Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine

Nominees must be 30 years or younger by the nomination submission closing date (2025 date TBA). Nominees must be currently residing in Canada and working in Canada for at least the last 2 years prior to the nomination. Nominees must be working in a role within the foodservice or hospitality industry in the following categories: Restaurant operations, hotels, suppliers, events/tourism/festivals, casinos, stadiums, retirement living and/or others related to the hospitality field.

A nominee is eligible regardless of their company’s primary industry as long as their job title is directly related to the foodservice or hospitality industry (ie. chef, events coordinator, housekeeping, etc.)

Nominations for the 2025 cohort will open in Early September and close in Mid December. The Portfolio Submission period will run for 3 weeks from (Date) to (Date), followed by the Judging period. Nominees can expect to be contacted with their results TBC.

Complete a nomination form. Nominations are due by (2025 date TBA), KML will be in touch with the nominee after the submission closing date.

Yes, as long as eligibility requirements are met, individuals are welcome to nominate themselves, colleagues, friends and or family members.

Yes, you can nominate as many people as you would like – including yourself.

No, KML Top 30-Under-30 program does not consider quantity as a factor. All candidates will be on equal ground as multiple nominations are not factored into judging process. While we can appreciate that you want to ensure that your nomination is regarded positively, multiple nominees will not make a difference. It is also important to note that only 2 nominations per candidate will be saved in our records; all additional nominations for a nominee will not be saved/recorded. Nominees only get one notice of nomination.

KML typically does not share this information unless we are unable to establish communication with the nominee. KML will reach out to the nominator with a request to get in touch with the nominee to ensure they do not miss the opportunity to submit a portfolio.

Top 30 Alumni/winners cannot be nominated more than once for this recognition. However, nominees who were previously unsuccessful can be nominated in subsequent years. Also, nominations and/or portfolios will not be carried forward, a new nomination and portfolio must be submitted in order to be considered for the current year.

Portfolio submissions can be found on this page. Only completed portfolios will be considered.

Nominees will automatically be disqualified if a portfolio is not submitted during the portfolio submission period.

The jury for the KML Top 30-Under-30 awards is comprised of up to 20 members representing a large spectrum of the industry, including past Top 30-Under-30 winners who represent a range of positions in the industry across Canada.

The selection is based on eight criteria categories of which the best five marks are selected. Please note that we do not disclose the specific judging criteria to nominees.

Judging of the Top 30-Under-30 nominations will be done TBC and winners will be notified thereafter via email before a public announcement.

Yes, all nominees will receive an email pertaining to their results prior to the public announcement of winners.

Yes, KML Is proud to produce the Top-30-Under-30 Summit each year in celebration of the winners. During this event KML will present all winners with a Certificate of Achievement and a Top 30 cohort lapel pin. The Top 30 Summit will also feature speakers and panels that will spark conversation and provide insight into relevant industry topics. More details for the 2025 Top 30 Summit TBA.

Yes, Winners will be required to provide additional contact information and confirmation of attendance for the Top 30 Summit. A member of the KML editorial team and social media team might also reach out to ensure they have enough information for their story in the magazine as well as for our social media coverage.

Please email our Events Marketing Manager, Jhanelle Porter at [email protected] with the subject line: Top 30-Under-30 Inquiry.