ceda has announced two new judges for their coveted Grand Prix Awards.

Michael Sinclair, formally of Catering Design Group, is an extremely talented and experienced foodservice design consultant, working across a wide range of hospitality sectors based in the UK as well as internationally.

He has worked on many prestigious projects, receiving a number of awards on the way through his career to date

Michael also is engaged with review and advisory client-side roles, overseeing the development of the core foodservice design development to completion.

He assists associations such as ceda with their education programs, giving guidance for designers and project managers alike and welcomes the opportunity to assist within the industry with resolving technical issues.

Joining Michael on the 2026 judging panel is Claire Smith.

Having spent her entire career working in hospitality, Claire is passionate about the importance of creating incredible hospitality experiences. As someone who started working for her family business in the early stages of her career, she took on a variety of roles in the hospitality design sector before working her way up to director level. Her career has spanned over 25 years working on a huge range of projects across hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs, leisure and heritage venues.

Of the appointments, Adam Mason, ceda Director General commented; “I’m delighted that we can welcome Mike and Claire as judges of the industry’s most prestigious Awards. They have complimentary knowledge and expertise and having worked together previously, I think they will make a great team.”

The Awards have attracted record number of entries this year, with over 60 across the various categories.

Mason continues, “Over 60 entries from more than 20 Member companies is a really good return, and once again the quality of projects delivered is outstanding. Particularly pleasing this year is seeing six companies enter the Awards for the first time. Best of luck to everyone.”

The 2026 ceda Grand Prix Awards that will be presented on Tuesday 16th June as part of the ceda Conference.