The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is inviting cooks, bakers, students, and culinary innovators to submit entries for the 2026 Culinary Arts Competition.

JCDC Culinary Arts Development Specialist, Jane Jerry, explains that this year’s competition is designed to ignite fresh creativity and inspire innovative approaches to how yam is prepared and enjoyed.

“Every year we try to use a local item that is underutilised. [This year] I want to see how persons can step outside the box and come up with creative ideas in preparing yam, using the different types… that we have,” she said.

Ms. Jerry further highlighted that while many Jamaicans are most familiar with yellow yam and white (soft) yam, the competition seeks to inspire greater appreciation and creative use of the wide range of yam varieties grown across the island.

She added that the Norwegian Seafood Council will sponsor saltfish for competitors, encouraging them to pair it with yam as part of this year’s creative culinary challenge.

“You’re going to ‘marry’ saltfish and yam, and persons will say ‘roast saltfish and roast yam’. But then you can go a little further with the roast yam and the saltfish… to ‘up’ it a little, to elevate that roast yam and saltfish. That’s what I want to see people do,” Ms. Jerry pointed out.

The categories for the 2026 competition span a wide range of culinary creativity, including batters and doughs, wedding and celebration cakes, traditional Jamaican dishes, recipe writing, preserves and condiments, wines and liqueurs, the group or team challenge, ‘production to plate’, pan chicken, the Young Tasters Challenge, and Street Food JA.

The Young Tasters Challenge will welcome participants between the ages of nine and 14.

“They’ll be asked to do either some sandwiches and a smoothie… or they will be asked to do and decorate at least six cupcakes,” Ms. Jerry informed.

Prospective competitors can submit their applications online via the JCDC website at www.jcdc.gov.jm.

“Click on that, go down to competition, and scroll to culinary. When you click culinary, you will see ‘handbook’ and ‘entry form’,” Ms. Jerry informed.

Entrants will be asked to provide their contact details and will receive a response via email or WhatsApp, along with instructions for accessing the competition.

Ms. Jerry underscored the competition’s vital role in nurturing Jamaican culinary talent and creating opportunities that open doors for participants to advance in the industry.

“Coming out of a culinary arts competition, we see where persons would have garnered additional skills, and chefs would be looking on to see some bright prospects for their establishment,” she said.

Ms. Jerry added, “Out of this competition, you can find persons developing skills in becoming entrepreneurs and for even the export market.”

Entries for the 2026 JCDC Culinary Arts Competition will close on Friday, May 15.