“Winners are not those who never fail but those who never quit.”
– Edwin Louis Cole
The winners of the Inter-Hotel Challenge ~ SA 2026 Supported by Union Tiles will be announced at the Gala Dinner on 1st December at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town.
Chef Awards
Chef of the Year and Ultimate Lancewood Pastry Chef of the Year will earn an extraordinary three-week stage with Valor Hospitality in Dubai at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek to travel in 2027.
Plus a R10 000 cash prize to the Hot Chef courtesy of ZA Foods and R10 000 cash prize to the Pastry Chef courtesy of Lancewood. Wonderful prizes for winners from Dr Susanne Reuther of KitchenAid Africa and Wings Group, including KitchenAid Artisan Mixers, Gadget & Utensils, Ceramics, and Bakeware, and more.
CTIA – Chefs Training & Innovation Academy will be sponsoring a bursary for the winning Hot Chef to join an ARPL Chef Programme – The QCTO NQF Level 5 Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning Programme.
The Rio Largo Achiever Award for the ‘Most Promising Chef’ receives a generous cash prize from Rio Largo Estate.
Additional prizes from Tiger Brands Food Service Solutions, KWV and Simonsig Family Vineyards
From FRÜT for the winning Chef’s Chutney and the winning Beverage Best Cocktail Mixer.
A ClemenGold hamper will go to the winning Lancewood Pastry Chef.
Beautiful prizes from AL&CD Ashley including SCANPAN cookware, Global Knives, Brabantia, Avanti, Severin and Joseph Joseph.
The ScanPan Excellent Kitchen Practice Award includes Highfield Level 3 Food Safety for Catering training for both the Hot Kitchen and Cold Pastry Kitchen categories.
‘KitchenAid Africa Bio-Wheat Baker of the Year’ receives a KitchenAid Food Processor. The hotel receives a KitchenAid Commercial Mixer as well as a R10 000 cash prize from Bio-Wheat!
Wine Steward & Beverage Awards
The winner will enjoy a two-week work experience with ACCOR in the South of France, with flights courtesy of Air France. The International Hotel School will provide an online certificate in Hospitality Management as well as a R10 000 cash prize from their partnered Wine Estate! The winner will attend the Sommeliers Academy and complete certifications towards becoming a professional sommelier, sponsored by Clearworld Suppliers distributors of Perrier, S.Pellegrino, and Acqua Panna.
Philip Abrahamson, CEO of Clearworld Suppliers says, “Through this sponsorship, we’re proud to open doors to world-class sommeliers training, helping the next generation of hospitality leaders reach their full potential.”
The runner-up, the ‘Most Promising Wine Steward’ will be offered a bursary by Lynn Naidoo, Managing Executive at the International Hotel School valued at up to R105 000 to study online towards a Degree or Diploma qualification of their choice, selecting from the school’s wide range of highly regarded programmes.
KWV will provide Cape Wine Academy bursaries to the top three Wine Stewards.
Rialto Foods awards the Best Mastiha Cocktail with a R30 000 bursary toward an online certificate in Hospitality Management. Janet Pillai of MLT Corp awards a R30 000 bursary for the Wonga Award to study with the International Hotel School.
Top Three Baristas receive cash prizes by Avanti Coffee plus coffee accessories from KitchenAid Africa and AL&CD Ashley.
Special Awards
WWF-SASSI Awareness Floating Trophy Recognising leadership in sustainable hospitality practices, including eliminating single-use plastics, minimising waste and prioritising SASSI green-list seafood sourcing. ❎ WWF-SASSI, a programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
KitchenAid Africa Best Team receives the KitchenAid Africa Floating Trophy.
Hospitality Awards
R15 000 cash prize for The Diamond Works Concierge of the Year from The Diamond Works Institute.
The Diamond Work Institute will present diamond-studded gold lapel pins to the winning Wine Stewards and top three Concierges.
Union Tiles GM of the Year receives hand-crafted engraved gold cufflinks / pendant by The Diamond Works Institute.
The Mentor of the Year wins a weekend away with Sun International to Sun City and stays at The Palace of the Lost City with flights for the mentor and partner provided by The Diamond Works Institute and transfers to Sun City by Dragonfly Africa.
…And finally delectable prizes including books from Penguin Random House and Von Geusau Chocolates
#InterHotelChallenge2026 #UnionTiles #Showcook
