The 50 Best Bars Scholarship is back for 2026, offering one aspiring bartender all-expenses-paid stages at two of the planet’s most celebrated cocktail destinations.
The World’s 50 Best Bars announced on May 6 that its annual Scholarship program is returning for the 18th edition of the awards. First launched in 2022, the Scholarship gives emerging bar talent a fully funded opportunity to train at world-renowned bars and attend the live awards ceremony – one of the industry’s most coveted invitations.
Two Landmark Stages Await the 2026 Scholar
This year’s winner will complete immersive stages at two bars that need no introduction. The first is Line in Athens – ranked No. 8 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 – and the second is Tres Monos in Buenos Aires, ranked No. 10 on the same list and named The Best Bar in South America 2025. Together, they represent a rare pairing of European precision and South American energy, and the scholar who earns those placements will come away with hands-on experience across two genuinely distinct bar cultures.
Beyond travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs covered in full, the successful stagiaire will receive £2,000 – £1,000 per stage – to support their time abroad. The stages themselves will take place in 2027.
No Set Theme – an Open Brief for Bold Ideas
Unlike previous editions of the Scholarship, there is no prescribed theme for 2026. The open brief is intentional: 50 Best wants applicants to spotlight a subject they are genuinely passionate about, rather than fitting their ideas into a predetermined framework. That freedom puts the emphasis squarely on creativity, depth of knowledge, and individual voice.
Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Bars, framed the Scholarship’s broader purpose: “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 program alongside two acclaimed international bars, and look forward to recognising the next wave of aspiring bar professionals.”
The stage hosts are equally invested. Vasilis Kyritsis, Dimitris Dafopoulos, and Nikos Bakoulis, co-owners of Line, said: “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, added: “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.”
How the Three-Stage Selection Works
The judging process is rigorous and deliberately phased to test different skills at each step.
Round One opens with a video application and questionnaire in which candidates articulate their chosen theme – what it means to them and how it shapes their work behind the bar. The strongest 25 applicants advance to the next round.
Round Two raises the creative stakes: each shortlisted candidate designs a drink inspired by their theme and must document the full research, development, and creative process behind it. An international panel of experts reviews all submissions and selects five finalists.
Round Three puts those five candidates in front of a panel that includes representatives from 50 Best alongside stage hosts Vasilis Kyritsis of Line and Sebastian Atienza of Tres Monos for a rigorous final interview.
All three finalists will be invited to attend The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026 awards ceremony, where the winner will be announced.
How to Apply
Applications open now via The World’s 50 Best Bars website and close on May 27, 2026, at 12:00 BST. The date and location of the 2026 awards ceremony will be announced in due course.
Previous Scholarship winners include Calliope Draper (2024), Apoorva Kohli (2023), and Drew Fleming (2022) – a short alumni list that will carry significantly more weight as the program’s reputation grows.
For a competition that costs nothing to enter and offers a genuine launchpad inside the global bar industry, the 50 Best Bars Scholarship stands as one of the few opportunities in the drinks world where the ceiling is as high as the applicant’s ambition.
