned: to have any hope of competing, you need to plan ahead . Registration often opens several months before the competition date, with applications to prepare in advance. You also need to allow time for creative research , trials, and practice – not to mention the logistics if you have to travel.

That's why we're sharing with you now the calendar of 2026 pastry competitions, open to professionals and students in the field , which will take place in metropolitan France , so as not to miss any key dates.

You will find below:

• Competition for professional pastry chefs

• Chocolate and confectionery competition

• Ice art competitions (ice cream, sorbet)

• Mixed competition (chocolate making, pastry making, ice cream making)

• Regional competitions or those dedicated to apprentices and amateurs

Pastry Competition 2026

► European selection for the Pastry World Cup

📅 National selections on January 18 and 19, 2026
📍 During the Sirha Bake & Snack trade show in Paris

The World Pastry Cup showcases technical excellence, creativity, and the passing down of pastry skills. It is open to national teams composed of renowned chefs and young talents from each country. The competition combines several events (tasting, chocolate, sugar, and ice sculptures) with national and continental selection rounds, culminating in a world final.
The world final will take place during Sirha Lyon, on January 22 and 23, 2027.
🔗 Official website

► 22nd National Croquembouche Festival

📅 March 7, 2026
📍 At EPMT in Paris

The National Croquembouche Festival is a competition for apprentices under 22 (CAP, Bac pro, etc.) who, working in pairs, create a decorative croquembouche combining nougatine techniques, pulled sugar, and artistic decoration, presenting a piece that is as visually striking as it is delicious. The next edition will likely pay tribute to Claude Bourguignon, a leading figure in French pastry and an exceptional mentor who passed on his passion to several renowned pastry chefs, including Angelo Musa, Christophe Felder, Gilles Marchal, and Frédéric Bau.
🔗 Official website

► Pastry Trophy "1 product - 3 variations"

📅 March 15, 2026, from 12pm to 6pm
📍Strasbourg, France - During the EGAST trade fair from March 15th to 18th

For 4 hours, the candidates must create live and in front of the public a dessert for 6 people inspired by the Black Forest, made into 10 individual desserts and 50 identical petit fours; and also a citrus-based dessert that incorporates a plant (a herb, a tea), made into 10 individual desserts and 50 petit fours.
🔗 Official website

► 52nd French Dessert Championship

📅 March 18 and 19, 2026 - Registration closes on December 9, 2025
📍 Jean-Baptiste Chardin High School in Gerardmer, France

Participants, whether professionals or apprentices, must create an original plated dessert for 10 people within 3 hours. Junior and professional categories (minimum age 25).
🔗 Official website

► Best Custard Flan Competition

📅 Final on April 18 and 19, 2026
📍 Place Bellecour in Lyon, France

Participants must elevate this classic French pastry with creativity and skill. All funds raised support the charity Envie d'un Sourire, which helps sick children, vulnerable families, and those in need.
🔗 Official Facebook page

► 6th Fruits of Talent Competition (Andros Chef)

📅 Final on April 24 and 25, 2026
📍 In Biars-sur-Cère in the Lot (46)

The Fruits of Talent Competition invites young pastry chefs under 30 years of age in training to create desserts that showcase fruit, without artificial colors, flavors or elements.
🔗 Official website

► 46th edition of the MAF Pastry Competition

📅 Final on March 31, 2026
📍 Ferrières Castle (77)

The Best Apprentice of France Pastry Chef Competition is aimed at apprentices holding a CAP Pastry Chef qualification for less than two years, aged under 21, and aims to reveal young talents by valuing their technical skills and their professional integration.
🔗 Official website

► Sustainable Pastry Competition

📅 October 2026 - applications before June 2026
📍Not known at the time of publication; in 2025: CFA for gastronomy in Marcy-l'Etoile (69)

This competition is organised by the Foundation for Sustainable Cuisine in collaboration with Maison Valrhona and Maison Pierre Hermé; it invites pastry chefs over 21 years of age to create a cake to share combining seasonality and sustainable practices (choice of ingredients, waste management, limiting packaging, energy savings…).
🔗 Official website

► Challenge your senses

📅 October 2026
📍 Nantes, France - SERBOTEL Trade Fair

This is a competition in pairs, chef and apprentice (baker, pastry chef, sandwich maker or cook), where teams must reproduce a pastry that they will discover blindfolded, in 1 hour 30 minutes (including cleaning), with a qualification phase in three waves and then a final between the winners of each wave.
🔗 Official website

► 5th Nutella Academy Competition

📅 October 2026
📍 Paris, France

A competition developed in collaboration with chef Grégory Cohen and aimed at apprentices in pastry, restaurant desserts, chocolate and confectionery or ice cream making, as well as non-qualified amateurs, to revisit classic French pastries using Nutella® as an ingredient
🔗 Official website

► Best Chocolate Éclair Competition

📅 November 2026
📍 Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair

Reserved for food industry professionals, highlighting a revisited classic.
🔗 Official website

► Best Chocolate Yule Log Competition

📅 November 2026
📍 Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair

This competition is open to professional pastry chefs, bakers, chocolatiers, restaurateurs, ice cream makers.
🔗 Official website

► Grand Prix de la Pâtisserie de Paris 2026

📅 November 2026 - registrations possible until October 24, 2025
📍 Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair

