Students and Apprentices Worldwide Invited to Share Their Passion for Hospitality

We are excited to share the launch of our ‘Best Student Presentation 2026’ competition, inviting hospitality students and apprentices from across the world to submit a recorded presentation of themselves on the theme, ‘My Passion for Hospitality’, for the chance to win £1,000. 

The winner will also be featured in our Institute of Hospitality Magazine, reaching more than 42,000 hospitality professionals worldwide, and the runner-up will receive £500. Both will receive one year’s complimentary Institute of Hospitality membership to support their professional development.

Launched as part of Passion4Hospitality: The Future Leaders Conference 2026, the competition is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as apprentices, and offers the opportunity to showcase their personality, creativity and leadership potential while sharing the experiences that have so far shaped their hospitality career ambitions.

This year, entrants are asked to record themselves presenting on the topic of ‘My Passion for Hospitality’ and cover the following questions as part of their recorded submission:

 

• • Why did you choose hospitality as a career path?

 

• • How has your university or college education prepared you for your chosen career?

 

• • What practical experience have you gained that will support your future ambitions?

 

• • How have your educational and practical experiences developed your confidence and leadership skills? ·

 

• • Hospitality is built on experiences. Tell us about a moment where you created or witnessed an exceptional guest experience, what made it stand out, and what it taught you about the industry.

 

Institute of Hospitality CEO, Robert Richardson FIH MI, said: “Hospitality is powered by passionate people, and this competition allows students and apprentices to share their story and demonstrate their creativity, confidence and leadership potential that will shape the future of our profession.

“We know there is exceptional talent coming through colleges, universities and apprenticeship programmes around the world, and I encourage everyone with a passion for hospitality to take part.”

Robert continued: “Whether your ambition is to lead a hotel, launch your own business or transform guest experiences, this is your opportunity to share your journey and be recognised on an international stage.”

The winner will be announced live at Passion4Hospitality: The Future Leaders Conference on Monday, 2 November 2026, at the Novotel London West.

With thanks to the Savoy Educational Trust for their funding and continued support of this event.

Enter the competition at the link below!

Enter your Best Student Presentation here

Key Dates

• • Entries open: 12 May 2026

• • Submission deadline: 9:00 am (BST), Friday 4 September 2026

• • Winner announced: Live on Monday, 2 November 2026 at the Conference

• • Venue: Passion4Hospitality: The Future Leaders Conference 2026, Novotel London West

Criteria

We would like you to record yourself presenting and to address the following questions in your presentation, please also note the weighting scores of each question: 

• Why did you choose hospitality as a career path? (weighting 15% of final score)
• How has/will your university/college education set you up to pursue your chosen career direction? (weighting 15% of final score)
• What practical experience have you been able to gain that will be of use towards your preferred career path? (weighting 15% of final score)
• How has your overall educational and practical experience fuelled your passion for hospitality and enabled you to develop the confidence and skills required for a leadership role? (weighting 20% of final score)
• Hospitality is built on experiences. Tell us about a moment where you created or witnessed an exceptional guest experience, what made it stand out, and what it taught you about the industry. (weighting 15% of final score)

Your presentation will also be scored on creativity, 20% of final score

Closing date for presentation submissions: 9am (BST), on Friday 4^th September 2026.

Winner announcement: Monday 2^nd November 2026 at Passion4Hospitality – The Future Leaders Conference, Novotel London West.

 

Guidelines:

1. All students (UK and overseas) are eligible to enter, including apprentices, undergraduate and postgraduate level
2. Each participant can submit only one presentation
3. IoH members and non-members can enter
4. Presentations must be prepared using Microsoft PowerPoint, include embedded audio and video recordings, and be submitted as an exported video file.  If you need assistance with this please visit here: Record a presentation or here
5. The file size should not exceed 1GB 
6. You must include yourself presenting in your recorded presentation
7. We want to see your personality shine in your presentation. Please note that presentation skills will form part of the overall assessment. This includes clarity of communication, confidence, authenticity, and the ability to engage the audience.
8. The presentation video should be a minimum of 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes in length, anything over 10 minutes will not be judged
9. It is encouraged to use visuals in your presentation to show your creativity
10. Any use of AI tools in preparation of your presentation must be clearly acknowledged at the end of the presentation
11. Please submit your completed presentation via file sharing platforms www.wetransfer.com or https://fromsmash.com/ to events@instituteofhospitality.org
12. The winner will be announced at Passion4Hospitality The Future Leaders Conference on Monday 2^nd November 2026 at Novotel London West, 1 Shortlands, London, W6 8DR
13. The winner will be expected to present their presentation at Passion4Hospitality The Future Leaders Conference, however if the winner is unable to attend the event then the winning presentation will be played at the event.
14. Prizes:

Winner:

£1,000 first prize

A Best Student Presentation Award trophy

An official certificate and confirmation for the achievement portfolio

Public recognition and social media coverage

Tickets to IoH events (subject to availability)

Membership of IoH

Presentation featured in the Institute of Hospitality Online Magazine, with worldwide readership

Runner-up:

£500 runner-up prize

An official certificate and confirmation for the achievement portfolio

Public recognition and social media coverage

Membership of IoH

• 1. The Judges’ decision is final.