The Art Institutes sponsors a national scholarship competition annually for high school seniors interested in pursuing a culinary degree at the participating Art Institute of the candidate’s choice. Best Teen Chef is a three-part competition, which begins each February with a preliminary entry submission. In March, a local cook-off is held at each participating location, including The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. One winner from each local competition will travel, expenses paid, to the national cook-off, held in May at a destination that is determined on an annual basis.

To be eligible to enter The Best Teen Chef competition each participant must be a graduating high school senior with a 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average. Each candidate must submit a formal application to The Art Institute of his or her choice by the established preliminary deadline.

Who is Eligible: High school seniors

Deadline: Mid-February. Please contact The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Admissions Office for the exact deadline.

Apply to: Call Admissions at 1.800.275.2470

Terms/Conditions: To enter, the student must submit a complete entry form, high school transcripts, write a paragraph about why they would like to study culinary arts and submit a recipe in a standardized format.

Range of Award: $3,000 (Local competition); At the regional competition, first place winner will receive a $3,000 tuition scholarship. At the national competition, a first place winner will receive a full-tuition scholarship, the second place winner receives a half-tuition scholarship and the third place winner will receive a quarter-tuition scholarship. Fourth through ninth place winners will receive a $5,000 tuition scholarship and remaining finalists will receive a $1,000 tuition scholarship.  Tuition scholarships are non-transferable.  Full-, half, and quarter-tuition scholarship awards are awarded toward a bachelor’s degree and must be used at the location the student represents in the competition.