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Vilcek Foundation announces $50K awards for immigrant chefs
Six national prizes will recognize early-career food and media practitioners in the U.S.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 17, Feb 2026
- 14:49 EST
- 13
2027 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts / vilcek.org
U.S.-based Vilcek Foundation announced six $50,000 awards to recognize the contributions of immigrant chefs to American food culture.
The awards are part of the 2027 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts and mark the return of the foundation’s Culinary Arts category after nearly a decade.
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Six prizes will be awarded in total, to recognize early-career immigrants whose work has made a measurable impact on food, beverage, and culinary media in the United States. Tthree recipients selected in Food and Beverage and three in Media & Storytelling. Each award carries a cash prize of $50,000.
The prizes are open to a broad range of culinary practitioners and storytellers. Eligible professionals include chefs, bakers, brewers, distillers, sommeliers, mixologists, and food artisans, as well as journalists, critics, writers, filmmakers, photographers, podcasters, editors, and other media workers whose work documents or advances food and beverage culture.
Applicants must be 38 years old or younger, have lived in the United States for at least four years, and have a minimum of five years of professional experience in food and beverage or culinary media.
Prize recipients will be selected by a jury of culinary experts based on the rigor, originality, and impact of their work.
Past recipients have included figures whose work has influenced national conversations around food and immigration. Tejal Rao, a 2019 prizewinner and now co-chief restaurant critic at The New York Times, said the recognition prompted her to reflect more directly on her identity as an immigrant and the role immigrants play in shaping American food culture.
In remarks released by the foundation, Rao said immigrant labor and creativity often drive innovation in the industry without broad visibility.
In addition to the cash award, recipients will receive a commemorative trophy and national promotion of their work through the foundation’s platforms.
The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek to raise awareness of immigrant contributions to the arts and sciences in the United States. Since its founding, the foundation has awarded more than $17 million in prizes and grants and operates as a federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
Applications for the 2027 prizes will be accepted until May 4, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST.
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