Lou Willcock Scholarship 2025

 

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 2025 LOU WILLCOCK SCHOLARSHIP

(CLOSING DATE 26th September 2025)

 

Secure a grant of £5000 and a professional mentor for one year, to enable completion of a self-designed project that supports your personal and professional development and makes a positive contribution to industry or society. Open to those aged from 18 to 35, who are UK residents working or studying in hospitality or gastronomy (and related fields).

 

For enquiries and to discuss possible applications, contact the OCC team (occ@oxfordculturalcollective.com).

This is your opportunity to engage in a creative project, of your own design, that will enhance your skills and attributes and have a positive impact on others.

Applicants are invited to propose a personal or professional development project that reflects their aspirations and passions, which will also have a lasting legacy. This might involve overseas travel, to engage in a distinctive learning experience; the acquisition of skills that enable a move from a corporate role to entrepreneurial life; or the launch of a community project that will extend opportunities to others. The OCC Trust places no limits on applicants’ creativity and is looking forward to receiving truly innovative proposals.

Project proposals should be well constructed and show evidence of appropriate planning and research.

Project proposals should have a strong social or cultural purpose, designed to benefit others. The OCC Trust encourages applications from those representing a diverse range of social and cultural backgrounds.

The winner of the Lou Willcock Scholarship will receive a grant of £5000 and mentoring support from one of the OCC Trustees, for a period of one year.

The scholarship submission deadline is 12 noon on 26th September 2025.

The shortlist will be published mid-October 2025, and the winner announced at an awards reception in November (date tbc). 

The judges

 

The judges for the 2025 Lou Willcock Scholarship are:

• Gurdeep Loyal, food writer, author and broadcaster
• Ken Hom CBE, Patron of OCC, chef, television broadcaster and author
• Ceri Butcher, Director of Development, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford
• Martin Holden-White, OCC Trustee and founder of Grubby

 

Your application

 

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

CLICK HERE FOR PROJECT BUDGET AND ITINERARY FORM

 

For enquires and to discuss possible applications, contact the OCC team (occ@oxfordculturalcollective.com).

In your application, submitted online, you are required to include:

• Your contact details
• Project title
• Summary of project proposal (maximum 150 words).
• Full details of project proposal (maximum 1000 words), to include intended impact on you personally, and on others.
• A short film recording, in which you outline your motivation, skills and experience (maximum 4 minutes).
• Provisional budget and timetable for your project, using standard template
• Contact details for two referees

 

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• I will be in the age range 18 to 35 at the time of the closing date for submissions (26th September 2025)
• I am a UK resident
• I have provided my correct contact details
• I have described my project within the required word count
• I have recorded a short film
• I have provided a budget
• I have provided a timetable
• I understand that the OCC Trust judges and administrators will have access to the personal data that I have provided in my application and that it will be processed to administer my application. I can ask for my data to be deleted at any time
• I would love to be the successful applicant

 

THE ‘SMALL PRINT’ (terms and conditions)

1. The Lou Willcock Scholarship is open to UK residents who are between eighteen and thirty-five years old, as of the closing date on 26th September 2025.
2. Applicants must be working or studying in the fields of hospitality or gastronomy (or closely related fields).
3. An outline budget must be submitted as part of each application.
4. The OCC Trust maintains the right to challenge and revise outline budgets, in consultation with winning applicant.
5. The full grant may be released in stages, in line with planned expenditure.
6. The OCC Trust will work with applicants to establish a system for tracking expenditure and holding receipts.
7. The OCC Trust will work with the winning applicant to refine and adapt their project proposal, and to facilitate its implementation, so as to achieve positive outcomes.
8. The development project should ideally begin within six months of the announcement of the winner (November 2024) and be complete within two years.
9. The winning applicant will be required to complete a reflective review of their experience of engaging in their project, which will be placed in the public domain. The format of this review will be agreed in advance with the OCC Trust (e.g., could be written report, filmed diary, oral presentation).
10. Decisions of the judging panel, including on eligibility and on choice of winner, will be final and The Trust will not enter into communication about the merits of particular entries.

 

With special thanks to our sponsors

Tim West, Robin Sheppard and the Russell Partnership