Gingerbread House Contests 2011-12

Here are some gingerbread house contests that took place during the 2011-12 holiday season. Click here for the 2012-13 competitions.

Southeast US:

National Gingerbread House Competition and Display
Grove Park Inn, Ashville, NC
Competition: November 14, 2011
Houses on Display: Nov 16, 2011 - Jan 1, 2012
Community Viewing is Monday - Thursday only.
Resort Guests may view Gingerbread Houses at anytime.

Holiday Festival of Lights Gingerbread House Competition
James Island County Park, Charleston, SC
Dates on Display: November 11, 2011 - January 1, 2012
Divisions: Ages 6 and Under, Ages 7-11, Ages 12-16, Ages 17 and Up
Registration closes: November 4, 2011

Raleigh Gingerbread House Competition
Alta Oakridge Retirement Community
North Raleigh, NC
Dates on Display: November 30, 2011 through January 5, 2012
Houses must be dropped off with a completed entry form by November 28. The Grand Award Ceremony will be held at 4 pm on Friday, December 9.

http://raleighgingerbreadhouses.com

Home Sweet Home Gingerbread House Contest
Olde Towne Square, 3rd Stree NW, Winter Haven Florida
Dates on Display: Friday November 11th & Saturday November 12th 2011
Proceeds benefit the Women's Resource Center

www.wrcfl.org and click on Home Sweet Home

Gingerbread JAM
Marietta, Georgia (metro Atlanta)
Dates on Display: December 10, 2011
Adult and youth category with cash prizes for both.

www.gingerbreadjam.com

Northeast US:

12th Annual Gingerbread Contest and Show
Darnall's Chance House Museum, Upper Marlboro, MD
Dates on Display: November 25-27
December 1-4
December 8-11
The show runs from 12 noon until 5PM.

Entries in our gingerbread contest are broken into two categories: Children ages 8 to 16; Adult ages 17 & up. The entries are first judged by a panel of judges assembled by Darnall's Chance and prizes are awarded to the top three entries in each category. After this judging the show is opened to the public. Visitors are given the chance to vote for a favorite in both the children and adult division. The winners of the Viewer's Choice Awards in each division receive a $350 prize.

Scents & Sweets Competition
The Cultural Arts Center Frederick, Maryland
Thursday, December 1, 2011
No entry fee.
Application due by Thursday, November 24th. Prizes awarded in the following categories: Amateur, Professional, Child Group, Child Individual and Teen.

http://www.celebratefrederick.com/Events/Index.aspx?page=121

Annual Gingerbread House Contest at The Chaffee Art Center in Rutland
Rutland, VT
Dates on Display: December 1-18, 2011
http://vermontartzine.blogspot.com

31st Gingerbread Competition
Peddlers Village
Lahaska, Bucks County, PA
Dates on Display: Nov. 21, 2011 - Jan. 12, 2012

No entry fee; 4 categories plus amateur, teen, and children categories; no entry fee

Wenham Gingerbread Express
Wenham Museum, 132 Main St. Wenham, MA 09184
Dates on Display: December 3-17, 2011
Structures on 18"x18" bases surround a G gauge train to create a village of gingerbread. Awards in 5 categories.

www.wenhammuseum.org

Christmas Craft Festival & Gingerbread House Competition
Seaport Blvd., World Trade Center, Boston, MA
November 4, 5, and 6, 2011
Shop from 300 of America's Finest Craft Artists at the Annual Christmas Festival, a festive holiday tradition, heralds in the season Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 4, 5 and 6, at Boston's Seaport World Trade Center with the largest fine art and craft show in New England.

A popular Festival highlight will be the Gingerbread House Competition, where Top Chefs create gingerbread masterpieces to be judged by a celebrity panel and sold with proceeds benefiting Share Our Strength.

New York State 4th Annual Gingerbread House Competition
EAP Earnie Davis Community Center
362 East. 5th St., Elmira, NY
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Open to Everyone! Win Cash prizes while helping Habitat for Humanity!

20th Annual Gingerbread Wonderland
Freylinghuysen Arboretum
53 East Hanover Avenue
Morristown, NJ 07962
Saturday and Sunday, December 3 and 4 and Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm in the classrooms at the Haggerty Education Center.
$2 per person suggested donation. Seniors and children under the age of 13, suggested $1.00 per person.

