France Selection | New for 2026-2027

The principle is the same as for the international selection: a written application, based on the recipe for your signature burger, and including your professional background.

To book your place in the final, present the pre-selection panel with a recipe that can both arouse emotions and reveal your culinary identity!

> Choose regional, local and seasonal products, that showcase local know-how.

> Invent a creative, unusual recipe that reflects your cooking philosophy. Show off your commitment, your sense of taste and, if possible, how you collaborate with others in the food industry: artisans, businesses (cooks/restaurateurs, butchers, bakers, pastry chefs, fishmongers, charcutiers, cheesemakers, etc.) and agricultural professionals (market gardeners, farmers, etc.).

> Take care with the presentation and visual effect, presenting your burger on your choice of base.

> Share your story, your background and the approach that gives meaning to your creation.

To submit your application:

> Complete the online application form

> Attach your professional CV detailing your career path.

> Upload 2 photos of your creation (jpg or png format).

> Give your burger a name.

> Write a text presenting your creation, its composition and the approach that inspired it.

Sélection France is open to all food and catering professionals working in France.

From 18 May to 5 June 2026

Once the entries have been examined, our panel of experts will select the creations that are the most accomplished and the most in line with the values of the competition, in order to choose the 6 candidates who will take part in the Sélection France stage on 15 June at the IMSE in Saint-Etienne.

Selection will be based on the competition criteria:

• creativity and originality
• promoting the terroir
• building and balancing of flavours
• technical expertise
• eco-responsible approach
• visual impact and overall spirit of the recipe

The 6 shortlisted candidates will be informed by 18 May 2026 at the latest and will then enter the test preparation phase.

For the Sélection France event, you’ll have to come up with 2 truly exceptional recipes:

– A traditional burger (meat or fish):
An original recipe featuring iconic products of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, selected from a list provided by our partners. The recipe will have to express the identity of the region, respect seasonality and reflect a true gastronomic vision.

– A “Cocktail” burger (8 cm in diameter maximum)
Free creation, in miniature, with a choice of traditional, plant-based or sweet. This second exercise invites you to combine technique, balance and creativity in a signature bite-sized morsel.

The recipes in detail and their technical data sheets must be sent in by 5 June at the latest, in the format provided by the organisers, to ensure that the proposals comply with the competition requirements.

Friday 15 June 2026

At IMSE Saint-Étienne

Sélection France will take place on Monday 15 June 2026 in Saint-Étienne, from 7am to 12pm, and will be followed by a cocktail reception and the official prize-giving ceremony.

During this real-life test, you will have 45 minutes to prepare each of the two recipes submitted and approved during the preparation phase:

• a traditional burger (meat or fish) showcasing products from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
• a miniature “Cocktail” burger
  
  

You will be accompanied by a commis, a talented young apprentice currently training at the IMSE, thereby embodying the concept of skills transmission and the spirit of the sector, which are both at the heart of the competition.

Throughout the contest, the panel of judges, comprising renowned gastronomy professionals and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsmen in France), will be assessing:

• taste and balance of flavours
• technical expertise
• organisation and time management
• quality of teamwork
• excellence in dressing the plate.
  
  

At the end of the contest, the winner will go on to represent France at the international final taking place at SIRHA-Lyon on 22 January 2027.

All candidates selected for the contest will benefit from media exposure via the competition’s social media and press relations activities.

From 16 June to 1 November 2026

The winner of the Sélection France stage will represent France in the international final at SIRHA-Lyon on 22 January 2027.

They will therefore be able to start preparing the 3 original recipes: a traditional burger, a plant-based burger and a sweet burger, to be presented at the final. 

Local produce should be at the heart of all creations, with the majority of products coming from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, thanks to the selection of products offered by our partners.

The 3 completed recipes must be submitted by 1 November, accompanied by the technical data sheets and shopping lists provided by the organisers

Friday 22 January 2027

Finalists from all over the world will compete with each other, each accompanied by a young gastronomic talent, during an intense day of competition right at the heart of SIRHA-Lyon.

Altogether, they’ll have 3 hours to make their 3 Burgers: a traditional one (meat or fish), a plant-based one and a sweet one.

Each candidate will have to follow the recipes approved during the preparation phase faithfully, bringing with them any ingredients or small items of equipment that are needed but not supplied.

At the end of the event, there can only be one winner.

May the best chef win!