Sip, sup and siesta like a Spaniard for 7 days on the ultimate food adventure!
We’re looking for 3 culinary explorers to embark on food-fuelled assignments to uncover the local recipes, techniques and attitudes that make Spain a seriously celebrated food destination.
This is your opportunity to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to learn from the producers, chefs and home cooks that are so passionately dedicated to Spanish cuisine. You could be scoffing churros and preparing patatas bravas in Madrid, cooking fideuàs and indulging in crema Catalana in Catalunya or perfecting a tortilla Espanola and gulping gazpacho in Andalucia - all right alongside the locals.
The Prizes
The 3 winners will receive:
- A 7-day all-expenses-paid trip to Spain courtesy of Turespana, Culture Xplorers, and the regional tourism boards of Andalucia, Madrid and Catalunya.
- Round-trip airfare from your country of residence to Spain
- Mentorship from local Spanish chefs, cooks and artisan providores
- Travel insurance for the duration of the trip from World Nomads
Who can apply
Anyone can apply - this is open to food writers, bloggers, aspiring chefs, and just plain passionate eaters with a story to share! Below are the details if this sounds like you - Get writing!
- Minimum age of 18 (by application deadline).
- You must hold a current, valid passport (with 6 months left before expiry).
- The scholarship is open to all nationalities (subject to obtaining a Spanish visa), however, you must have an exceptionally high degree of proficiency in written and spoken English.
- You must be available as per the dates set out. Please note these dates are not changeable in any way, you must be available for the entire assignment.
- You should be a mad-keen foodie with adventurous taste buds, a curiosity for all things culinary and an openness to interact with locals.
- You must be up for eating anything at anytime, pitching in with the cooking and cleaning up! Picky eaters need not apply.
- You must be very comfortable in front of the camera, and sharing your emotions and opinions with the world.
How to apply
To apply we need you to cook, snap and share with us your most memorable food recipe.
- Submit a recipe (in English) with accompanying photos.
This can't just be any recipe, this recipe needs to come with a story. It could be the clafoutis that you learned to make from your French flatmate or maybe the empanadas you learned to make on your backpacking trip around South America.
Whatever it is, it has to be special (we don't want to see 50 pavlova or lasagna recipes) and something that you think would transport other travellers to a new place, simply by making it at home. We want recipes with soul that make us miss a place that perhaps we've never even been.
- Tell us in 2000 characters or less (this includes spaces) the story behind the recipe and what makes it so special to you.
- Complete a 1500 character max essay telling us why you should be chosen and what the opportunity would mean to you. Your answer will provide considerable weight in the judging process.
- The entry must be submitted in English.
- One entry per person.
What the judges are looking for
We are looking for three culinary anthropologists to explore the history, traditions and social habits that define Spain's cuisine.
The three winning foodies will discover the techniques, the ingredients and the influences that make food from the Iberian Peninsula truly mouth-watering and unique - through visiting the sources and cooking alongside the local people.
Does this sound like your type of gig? Then it is up to you to convince our judging panel through your recipe, story and essay that you have the spirit of adventure and passion for food to be chosen for this opportunity. We will be looking for:
- a unique, drool-worthy, tried-and-tested recipe (with accompanying photos of the dish, cooked by you)
- a great story behind your recipe
- strong eye for detail
- a compelling reason why we should send you to Spain
What you'll be doing
Each food explorer will keep a daily blog on World Nomads documenting their culinary experiences in Spain featuring stories, photos and recipes from the road.
You could be preparing pisto in Madrid, trying the world famous jamon serrano in Andalucia or whipping up the perfect allioli to go with lunch under the shade of an olive tree in Catalunya.
While on assignment, all of the winners’ experiences will be filmed by an accompanying cameraman. That means if you win, you must be comfortable having every bite captured on film.
