The full slate of coffee competitions have made their triumphant return to the United States for the 2023 season. And not just the competitions themselves, but much of the competition-adjacent accoutrements leading up to the events are slowly making a comeback. One of the most exciting—and arguably most important—to return for 2023 is none other than the Glitter Cat Barista Bootcamp.

After two years of hosting digital competitions, Glitter Cat is getting back to its roots, hosting in-person, all-expenses-paid training programs for three US Coffee Championships competitions—Barista, Brewers Cup, and Coffee in Good Spirits—and applications are live now!

For those unfamiliar, Glitter Cat Barista Bootcamps are a multi-day series of intensive coffee competition training for under-represented members of the coffee community. It is the brainchild of Veronica Grimm, herself a successful US Barista Championship competitor, having made multiple Finals, who has since hung up her apron—for now at least—to help usher in a newer, more diverse crop of competitors.

For this season, each course consists of three days of in-person training from a roster of instructors that is set to include “national and world champions, coaches, and judges,” per the press release. The dates and locations are as follows:

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October 14-16: Barista — Coava Coffee Roasters, Portland, OR

November 4-6: Brewers Cup — Barista Life LA, Los Angeles, CA

November 11-13: Coffee in Good Spirits — Coava Coffee Roasters, Portland, OR

Along with the three in-person bootcamps, Glitter Cat will be continuing the virtual training program they piloted in 2022 with courses for all six coffee competitions: the three previously mentioned along with Cup Tasters, Latte Art, and Roasters.

Applications for the all-expenses-paid training program are live now on the Glitter Cat website and will remain open until Friday, August 26th at 11:59PM PST. Per the press release, a minimum of six individuals will be selected for each course, focusing on “members of marginalized communities including but not limited to: communities of color, 2SLGBTIQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent, and persons of marginalized gender.”

For more information on the bootcamps, as well as COVID safety protocols required for all attendees, or to apply, visit the Glitter Cat Barista Bootcamp official website.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.