The nomination period closes on May 19 and is open to chefs around the world demonstrating how gastronomy can be a force for change.

Among last year’s Top 20 shortlisted chefs was Toronto-based chef Joshna Maharaj.

The Basque Culinary World Prize is organized and promoted by the Basque Government and the Basque Culinary Center. The winner will receive €100,000 to devote to a project of their choice that demonstrates the wider role of gastronomy in society.

To be considered for the award, chefs must be nominated by another professional who is currently working in the culinary industry, for example, another chef, food writer, supplier or an institution.

The winner will be announced on July 18 at the meeting of the International Committee of the Basque Culinary Center in Mexico City, which will be part of a major global event on biodiversity.

The award will be judged the International Council of the Basque Culinary Center. It will be chaired by Joan Roca (Spain) and include Gastón Acurio (Peru), Ferran Adrià (Spain), Alex Atala (Brazil), Dan Barber (United States), Michel Bras (France), Heston Blumenthal (UK), Massimo Bottura (Italy), Dominique Crenn (France), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan), Enrique Olvera (Mexico) and René Redzepi (Denmark). It also includes for the 2016 winner Venezuelan chef Maria Fernanda di Giacobbe, who was chosen for her work with Venezuelan chocolate through social projects such as Kakao and Cacao de Origen, with which she has built a system of education, entrepreneurship, research and development around the Criollo cacao bean.

“Since we won the prize, our work has taken on a new dimension. We have helped many more women become chocolate entrepreneurs. It has allowed us to set new goals and open up new ways to connect with the world,” Fernanda di Giacobbe said. 

Last year, nominations came from more than 30 countries worldwide and 110 different chefs were nominated. The­­­ projects with which they were involved ranged from innovation to education, health, research, sustainability, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, and the preservation of local cultures.