How to participate in World Paella Day 2026
The VII World Paella Day CUP edition is ready to get underway and celebrate with all of us the IX World Paella Day.
Don’t you know what World Paella Day is? It is an international paella competition in which between 14 and 18 chefs, after preliminary competitions to decide who will participate in the final, will advance to the grand final and defend their country with their own paella on September 20.
This year, once again, the finalist chefs will take part in the World Paella Day Stage Valencia experience, where they will spend five days in Valencia immersing themselves in paella culture, enjoying a series of scheduled visits to the Huerta de València, the rice fields of the Albufera Natural Park, the city’s Central Market, and many other locations.
This year there will be 10 in-person national semifinals and three continental semifinals: two in Europe (Nordic & Baltic and South & Central) and one in the Americas.
Spain will host the competition but will not take part in it.
How to Participate?
COUNTRIES WITH A NATIONAL SEMIFINAL:
Each candidate must complete their country’s semifinal application form within the deadline established by the organization and send the required information to the following email address: worldcup@worldpaelladay.org
EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN COUNTRIES WITHOUT A NATIONAL SEMIFINAL:
Each candidate must complete the continental semifinal application form within the deadline set by the organization and send the required information to: worldcup@worldpaelladay.org
There will be two European semifinals, one in Copenhagen (Denmark) for Scandinavia and the Baltic Republics, and another in Burgas (Bulgaria) for the rest of the countries; and one in the Americas, which will be held in Piriápolis, a city in Uruguay.
OTHER COUNTRIES:
Candidates from Africa, Oceania, or Asia (except Japan) must complete the following form and send the required information to: worldcup@worldpaelladay.org
DIRECT INVITATION
To reinforce the global, inclusive, and representative nature of the World Paella Day Cup, the organization may admit participants from countries that have not obtained representation through the official in-person semifinal calendar.
Admission will be granted through a special invitation, based on criteria chosen by the organization, such as the guest’s international profile, demonstrated gastronomic excellence, their connection to promoting paella as a culinary heritage, submitted videos, letters of support/recommendation, and other selection criteria.
More Information
Please take the following aspects into account when applying as a participant:
• Materials (texts, images, videos, etc.) that are not properly submitted for participation and within the established deadlines will be disqualified.
• Any registration received after the established deadlines will be rejected.
• Only one finalist per country will be selected.
• Participants grant image rights for the dissemination of content in this promotional campaign indefinitely.
• The Organization of the World Paella Day Cup reserves the right to interpret, modify, or extend these rules, as well as to resolve any situation not foreseen in them, in order to guarantee the proper development of the event and its international projection.
All this information and many other relevant details (application forms, prizes, prices, dates, etc.) can be found directly on the organization’s website. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact them.
If you would like to know how to register for other paella competitions that are organized, click here.
And if you’re interested in organizing your own paella competition, we leave you here a tutorial on how to do it.
The Original Paella team wishes all participants the very best of luck in the World Paella Day Cup. Good luck, rice lovers!