The prize is 4,000 euros and a year-long contract to supply baguettes to the President of France at the Élysée Palace.

“I am so, so happy,” Selvarajah, who moved to France from Sri Lanka nearly a decade ago, told The Washington Post.

The baguettes are evaluated in a blind tasting by judges, made up of experts in the baking community, journalists, previous winners and a few civilians.

Each baker submits two baguettes that must be between 55 and 70 centimetres, weigh 250 to 300 grams and contain 18 grams of salt per kilogram of flour. The judges score on five categories: appearance, cooking, texture, smell and taste.