When you think of a skills competition, welding torches and circuit boards might come to mind—but at Skills Ontario, the range of categories goes far beyond the expected. From coding and robotics, to culinary arts and photography, the annual event is about hands-on excellence in all its forms, and sees students spending the day engaging in special competitions themed around their area of study. On May 5 and 6, Centennial College is proudly sending a team of talented students to Skills Ontario 2025, at the Toronto Congress Centre, to compete across multiple disciplines, proving that skill, creativity, and craftsmanship are thriving in every corner of the College. Centennial College has a long history of Skills Ontario Winners, and we spoke to some of this year’s competitors, and the instructors coaching them, to learn what drives them, what they’re preparing for, and how they’re redefining what a “skills” competition really means.
Cooking up tasty meals with Culinary Arts
Ever seen a cooking competition show? Three of our Culinary Arts program students, Rian, Tsering, and Mukund, will be taking part in something similar at Skills Ontario, spending the entire day cooking up a fancy full-course meal, to the judge’s specifications. We caught up with them in the Culinary Arts labs, as Program Coordinator Chef Tulio Lessa helped them practice for the competition.
“It starts at seven o'clock,” Mukund explains about what they’ll be doing at Skills Ontario. “We'll be doing a cost exercise, and also we'll be doing the prep for the main course. For the appetizer, we are going to make consommé with Cornish Hen. With the main course, we are going to do a nicoise-inspired salad, which is very different. And with the desert, we'll be doing choux pastry, which is a basic thing, but we need to elevate that and make it something very different.”
“They know what they're going to be making,” Chef Tulio explains. “They know the list of ingredients that are available for them. So, we've been practicing for the last three months.” That said, there’s still going to be an element of surprise to the competition, as the students won’t know all of the ingredients they’ll be provided with.
“The main course is a little bit trickier,” Chef Tulio continues, “because it's the nicoise inspired salad, and they're announcing six of the ingredients on the day of the competition.” Meanwhile, the three chefs-in-training are practicing for the competition as a way to enhance their culinary arts training, and if they happen to bring home a Skills Ontario Medal, that’s a great bonus.
“I think it's a stepping stone for me, personally and professionally,” Rian says about why he entered Skills Ontario.
“I saw previous competitions with Chef Tulio,” Tsering explains. “I followed him on social media, he has been my professor for last two semesters, and I asked him about the competition. When the registration began, he came to me and asked if I wanted to participate.”
“I took part last year as well,” Mukund says about Skills Ontario. “It went really well; I came in fourth from all over Ontario. But I wanted to take one of the top three positions, so I'm participating again this year, hoping to achieve that. This competition is where I can prove myself.”
Making it picture perfect with Photography
The most interesting thing about the photography contest at Skills Ontario is that the whole Toronto Congress Centre acts like a photography studio, as part of the tasks assigned will be snapping photos of competitors in action, in addition to showing off what they can do with photography editing software.
“This competition consists of several sections,” says Katy Catchpole, one of the Centennial College Photography students taking part. “One major aspect of it is capturing images of the competition events and creating a story through images. Other elements are your portfolio and a physical print, which are evaluated by the judges. The other two sections are a product photography test, for which you have 20 minutes or so to create a compelling product photograph, and a photoshop retouching assignment. It's essentially testing various skills that we need to have as photographers.”
“I was asked by Joseph Marranca last year if I'd like to participate,” Katy says, referring to the Program Coordinator of Photography at Centennial College, “and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I told myself I would do my best and that regardless of the outcome, it would be a challenge that I would regret if I didn't take on. I did better than I thought I would, and so I was eager to participate again and see if I could improve on my performance from last year.”
“I have been working on improving my photography portfolio and creating images that I am proud of that represent me and my style,” Katy says about her photography courses and what she’s been doing to prepare. “I think that is the main thing that competitors in the photography section ought to focus on. I am trying to remember that I am striving to improve on my previous experience, rather than trying to be the best. I'm excited to participate again and meet the other contestants!”
Making the Greatest Graphics
Graphic Design is something that you might not think of as competitive, but it’s got a competition at Skills Ontario, too, based on delivering a completed design package within a time limit, which is what you’d be doing if you were working a real graphic design job.
“Students competing in the Graphic Design – Studio Production competition at Skills Ontario participate in a one-day event where they engage in a real-world design challenge aimed at solving a creative problem for a specific audience,” says Bahar Nasirzadeh, program coordinator of the Graphic Design Program at Centennial College. Like the other competitions, there will be an element of surprise to the events, as the graphic design students won’t know exactly what problem they’re going to be working on, only that they have to use their graphic design learning to solve it.
“The competition will test our technical and creative design skills alike, using Adobe software,” Juliana, one of the competing students, says. “When the competition starts, we’re supposed to be given instructions on the deliverables and the theme of the project we’ll be working on for the day.”
“Last year, we were given a design brief and had to complete all deliverables within 8 hours, with only a 30-minute break,” says Navie, a returning student competitor. “Throughout the day, we submitted smaller milestones before delivering the final work by the deadline. It was intense—lots of people, noise, and music made it a bit overwhelming at first. But once I found my rhythm, I was able to focus and get everything done on time.”
Meanwhile, to help the students prepare for the competition, Bahar is pairing new entries up with veteran Skills Ontario competitors to help sharpen their graphic design skills.
“This year, my colleague Lisa Rebnord and I facilitated a mentorship opportunity,” says Bahar, “by pairing a returning competitor with a new participant, allowing them to exchange tips and build confidence through peer support.”
“Like last year, I’m reminding myself to stay calm and focused,” Navie says about her preparations. “I naturally work well independently, so I lean into that strength. A few days before the competition, I go over the technical prep provided—it’s super helpful for refreshing all the core design skills. On competition day, I make sure to have a good breakfast, pack some snacks, double-check my devices, and head in ready to give it my all!”
As the countdown to the competition continues, all eyes are on the talented students representing Centennial College at Skills Ontario 2025. Whether they’re plating gourmet dishes, building complex graphic design packages, snapping perfect photos, or showcasing their creativity through the countless other challenges taking place, these competitors embody the passion and perseverance that define skilled trades and technologies. We’ll be cheering them on every step of the way—and we can’t wait to see where their hard work takes them.