In an unprecedented move, Restaurant & Catering Victoria has announced four winners instead of the normal two for this year's Restaurant & Catering Victoria Thierry Marx Career Development Award.

The competition, now in its fourth year, has witnessed such high quality finalists that after two hour's deliberation, the judges were unable to split the four finalists and decided to make all of them winners.

The announcement was made at a luncheon at Nobu at Crown Melbourne on 6 May.

The Award is shared by Brendon Walter, a second year apprentice at Meadowbank Estate Winery in Tasmania; Colin Wilson, a third year apprentice at Chateau Yering Historic House Hotel in Yarra Valley; Stephen Hillman, who is in the second year of his apprenticeship at Mercato, Daylesford and Kah Wai Lo, a third year at Matteo's Restaurant in Melbourne's North Fitzroy.

The apprentices were required to complete their entry form along with a submission of two original recipes which they were required to cook for tasting and assessment during a workplace visit by the judges.

Seven finalists were chosen - two from regional Victoria, four from Melbourne and one from regional Tasmania, with the judges assessing candidates not only on their technical culinary skills, but also on their interpersonal skills, passion, goals and aspirations.

The four winners will be travelling to France to work with the Michelin Star chef, Thierry Marx, at his 18th century Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in Bordeaux. Two of the winners will be travelling in July and two in August.