Midwest US:

Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Contest
Dayton, Ohio
Dates on Display: November 25, 2011
The Dayton Holiday Festival is pleased to present the seventh annual Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Contest in conjunction with the 2011 Grande Illumination. We are looking for the best gingerbread houses in Dayton, so use your imagination and create a masterpiece of your own! Everyone is invited to participate. One house out of all the amateur entries and one house from the professional category will be selected as the "Best House on the Block" and will each receive a $500 cash prize for being the best in show! Entries will be displayed in the Old Court House at the corner of Third & Main Streets in Downtown Dayton. Contact Krystal Luketic at luketic@downtowndayton.org or 937-224-1518 for entry form. Deadline for entry is Wednesday, November 9.
www.downtowndayton.org

The Midwest Gingerbread House Competition & Holiday Showcase
The Centre, Evansville, Indiana
Dates on Display: Saturday, December 10, 2011

Serving southwestern Indiana for 22 years, Aurora is a non-profit organization that exists to end homelessness in our community. Our organization believes that everyone has value and needs a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.

Aurora is excited to announce a new fundraiser this year: The Midwest Gingerbread House Competition & Holiday Showcase on Saturday, December 10, 2011 at The Centre in Evansville. This is an event that will promote awareness for homelessness in southern Indiana, as well as raise funds to support Aurora's mission to end homelessness in our community.

Over 100 competitors from local area and around the Midwest will participate by building holiday wonderlands in the form of gingerbread houses. The event will draw in hundreds of visitors to watch the challenge, as well as shop our vendors and holiday silent auction. Visitors and competitors will also enjoy holiday performances from local groups and hear presentations about homelessness and Aurora.

We are now accepting applications for competitors for every division - youth, amateur, and professional!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=270628936295837

3rd Annual Gingerbread FIREhouse Contest
Aurora, IL - hosted by the Aurora Regional Fire Museum
Saturday, November 26, 2011.
The Aurora Regional Fire Museum will host a gingerbread FIREhouse contest, exhibition, and charity raffle for the holidays. All entries must depict a firefighting themed architectural structure, real or imaginary - IE: a firehouse, burning building, etc. Participants are invited to compete in one of three categories:

Individuals: entries made by teen-aged children (13+) and/or adults acting alone.
Families and Groups: a single entry that has been created by two or more individuals. (IE: a gingerbread FIREhouse made by children with adult supervision, or a FIREhouse constructed by an organization, club, or groups of adults)
Professionals: an entry produced by a baker, designer, architect, or any individual or group with professional baking experience.

The exhibit opens, and the entries will be judged on Saturday, November 26, 2011. Cash and prizes will be awarded for both Peoples Choice and Judges Choice in each category.

Cleveland Botanical Gardens Gingerbread Dreams Contest
Cleveland Botanical Gardens
Dates on Display: November 25 - December 31, 2011 (as part of the Cleveland Botanical Garden's Winter Show)
Entry forms must be returned to the Garden by November 11. Gingerbread structures must be delivered on November 22, between 10am and 6pm.

Conner Prairie Gingerbread Village
13400 Allisonville Rd. Fishers, IN 46038
December
Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 11am-5pm
Free with general admission
Entry deadline: Friday, November 11 by 5pm. Gingerbread houses are due at Conner Prairie on Friday, November 18. Entries from both amateurs and professionals are welcome. See how gumdrops, pretzels, giant candy canes and other confectionary delights are transformed into gingerbread masterpieces!

Gingerbread Casas for CASA
Madison, WI
November 19, 2011
This year, Dane County CASA's fabulous holiday-season event will take place at MMOCA/Overture Center at the 41st Annual Holiday Art Fair!
Live gingerbread house decorating contest, live music performances, and lots of holiday fun.

