Sweden Won The 52nd UIBC World Championship Of Young Bakers

Reykjavík / IS. (uibc) Team Sweden took victory at the 52nd UIBC World Championship for Young Bakers in Iceland. Second place went to Spain and third place to France. Team Iceland received a special award. Team China had the best showpiece. The results of the teams from the other countries were only just behind. As a consolation, UIBC President Dominique Anract and Jury President Bernd Kütscher awarded special prizes – the UIBC International Union of Bakers and Confectioners announced.

(Photo: UIBC International Union of Bakers and Confectioners – ADB Weinheim)

In Iceland the winners were proclaimed and the traditional awards were held to the young bakers who have achieved the highest decoration in the art of the bakery and where high quality and creativity products were developed. Sweden was the champion team with Julia Holmqvist and Mattias Jogmark, Sub Champions the Spanish team with Isabel García Castillo, Mónica Rufián and Jesus Sanchez Lopez and third the France team with Romain Benat, Antoine Marin and Michael Chesnoard. They were followed by the teams of China, Iceland, Germany and Hungary. For all of them the special awards of the president of UIBC, Dominique Anract and the president of the jury Bernd Kütscher. Young bakers created beautiful works of art and baked products that reflect their creativity and passion. It has been the first time that the contest was held in Iceland and was the most impressive in all aspects under the motto «the art of my country.»

The jury was made up of seven representatives, one from each country, and their work was unenviable as all the teams did exceptionally well. To ensure a level playing field for all teams, all basic raw materials such as flour, yeast, salt, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, et cetera. They were provided by the organizer and the competition time was 6 hours. All teams produced 140 products in 13 different shapes plus one centerpiece, in 5 categories: Bread, Buns, Sweet Yeast Dough, Danish Pastry/Viennoiserie and Centerpiece.

	Team	Contestant	Contestant	Contestant
1. Place (Winner)	Sweden	Mathilda Jacob	Julia Holmqvist	Mattias Jogmark
2. Place	Spain	Isabel García Castillo	Mónica Rufián	Jesus Sanchez Lopez
3. Place	France	Romain Benat	Antoine Marin	Michael Chesnoard
Best Showpiece	China	Tian Ninghan	Huang Ronglang	Jiang Zhaihua
Special Award	Iceland	Hekla Gudrun Prastardóttir	Stefania Malen Gudmundsdóttir	Arni Pouarderson
Consolation prize	Germany	Monique Trappiel	Max Baier	Marc Mundri
Consolation prize	Hungary	Zita Skultéti	Anna Szöke	Tamás Frank

The International Competition for Young Bakers, established 1971 by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (UIBC), is among the global baking industry’s most prestigious competitions. The event aims to inspire young bakers to hone their craft and skills while pushing the boundaries of innovation. Since 2018, the worldwide competition has been paired with the «Angel Yeast Cup» National Creative Bread-Making Competition for Youth Bakers in China.

Sigurður Már Guðjónsson, President of LABAK: «The jury assessed taste, appearance, originality, precision and other factors. The competition was a great success in all respects and the competitors performed exceptionally well. After the award ceremony, the contestants, their families and the jury were invited to a celebratory dinner and the ties became even closer. This is also the first time that this tournament has been held in the Nordic countries. It is a big event known in the baking world. The UIBC was founded in 1931 in Budapest and is an international union of bakers and confectioners from around the world.»

(Photo: UIBC International Union of Bakers and Confectioners – Angel Yeast China)

The UIBC represents some 300’000 bakeries on five continents, where around four million people work in bakeries. And this is not only the first time that this world championship has been held in Iceland, but also the first time in the Nordic countries and it was fantastic to see the delights and masterpieces that the teams conjured up for the jury. The Icelandic team of Stefanía Malen Guðmundsdóttir and Hekla Guðrún Þrastardóttir received a special award from the competition’s chief judge, and the Chinese team received an award for best exhibition piece. The award ceremony took place at Menntaskólin in Kópavogur.

Exciting days with young and inspiring personalities and the celebration of the international art of baking, in line with the UIBC motto «Bakers without borders». Important was also that the contestants and authorities arrived in Bessastaðir and met with the wife of the President of Iceland Guðni Th. Johannesson, the First Lady Eliza Jean Reid, and offered national cakes on the occasion of this world championship.