The 2025 Australian Baking Industry National Scholarship Awards (ABINSA) winners have been announced.

Carla Penza from Gumnut Patisserie in NSW was named as the 2025 Sydney J Packham Baking Industry Medal winner, while Ruwan Colombage from Kangan Institute in Victoria received the Arthur E Denison Trophy.

It was the second major win Carla has had in recent years, after she also claimed the Bake Skills Pastry competition in 2023. Ruwan was also named a finalist for the Arthur E Denison Trophy in 2021.

The announcement was made on October 15 at the Australian Society of Baking’s National Conference, which was held on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

As part of their major prize, the two national winners will travel to the US to attend a five-day course at the San Francisco Baking Institute in 2026.

The ABINSA scholarships were established in 1991 by the Australian Society of Baking with the aim of providing a national competition that promotes thought, discussion, debate and action on key issues that will affect the industry.