First Annual Zest Gingerbread House Competition

December 4-6th, 2020 

Join us in celebrating Downtown Holly Days with another first - the first ever Annual Zest Gingerbread House Competition! Anyone can enter and entries will be displayed in the Zest windows December 4-6th for the community to vote on. Votes will be collected IN STORE only.

Create your own gingerbread masterpiece for a chance to win one of three prizes OR come down to Zest to vote for your favorite creation!

Prizes

1st Place - A surprise item valued at $295

2nd Place - $50 Zest gift certificate

3rd Place - $25 Zest gift certificate

Drop-off

Entries must be dropped off on Tuesday, December 2nd between 10am and 6pm. No entries will be accepted earlier.

Pickup

All entries must be picked up on either Monday and Tuesday, December 7th and 8th, between 10am and 6pm. Any entries that are not picked up by this time will become the property of Zest.

Dos & Don’ts

• The Gingerbread House Competition is a family-friendly show. Zest reserves the right not to display an entry that is deemed offensive, controversial, inappropriate, religious, political, or poorly constructed and may remove entries based on guest complaints or damage.

• Pre-registration:  Pre-registration is not required, but strongly encouraged. If you plan to participate, please send us an email at info@zestbillings.com to help us know in advance how many gingerbread houses to make space for!

• Any kind of architectural structure, not just houses, will be accepted.

• Each group or individual may enter only one gingerbread creation.

• Please securely attach a 3”x 5” card on the underside of your display base listing your name, address, email address, and telephone number.

• Use of gingerbread: The main structure of every entry must be constructed of gingerbread.

• Non-visible interior supports: Non-edible materials may be used for non-visible supports. Examples include: machine designed, 3D printed and laser cut components, lights, moving mechanisms. Please no sound. Electric will not be provided.

• Everything visible on your entry MUST be edible: Use of gum paste, fondant, pastillage, chocolate, modeling chocolate, royal icing, isomalt, cast sugar, gelatin and pressed sugar is encouraged.

• Size limitations:  All entries must be mounted on a sturdy piece of plywood display board (½” or ¾” plywood is recommended). The maximum size for display boards for all categories is 24”x 24”. The maximum height of your gingerbread creation is 24″. Weight is not to exceed 50 pounds. The display board should be size appropriate to your creation without exceeding the maximum size limits.

• Zest is not responsible for any gingerbreads on display.

• TIPS
  – A strong idea is key. Sometimes the best entries are the simplest, yet most recognizable.
  – Craftsmanship can make or break the overall look of a project.
  – Make sure everything has set and there is nothing still wet.
  – Remember your gingerbread creation will be on display for 3 days. Make sure everything is secure and has proper weight distribution to prevent toppling!
  – To make glass windows or lakes out of sugar, remember to heat your sugar mixture to 300°F, then remove it from heat. The candy must reach 300°F. If you do not get the candy hot enough, it will not set properly. Your candy will end up sticky no matter how long you let it sit or cool.