NPSI 2025
May 2–4, 2025
Marriott Baltimore Waterfront
700 Aliceanna St
Baltimore, MD 21202
NPSI is the country’s premier secondary school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts. Annually, more than 400 student competitors put their skills to the test in front of industry leaders, NRAEF Trustees, state restaurant associations, and family and friends – all with hopes of earning coveted scholarships from the nation’s best culinary and restaurant management programs.
Watch NPSI 2025 Awards Gala presented by Coca-Cola
Recorded May 4, 2025
Watch NPSI 2025 Opening Ceremony presented by Coca-Cola
Recorded May 2, 2025
How The Competition Works
Students must impress judges from leading industry corporations, colleges and universities with skills they’ve developed through ProStart. The National ProStart Invitational is composed of two distinct competitions – management and culinary.
Management
Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges. Their problem solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges faced by managers daily.
Culinary
The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners, and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation.
What Do You Win?
The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions are awarded generous educational scholarships to help further their careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. In 2024, more than $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded to winning students.
All competitors are encouraged to take full advantage of competing at the National ProStart Invitational by networking with other students and industry professionals in attendance.
2025 NPSI Sponsors
CHAMPION SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
NPSI Sponsorship Opportunities
Elevate your brand, company mission, and organizational goals to an audience of fellow industry executives and the best of the restaurant industry’s next generation.
Email us: partnerships@nraef.org
Have Questions?
If you are an educator, mentor, chaperone, parent or school administrator, please contact your
ProStart State Coordinator with questions.
If you are a judge, development guest, board member, exhibitor, post-secondary school, or SRA rep, please direct questions to your NRAEF contact or prostart@nraef.org.
Save The Date! #NPSI2026
In 2025, the National ProStart Invitational will be held May 1–3 in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront.