Time is running out for keen bakers to enter the Australian Baking Industry National Scholarship Awards (ABINSA).

The  competition consists of two categories: The Sydney J Packham  Baking Industry Medal for entrants aged 18-14, and The Arthur E Denison Trophy for entrants aged 25-and-older.

This year the two lucky winners will have the opportunity to attend the San Francisco Baking Institute for five days, with the prize also including airfares, accommodation and spending money.

The 2024 The Sydney J Packham Industry Medal winner Caleb Brazsell was able to attend Europain as part of his win, and describes it as one of the greatest experiences of his life.

“It allowed me to expose myself to different machines and bakery equipment that I have never seen before. It also allowed me to see how European bakers used different flours and ingredients to create high quality goods,” Caleb said.

“At Europain they were also running the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie and Patisserie, which was a great experience to see bakers competing on an international level.

“During the week of Europain [BakeSkills winners] Carla Penza and Rebecca Tracey and I spent some time exploring Paris’ bakery scene. This generated a lot of ideas for us and exposed us to new ways of baking.”

Caleb said he also leveraged industry connections to get in touch with people in both Paris and the UK and eventually intern in different bakeries.

“I ended up working in Poilane Paris, Un Pain a Part Paris, Dunns Bakery London, Hart Bakery Copenhagen and Levain CH Geneva,” he said.

“I not only learnt how to bake in these places, but the owners and bakers I was working with taught me what it was like to run a business. They explained to me the importance of creating high quality products and taking care of the community.

“These stages wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for this opportunity that was given to me through the award.”

Entries for the prestigious competition must be ordered by June 30, 2023 and entries are set to close on August 23, 2024. Further information can be found on the Australian Society of Baking website.