TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida is looking for its next Future Chef Champion.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is now accepting entries for Florida Future Chef 2026, a statewide student cooking competition focused on reimagining school meals using Florida-grown ingredients.
The contest is open to Florida students ages 8 to 12 at the time of the September 2026 finale event.
Students must submit a two-to-five-minute video showcasing their own take on a favorite school meal. Recipes must be inspired by federal school meal nutrition standards and include Fresh From Florida ingredients.
“Parents are paying closer attention to what’s in their children’s food, and they should,” Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said. “The Florida Future Chef competition encourages students to think differently about nutrition by using fresh Florida-grown ingredients instead of relying on heavily processed foods.”
The contest is open through July 13 at 11:59 p.m.
Students will compete for prizes, including up to $5,000 in college funds provided by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation.
FDACS’ Division of Food, Nutrition, and Wellness will select three finalists from submissions across the state.
The finalists will advance to a three-day finale in Tampa, where they will sharpen their kitchen skills, learn more about nutrition standards and present a final dish to judges.
The winner will receive the title of Florida Future Chef Champion. Finalists will also compete for a Florida 529 Savings Plan scholarship and the chance to have their recipe adapted into an actual Florida school meal.
The competition is connected to Florida’s National School Lunch Program, which provides students access to low-cost or no-cost meals each school day.
Families can learn more about the contest, rules and entry requirements at FloridaFutureChef.com.
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