Prospective entrants to the annual Young Chef Young Waiter competition will be very pleased to hear that the deadline for entries has now been extended until Tuesday 14 July 2009.

Now in its 25th year, Young Chef Young Waiter is the premier competition for both young chefs and young waiters working in the UK hospitality industry today and is organised by the Restaurant Association in association with von Essen hotels.

The competition is kindly sponsored by a number of industry partners including Savoy Educational Trust, S.Pellegrino, HSBC Merchant Services, Sodexo, Wild Harvest, Laurent Perrier, Matthew Clark and Caterer and Hotelkeeper.

Entrance to the competition is an essential way for the rising stars of our industry to expand their learning and experience, and enhance both their own and their establishments' reputation.

The prize list has also been enhanced for 2009, and now includes:

First Prize

£2000 for each winner, plus a three-day culinary course sponsored by S.Pellegrino at the University of Alma, based in Parma, Italy. The prize includes practical courses on food, wine and water with culinary tutorials by top chefs. Winners will further enhance their knowledge of the kind of cheeses, Parmiagiano Reggiano, as well as famous Italian meats, such as salami.

Second Prize £1000 for each runner-up, plus a two night break in Von Essen's Lewtrenchard Manor in Devon, with a taster menu and wines at the recently launched private dining concept 'Purple Carrot'. The hotel's cuisine is famed for its use of home-grown garden produce. A tour of the wine cellar, a hosted trip to the local beef supplier and two tickets to the Eden project are part of the prize, courtesy of von Essen hotels.

Third Prize

Third placed chef and waiter will receive £500 each plus a day's experience at one of Sodexo's most prestigious contracts followed by an exclusive dining experience, courtesy of Sodexo.

All cash prizes are courtesy of the Savoy Educational Trust Prizes Trust. Judges for 2009 will include Bruce Poole, chef proprietor of the Michelin-starred Chez Bruce, as the chair of the chef judges and Stephen Mannock of the National Skills Academy as the chair of the waiter judges.

As the 2009 main sponsor luxury hotel group von Essen will host waiter regional heats at two of its hotels, Clivedon and Seaham Hall, as well as providing one of the main prizes.

Von Essen chief executive Nick Romano said: "We are delighted to be supporting this very important competition, which encourages young talent throughout the hospitality industry and throughout the country."

Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), added: "Young Chef Young Waiter last year attracted more than 200 entries from both well known and lesser known establishments. "This year we want to increase this number and encourage many more entries from all sectors of the hospitality industry."

Closing date for entries: Tuesday 14 July 2009

For further details of the competition and to download the application form please visit the Young Chef Young Waiter website at www.bha.org.uk/ycyw or contact Pauline Jackson at the BHA either by email [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7269 9686.

Photograph: Nick Romano, CEO of von Essen hotels.