The World's 50 Best Bars announces the return of its 50 Best Bars Scholarship programme for the 18th edition of the awards. Launched in 2022, the 50 Best Bars Scholarship offers aspiring bartenders a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid opportunity to train at some of the world's most influential bars and to attend The World's 50 Best Bars awards ceremony.

This year's Scholarship winner will undertake two immersive stages: one at Line in Athens, ranked No.8 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 and another at Tres Monos in Buenos Aires ranked No.10 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2025 and named The Best Bar in South America 2025, gaining hands-on experience across two landmark cocktail destinations.

Applications open on 6 May via The World's 50 Best Bars website and close on 27 May at 12:00 BST. The winner will be revealed at The World's 50 Best Bars 2026 live awards ceremony, with further details on the event's date and location to be announced in due course.

The return of the 50 Best Bars Scholarship reinforces 50 Best's drive to prioritise development opportunities and experiences for aspiring bartenders across the globe. Unlike previous years, there is no set theme for this year's Scholarship, giving bartenders the freedom to spotlight a subject they are truly passionate about. This open approach encourages participants to further showcase their skills, creativity and depth of understanding around a topic of their choice. Those selected to present their creations, will face a three-stage judging process.

Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World's 50 Best Bars, says: “Beyond awards, 50 Best is dedicated to growing and celebrating a global community that is passionate about sustaining the future of the drinks industry. We are delighted to nurture the next generation of bar talent with this year's Scholarship programme alongside two acclaimed international bars, and look forward to recognising the next wave of aspiring bar professionals.”

Vasilis Kyritsis, Dimitris Dafopoulos, Nikos Bakoulis, Co-Owners of Line, say: “Our philosophy at Line is to create communities and share inspiration, ideas and our culture with people who want to be part of it. We cannot wait to host the winner of the 50 Best Bars Scholarship 2026 in our home.” 

Sebastian Atienza, Co-Founder of Tres Monos, says: “We're incredibly proud to represent Argentina as a host for the 50 Best Bars Scholarship and to welcome the winner into our world at Tres Monos. For us, this is about sharing not just techniques, but our culture, our people and the energy of Buenos Aires hospitality.”  

The selection process

The 50 Best Scholar will be selected after a three-stage judging process.

• Round One: Applicants will be asked to share their vision and inspiration for their theme and what it tangibly means to them as a bartender as part of a video application and questionnaire format. A total of 25 applicants will be selected to go through to Round Two.
• Round Two: The shortlisted candidates will be asked to design a drink inspired by their theme. The design requires evidence of the research, development and creative process. These submissions will then be judged by an international panel of experts. Together they will decide on a five-strong list of candidates to advance to the final interview stage.
• Round Three: For the five finalists, the third stage will comprise a rigorous interview with representatives from 50 Best and upcoming stage hosts Vasilis Kyritsis of Line and Sebastian Atienza of Tres Monos

The three finalists will be hosted at The World's 50 Best Bars 2026 awards ceremony, where the winner will be announced. The stages will take place in 2027. Previous winners of the Scholarship include Calliope Draper (2024), Apoorva Kohli (2023) and Drew Fleming (2022).

In addition to full travel, accommodation and subsistence costs covered, the stagiaire will receive £2,000 (£1,000 per stage) to support their time abroad.

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