The baking industry isn’t for the faint hearted. Early mornings, perfecting techniques, and always imagining the next big thing—how can a baker progress further? The Australian Baking Society (ASB) is here to lend a helping hand.

Hosted by the ASB, the Australian Baking Scholarship is an opportunity for bakers to demonstrate their skill and passion. The newly renamed competition showcases Australia’s best bakers and pastry cooks to the world—entries are open to anyone in the Australian baking industry.

Baking Business spoke with Janet Blythman, long-time member of the ASB, and committee judge on the scholarship panel.

“I have been involved in the Australian Baking Scholarships Awards (ABINSA) since the inaugural year in 1991. For the first eight years, I was involved as an entrant,” Janet said.

After time and dedication, Janet eventually won the national prize and was invited afterwards to assist ABINSA scholarship founder Craig Perry, to help in judging the applicant papers.

“Around 2014, Craig gifted the ABINSA scholarships to the ASB. I was already a member of the ASB for around 15 years at that point. So, he asked me to be involved in the handover committee,” Janet said.

According to Janet the scholarship competition started off reasonably small with a gala dinner hosted by Craig every year. Originally there was only the Arthur E Denison Award for bakers aged 25-and-over and after some feedback, the Sydney J Packham Award was introduced for bakers aged 18 to 24 years.

“There [the Packham Award] is where you see the most movement, you see these people just starting in the industry and if they get to the regional finals, they have the opportunity to meet a lot of people in the industry and be exposed to new skills,” Janet said.

“And you know when we look at the honour roll, there has been a lot of people who have either won the Sydney J Packham or the Arthur E Denison who have gone on to have very successful careers within the baking industry.”

Maylee Howard with her family

Winning the scholarship certainly adds a boost to any baker’s career as the national winners have the added prize of an international baking experience—whether that be tours of baking facilities or learning at renowned baking institutions.

“Some of the winners really take advantage of the opportunity, and they tried to extend their learning while they’re overseas. For example, one winner, Caleb Braszell spent an extra three months in Europe, and he organised to gain experiences and work in different bakeries. It opens the door for them to use their own initiative to make the most out of their trip,” Janet said.

2024 winner of the Arthur E Denison Award, David Damour, is one of the bakers who will be making the most of his international trip to San Franscisco this October. As one of the national winners, David has a chance to learn at the San Franscisco Baking institute, alongside some extra curriculars he’s organised for himself.

“Going to San Franscisco Baking Institute, it’s quite an amazing pace for a baker. It is a very renowned bakery school. There are also some pretty iconic bakeries all around San Franscisco that I’ve always wanted to look at,” David said.

“I’ve also organised to go follow a course where they are bringing Thomas Teffri-Chambelland who is very renowned for all the types of sourdough. It’ll be quite interesting to see his approach and learn from him,” David said.

David will be joined in his overseas trip by Maylee Howard, national winner of the Sydney J Packham Award. Aged only 19, the young baker is excited for what the trip could hold, and still partially surprised she won.

“I couldn’t believe it when John Packham called my name at the awards night. It was such an honour … This experience has inspired me even more, and I can’t wait to bring back what I learn,” Maylee said.

“I’m most excited about the course I’m doing—it focuses on puff pastry and Viennoiserie. I’m excited to learn about wholemeal puff pastry because you don’t see that much.

“I haven’t planned for the rest of my trip yet, but I’ll definitely be going to different bakeries and patisseries and see as much as I can while I’m there.”

David Damour at the presentation

David agreed that winning his respective award felt like a dream and a much-needed win at the time.

“I had a pretty rough time last year and so winning helped me a lot. It was a very good win at a good time.”

It was with the support from industry professionals that David and Maylee were able to submit such strong applications.

“For my scholarship paper, I definitely called on lots of people in the industry for information. I spoke to my trade school teacher, my employer and the different people mentioned in the scholarship paper. I tried to contact them about their careers and what they’d done so I could get as much information as possible to answer the questions in detail,” Maylee said.

David had heard of the competition and ASB a few years ago from a good friend in Adelaide.

“He [the friend] told me they [the ASB] were doing a scholarship and at the time I didn’t know that such an organisation existed in Australia,” David said.

“So, I reached out and applied for the scholarship for the first time in 2023. Unfortunately, I finished second. And that’s why in 2024, I tried again, and it went well for me.”

Janet acknowledged that the applications—especially for the Sydney J Packham award—can be feel overwhelming at a glance.

“My advice would be break it down to small chunks and ask people in the industry for assistance. You’ve got about three months to do it so don’t be daunted by the size of the pack,” Janet said.

“We want the applicants to go out and talk to other people in the industry, talk to their bosses, talk to the sales reps. Don’t be afraid to ask for help—use your resources.”

For those interested in a chance of a lifetime, entry kits will be available mid-April and applications for an entry kit will close on June 30, 2025.

Entries for the two national scholarships, close August 15, 2025.

Prizes

Eight regional winners (four winners per scholarship) will have the chance to experience:

• Five days and four nights in South East Qld, interacting with the baking industry and professionals
• A ticket to a cocktail function to meet ASB sponsors
• Two-day industry tour
• Invitation to the ASB annual conference
• 12-month membership of Australian Baking Society
• 12-month subscription of the Baking Business magazine
• A ticket to the ASB gala awards dinner

Alongside these experiences, the two national winners will also win an overseas experience to better the baking skills. The 2025 location is the San Franscisco Bakery Institute, with a five-day course and tour of the facilities.