With the theme "Paris, City of Love," this competition, created by Anne Hidalgo with Pierre Hermé, celebrates Parisian artisanal excellence and encourages local sourcing by requiring the inclusion of at least one locally produced ingredient: aromatic herbs, honey, edible flowers, chocolate, or fruit. There are two categories: a competition open to young talents training in a Parisian institution, and to professionals working in Paris.
🔗 Official website

Chocolate and Confectionery Competition 2026

► 5th Criollo Cocoa Trophy
📅 Tuesday, February 6, 2026

📍Nice, France - AGECOTEL show
The Cacao Criollo Trophy is a competition for professional pastry chefs and chocolatiers with at least 3 years of experience and aged 21 or over, during which participants must create artistic pieces in chocolate (and other delicacies) on a given theme.
🔗 Official website

► BOGATO Contest

📅 May-June 2026
📍 Paris, France

The BOGATO National Pastry Competition is open to amateurs, professionals, students and children, to promote pastry creativity around imposed themes.
🔗 Official website

► MAF Chocolate and Confectionery

📅 Registration opens and topics are presented: Saturday, January 31, 2026

The Best Apprentice of France Chocolatier-Confectioner Competition is open to young people under 23 years of age who hold a CAP (vocational qualification) in Chocolatier-Confectioner with limited professional experience. It aims to showcase their artisanal skills and creativity, and to uncover the future talents of the profession.
🔗 Official website

► 23rd Pascal Caffet Trophy

📅 November 2026

Open to apprentice pastry chefs, chocolatiers and confectioners under 20 years of age, the objective is to promote the chocolate-making professions.
🔗 Official website

► 6th Cacao Criollo Trophy

📅 Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM
📍 AGECOTEL Trade Show

For its 6th edition, the Cacao Criollo Trophy will offer candidates, under the guidance of the Nice-based artisan chocolatier Pascal LAC, the opportunity to create several pieces on a set theme: "art in motion".
The competition is reserved for professional pastry chefs and chocolatiers with at least 3 years of experience and a minimum age of 21.
🔗 Official website

► Bruno Le Derf Trophy

📅 November 2026
📍 Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair

A high-level competition with selection based on application, open to all professionals. Participants must create an artistic piece entirely made of chocolate on a given theme.
🔗 Official Facebook page

► Pro and Junior Gold Pods

📅November 2026
📍Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair

Competition with 2 categories (junior and professional). Competition based on the creation of chocolate pieces.
🔗 Official website

Ice Cream and Sorbet Competition 2026

► MAF Glacier manufacturer

📅 Registration opens and topics are presented: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Competition for apprentices (16-21 years old), which rewards excellence in ice arts.
🔗 Official website

► Snöbell – 5th “Starry Ice” Trophy

📅 October or November 2026
📍 Variable location

Competition for artisan ice cream makers, which values ​​innovation and mastery of ice cream textures.
🔗 Official website

► Glacier Challenge

📅 November 2026
📍 Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair

Selection of 12 artisans, with technical challenges and exceptional ice cream creations.

Mixed and specialized competitions

► International Pastry and Chocolate Trophy (TIPF)

📅 January 20 and 21, 2026
📍 Paris, France - SIRHA Bake & Snack Trade Show

Competition organized into 2 categories (amateurs and professionals). Open to professional pastry chefs, chocolatiers, confectioners, and ice cream makers working in France.
🔗 Official website

► 5th Taste Bud Agitators Trophy

📅 October 2026
📍 Nantes, France - SERBOTEL Trade Fair

Competition focused on chocolate, with artistic and technical challenges around entremets.

🔗 Official website

► French Culinary Arts Championship

📅October 2026
📍Nantes, France - SERBOTEL Trade Fair

Open to all students and apprentices enrolled in the Vocational Technical Certificate (BTM) and Vocational Baccalaureate (Bac Pro) programs who are in their second year of training in Pastry (BTP Pâtissier), Ice Cream (BTM Glacier), or Chocolate (BLM Chocolatier), and in their final year of the Bac Pro. Applicants must be under 26 years of age on the day of the final rounds. The competition includes pastry, chocolate, and ice cream making.
🔗 Official website

► World Gourmet Coffee Fair

📅 November 2026
📍 Vannes, France - Chocolate Fair
Open to adults aged at least 20 years, with a minimum of 2 years of experience in the food industry, on the date of the start of the competition, all nationalities in the world can be represented.
🔗 Official website

► European Sugar Art Championship

📅January 2027
📍Lyon, France - SIRHA Lyon Trade Show

Candidates will have to create an artistic work using pulled sugar, blown sugar, ribbons, and other original techniques.
🔗 Official website

Beyond major national and even international competitions, don't forget that there are also numerous regional and local pastry competitions . Less publicized but just as demanding, these events are an excellent opportunity to hone your skills, test your recipes in real-world conditions , and gain local recognition among your peers, potential employers, or the local press.

Every experience counts towards progress, gaining confidence and refining your pastry signature.

So don't wait until the last minute: choose your 2026 pastry competition, get ready... and go for it!

💡Custom mold design Would you like to design a custom-made cake mold? Petit may be able to help you, depending on feasibility - contact us and detail your project in the dedicated form.

© Photo credits: Ladepeche.fr - DDM-L. Bertoni , Leprogres.fr - Photo Joël Philippon , Snöbell Starry Ice Cream Competition , Ouest-France.fr, maison-caffet.com - Photo Olivier Douard