English (Inglés)

Rules for the Tapas Competition of the Americas

1.- Espacio Gourmet announces the 3rd Tapas of the Americas Competition.

2.- To participate, the requirements are:

– Be a professional chef over 21 years of age. You must provide proof of employment in the kitchen of a restaurant, hotel, or catering service.

– You must be currently employed, and your establishment must be open and operational at the time of the competition.

3. – To participate, you must submit the official competition pre-registration form with all the requested information and await a response from the organizers.

4.- Once authorized by the organizers, each participant may submit only one original, unpublished tapa. The ingredients, preparation method, and a photograph must be submitted using the official competition form.

5.- Using the official recipe form, participants must list the quantities of ingredients for their tapa, enough for 11 servings.

6.- The total cost of each tapa submitted cannot exceed US$1.90. When submitting the recipe, please specify the currency in which it is made.

7.- In the recipe submission, the tapa must be shown in the photograph section, mounted on the container or decorative element with which it will be entered in the competition.

8.- Participants must also submit a video (recorded on a cell phone is acceptable) of less than one and a half minutes in length, in landscape format, introducing themselves and explaining their tapa or pincho. A video consisting solely of talking against a wall is not acceptable. The quality and production of the video will be considered in the competition’s judging. The video can be sent via WeTransfer or a similar service (Link to the sample of the video).

9.- All documentation must be submitted via email ([email protected]), along with a copy of a valid passport.

10.- The call for entries is open from February 18, 2026, until August 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (Mexico City time).

11.- A committee comprised of professional chefs and the competition’s technical team will select 14 participants from all the recipes received to advance to the final in-person phase.

Final Round:

12.- The 14 participants will be invited to Querétaro, Mexico, from September 24 to 27, 2025.

13.- All selected candidates must have a valid passport with at least eight months of validity remaining to participate.

14.- Flights, meals, and lodging during the competition will be provided by the organizers (participants will share a room with another participant of the same sex).

15.- All selected participants will be sponsored by a local establishment in the host city, which must have prior knowledge of the tapa their sponsored participant will prepare.

16.- This establishment may also sell the sponsored participant’s tapa to the general public during and after the competition.

17.- During all public events and throughout the competition, all participants must wear the competition chef’s jacket, which will be provided to them beforehand.

18.- The order and day of participation will be determined by a public draw.

19.- Participants may bring an assistant to help them set up their cooking area and with anything else they need. However, the assistant is strictly prohibited from remaining in the kitchen area during the contestant’s participation time.

20.- Each participant will prepare the tapa or pintxo submitted in their documentary proposal, accessing their kitchen space in 10-minute intervals and having a maximum of 25 minutes for the final preparation of the 11 servings. This time is for heating, reheating, and plating. Participants may prepare the ingredients beforehand.

21.- The 25-minute preparation time may not be exceeded, under penalty of disqualification.

22.- Timekeeping will be carried out by a designated floor jury.

23.- Of the 11 servings prepared, 10 will be for the jury’s tasting and 1 will be photographed for the press and subsequently displayed.

24.- The tasting jury will be composed of renowned figures in gastronomy, both national and international, and one of them will act as Jury President. 25.- During the competition there will be 3 floor judges who will supervise and subsequently notify the President of the jury and the technical director of the competition of any incident that may have occurred during the development of the competition.

25.- During the competition, there will be three floor judges who will supervise and subsequently notify the Jury President and the competition’s technical director of any incidents that may have occurred.

26.- The tasting judges will score entries according to the sheets provided by the organizers, based on the concepts of flavor, originality, presentation, and commercial applicability of the tapa or pintxo, video presentation, etc.

27.- After the competition concludes, the jury will meet in a private room to tally the entries and decide on the competition results, revealing the names of the top three finishers.

28.- In case of disagreements or a tie, the Jury President will have the deciding vote.

29. Participant obligations:

– Interaction with any of the judges outside the designated cooking area is strictly prohibited.

– The Tapas of the Americas Competition will take place on September 27th. The drawing for participation times will be held on the 25th, and you are required to attend this drawing, as well as the closing ceremony and announcement of the winners, which will be held on the 27th at 8:00 PM at the same venue.

– If you are selected as a winner, you will be required to conduct any necessary press interviews, attend events related to the competition, and support the establishment sponsoring you. You agree to carry out all activities requested by the competition organizers during the competition and to follow up on any requests made by the Tapas of the Americas Competition organizers.

– Those who place in the top 3 will be required to represent their country and travel to the World Tapas Championship in Valladolid, Spain, in November, with all expenses paid by the organizers.

30.- The organizers reserve the right to postpone or modify the competition due to unforeseen circumstances.

31.- Registration for this competition implies knowledge and acceptance of these rules.