2020 GBD On-line Holiday Gingerbread-Smackdown
We want to extend a huge congratulation to the winners of the 2020 GBD On-line Holiday Gingerbread-Smackdown photo contest!
Your entries were truly outstanding and showcased the essence of what gingerbread creations should be. What an honor to have everyone who participated share their talents and be a part of the contest. Thank you to everyone who voted and contributed to a wonderful holiday season!
2020 Overall People's Choice
Victorian Christmas by Susan Rogers wins the 2020 Overall People's Choice Award.
Susan writes...I saw this house (the Carson mansion in Eureka, CA) in 2006. I thought it would be cool to make, but I didn't know how I would ever do it. My daughter finally convinced me (dared me) to make it. It's about 98% gingerbread. Windows are isomalt with wafer paper shades. There's a little pastillage and splenda for snow.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Church/Manger
Gingerbread Manger Scene by Elizabeth McIntyre wins the
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Church/Manger Award.
Elizabeth writes....This display is baked gingerbread with fondant figures. The magi and shepherds with their sheep surround the manger scene.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Original Gingerbread
Holiday Lighthouse by Katherine Carver wins the 2020 People's Choice - Favorite Original Gingerbread Award.
Katherine writes...Gingerbread covered fondant with royal icing; decorations made from thyme, dill and rosemary.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Use of Frosting
North Pole Express by Laurel Smiley wins the
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Use of Frosting.
Laurel writes...Pulling into station, it’s The North Pole Express! Our gingerbread train carries homemade confections through the snowy mountains. Built by The Gingerbread Sisters, Kyndall & Laurel, this display is made using gingerbread, royal icing, & isomalt windows.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Winter Themed Scene
Stained Glass Gingerbread House by Jim Tinkham wins the 2020 People's Choice - Favorite Winter Themed Scene Award.
Jim writes...The Gingerbread was made from scratch and is a tried & true recipe that Jim has perfected over the years. The stained glass windows are made from gummy bears baked into the dough. The light shinning through the windows is an added treat! All decorations are 100% edible . The house took 25-30 hours to complete.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Gingerbread Mansion
Rose Hall by Rob Kent de Grey wins the
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Gingerbread Mansion.
Rob writes...For a few years, we've been building a gingerbread house to decorate over Thanksgiving weekend. This year's house reminds me of the Renaissance carol "Down in Yon Forest." The house's stained glass windows include four in the traditional rose style, as well as a fifth larger rose window featuring its namesake flower. Some clear windows are bordered by colored candy glass tiles. Climbing ivy on the porte-cochère is echoed by festive swags and garlands. The house is approximately three feet long, two feet deep, and two feet tall. It is 100% edible apart from the lighting and the display platform.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Architectural Replication
Victorian Christmas by Susan Rogers wins the 2020 People's Choice - Favorite Architectural Replication Award.
Susan writes...I saw this house (the Carson mansion in Eureka, CA) in 2006. I thought it would be cool to make, but I didn't know how I would ever do it. My daughter finally convinced me (dared me) to make it. It's about 98% gingerbread. Windows are isomalt with wafer paper shades. There's a little pastillage and splenda for snow.
By Burley Packwood - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Classic Cottage
Home. A place of refuge, rest, and care by Monica Eskridge wins the
People's Choice - Favorite Classic Cottage Award.
Monica writes...The last few years I’ve gotten away from the Gingerbread House. From monuments to monoliths, the themes got larger in scale and scope, and the thought of “just a house” was boring. And then came 2020. Where home became everything - to everyone. It was where we were safest. Where we fed ourselves and rested ourselves. Where we comforted each other and frustrated each other. Where we held everything from fencing lessons to choir concerts. Cocktails to scavenger hunts. Workouts. Talent shows. Birthdays. Weddings. Funerals.
The concept of the home is universal, but we all define it differently. Whatever your home has been through this time, I hope you remember it and cherish it for what it is—the creeky floors or the shiny knobs or the leaky roof that you never got fixed last year when contractors were still allowed inside and you were too lazy because it didn’t seem like that big a deal. As 2020 comes to a close and many of us find ourselves back in the confines of our home, I hope you will find all the joy and comfort your home provides. Happy Holidays!
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Use of Candy
Farm House by Diane Alancraig wins the
People's Choice - Favorite Use of Candy Award.
Diane writes...This house uses many candies purchased from the 99-cent store. The back of the house has a large garden with mushrooms, pumpkins and peas !!
2020 People's Choice - Favorite Non-Structure Gingerbread Display
Christmas Under the Sea by Maryanne Garcia wins the People's Choice - Favorite Non-Structure Gingerbread Display Award.
Maryanne writes...Everything is gingerbread! I used colored sugar, sprinkles, gumballs, M&M's, red hot candies, fondant, royal icing, candy canes, graham cracker and spices (sand) and Swedish fish around the base.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite COVID Theme
Front Line Workers by Sharon Buckwell wins the
People's Choice - Favorite COVID Theme Award.
Sharon writes...We didn't have a local contest this year so a bunch of us put up a display at the usual restaurant thanking front line workers. I made the stores with signs saying thank you. Because it wasn't a contest I did add non-edible trees.
2020 People's Choice - Favorite use of a Gingerbread-By-Design Template
Home for the Holidays by Amata Small wins the 2020 People's Choice - Favorite use of a Gingerbread-By-Design Template Award.
Amata writes...I thought this was the perfect year to go all out on a gingerbread house since we don’t have holiday parties and other festivities. This house uses the Waterford pattern, which I first made in cardboard to adjust the design and ensure everything fit correctly. I used gum for the bricks and tried to recreate slate tiles using fondant. Since I used gelatin leaves for the windows, I decided I needed to decorate the interior with framed windows, a fireplace, tree, a couple of wreaths and some pretzel furniture. It was a joy to make and made this year!
