Restaurant experiences affect what we eat, what ingredients we buy and our relationship with food culture. That’s why restaurants are particularly important in the transition to a healthier food system.
Circular Gastronomy Challenge 2026 is now open for nominations. The Circular Gastronomy Challenge is an innovation program that supports restaurant-related renewal projects – from idea to reality. The lessons learned from the projects are shared with the aim of inspiring more people to transition to a circular economy.
“Chefs, bakers, bartenders and baristas can be seen as researchers in laboratories where they lead the development of food, drink and taste. We want their best ideas to influence development as much as possible,” says Per Styregård, chairman of the jury and co-founder of Circular Gastronomy.
Everyone who works in or for a restaurant, bar, bakery and café in the Nordic Area is welcome to apply with new ideas or existing projects. To win the innovation award and secure our help to realize the idea, it must contribute to better utilisation of resources, be able to grow in size and become profitable, and have the potential to spread and thus positively impact more restaurants and other parts of the food system.
The nomination period runs until October 10 and anyone can nominate anything or anyone directly to challenge@circulargastronomy.se. In December, the jury selects the winning entries and provides tailored innovation support for implementation in 2027. The winners will be presented at an award ceremony in Gothenburg on January 25, 2027.
The jury consists of sustainability experts and chefs:
• Per Styregård – Chairman of the Jury and Co-Founder of Circular Gastronomy
• Ulrika Brydling – Operations Manager Eldrimner, chef and sustainability expert
• Sofia B Olsson – chef and restaurateur Restaurant Vrå, Sustainable Innovator of the Year 2018
• Johan Gottberg – consultant Preopening, Sustainable Chef of the Year 2014, founder of the Restaurant Lab and K-märkt
• Maria Bustamante – PhD, Research Fellow at Stockholm School of Economics & Researcher/Researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology
• Marie Wallin Matséus – Site Manager at Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation’s development center for the sustainable material and food systems of the future
• Lisa Henriksson – researcher and project manager in food and sustainability at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
• Erica-Dawn Egan – Sustainability Strategist and Executive Director KTH Food and Plenty Research Centres.
Read about last year’s winners HERE.
For more information please contact:
Ami Hovstadius, CEO Circular Gastronomy, ami@circulargastronomy.se +46709994500
Per Styregård, Jury Chair, Circular Gastronomy, per@circulargastronomy.se +46707776678