Applications open for £5000 OCC scholarships

Ben McEwen, Chair of the OCC Trust (our registered charity) and Andi Oliver, OCC Patron, at the 2025 scholarship reception.

Applications are now open for OCC’s annual scholarships, each of which comes with a grant of £5000 and mentoring support for one year.

Applicants are invited to propose a personal or professional development project that reflects their aspirations and will have a lasting impact on the industry or society.

OCC places no restrictions on the type of project applicants can put forward, and aims to find those with the potential to change industry and society for the better.

The two awards: the Lou Willcock Scholarship, recognising hospitality creativity; and the Golden Chopsticks Scholarship, the first of its kind dedicated to East and Southeast Asian food and hospitality, celebrate talent from across our sector.

Winners receive a year of professional mentoring alongside the £5000 grant, and join a growing community of OCC scholarship changemakers.

Ben McEwen, chair of OCC’s charitable trust, said: “We are proud to offer substantial financial grants and comprehensive mentoring as part of our awards. Over time we aim to create a community of highly talented scholarship winners, who will be the changemakers of the future.”

For chef, broadcaster and OCC Patron Andi Oliver, it’s this sense of community that delivers real value for scholarship winners: “When you create a community, it gives you the confidence and strength to reach for your ambitions, your goals and to reach for the stars, which is what we all want.”

2023 winner Jack Feeny, chef and founder of Tomorrow’s Kitchen, said: “It completely changed my life. The whole process has laid the foundation for the work we are now doing. For those with great ideas they believe could help change our industry, I would really recommend applying.”