Christmas in the Country
Grand Geveva Resort
Lake Geneva, WI
Dates on Display: November 20 through the holidays

Gingerbread House Contest with a Twist
Licorice International in Lincoln, NE
Dates on Display: December 6th through December 17th/Register by November 27th (dates not confirmed this year)

Southwest US:

14th Annual Christmas at Old Ft. Concho Gingerbread House Contest
Ft. Concho Nat. Historic Site, 630 S. Oakes, San Angelo, TX 76903
Dates on Display: Dec. 2-4, 2011 in conjunction with Christmas at Old Ft. Concho
To our knowledge, this is the largest Gingerbread House Contest in Texas. Categories include Kids - 6-8, 9-11, 12-15, 16-19, Adults, Youth Groups, School Groups, Family/Friends Groups, and in addition to the holiday houses, there is a special theme each year. This year's theme is "Any public bldg. or home in San Angelo."

Peoria's Oldtown Holiday Festival & Gingerbread Competition
Oldtown Peoria - 83rd Ave just south of Grand
December 2, 2011 5pm - 9pm

West US:

Maceys Gingerbread House Competition
West Jordan Maceys,UT. Sandy Maceys,UT
Dates on Display: Dec 9-10, 2011
All Maceys(grocery store) stores in Utah will have them.

Gingerbread City Competition and Gala
San Diego, California
December 1st, 2011

To be held at The Grand Del Mar: benefitting the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County, 2011 marks the 18th annual spectacular holiday gala for charity celebrating the magnificence of Gingerbread. The largest nationally recognized gingerbread structure competition on the West Coast, showcasing creations by local and visiting leading chefs, artists and designers.

Structures up to four feet wide and unlimited height are auctioned off during the gala to local businesses and individuals to be displayed during the holiday season and beyond. No entry fee to participate, cash awards up to $2500 for winning structures. Visit our website to see photos of structures from past competitions:

http://www.epilepsysandiego.org

The Colorado Gingerbread House Competition
12/3/11 and 12/4/11

Come have fun, express your creativity and compete in The Colorado Gingerbread House Competition. Bring your completed house to the Denver Gift Gala on December 2nd at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, located at 14th and Arapahoe in Downtown Denver. The Gingerbread Houses will be on display on December 2nd and 3rd, throughout the Gift Gala. The public will vote on the best houses.

Participants are invited to compete in one of three categories:

Children: entries made by children 13 years old and younger without the assistance of adults.
Families, Groups, or Adults: a single entry for single adults or groups of two or more individuals. (sucha as: a gingerbread house made by children with adult supervision, or a gingerbread house constructed by an organization, club, or groups of adults)
Professionals: an entry produced by a baker, designer, architect, or any individual or group with professional baking experience.

Prizes will be awarded for the Peoples Choice winner in each category.

http://coloradoevents.net/

Gingerbread Jubilee
Craterian Theater
23 S Central
Medford, OR 97504
Wednesday, November 16, 6pm-8pm - Baker Reception and award ceremony at the Craterian
2011 Baking Contest Theme: A Silver Screen GingerBread Holiday (Your favorite movies captured in gingerbread).

BC Gingerbread House Contest
Boulder City, NV
Boulder City is about 15 miles south of Las Vegas, NV on the road to Hoover Dam.
Dates on Display: November 25-27, 2011
Location: Boulder City Gym, downtown, next to city hall

http://bcgingerbreadhouse.com

Science of Gingerbread
Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, CA
November 25, 2011
Holiday Festival

Coyote Point Museum
Location: San Mateo, CA
(Have not confirmed dates for 2011)
Very nice environmental museum on San Francisco Bay.

Non-US:

Gingerbread Village at Black Creek
Black Creek Pioneer Village
1000 Murray Ross Parkway
Toronto, Ontario M3J 2P3
Dates on Display: (Could not find dates for 2011)
Create a detailed replica of one of the Village's one-of-a-kind Historic buildings. Please submit your application by .

Online Gingerbread Contests :

Mariani Home Sweet Home Gingerbread House Contest
November 30, 2011 to December 26, 2011
The Mariani "Home Sweet Home" gingerbread house contest might be something fun and rewarding for your readers. It's pretty simple, build a gingerbread house, use two types of Mariani fruits in the design (there is even a coupon!), take a picture and submit it on Facebook:

http://www.mariani.com

ThisOldHouse.com
We have not yet found info on this for 2011.