RULES FOR EDIBLE ART COMPETITIONS

Show Me Sweets Reserves the Right NOT to award in a category where entries to not meet the standards/requirement for category.

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• A collaborative effort between atleast 2 people with no maximum number of participants. This can be acquaintances, professional organizations, non-profits, bakeries and/or any group of people wishing to compete as a team.

• Attendance to show by ALL members of collaboration not required.

• Nothing hanging over the edges of the presentation board for competition entries.  Everything must be contained within the base boards parameter or 24" x 24".

• All pieces entered into the Collaboration Competition must be a group effort.  Each member can work on them separately but must present them together on the base board, either stacked or as part of a scene.

• Only team members will be able to assist with set-up on the day of show.

JULIA M. USHER'S COOKIE ART COMPETITION™

DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM

Bring With You At Competition Drop-Off

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Categories: 2-D/Flat and 3-D Cookies (Televised)

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PRIZES

Prizes for 2-D/Flat Cookie Category:
First: $750
Second: $500
Third: $250

Prizes for 3-D Cookie Category: A total of $5,000 in cash and products, and growing! PLUS: The 3-D Cookie category will be filmed by a MAJOR TV NETWORK for an exciting COOKIE DOCUMENTARY! All 3-D cookie artists who enter will be considered for a featured cookie artist spot in the documentary. For more information about the documentary, click here.

THEME:

For 2-D/Flat Cookie Competition: Cookie Community - Using a minimum of 12 cookies, depict a story of what’s living, happening, or just happily existing at the base of the mythical and magical Cake Mountain. Think beyond architecture to people, flora, fauna, landscape, art, industry, business, and so on! Extreme imagination, exquisite details, and exceptional technique will be rewarded!

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For 3-D Cookie Category: Dream Adventure - What’s on your bucket list? Is there a place, either real or mythical, that you’re dying to explore? A person or people you’d give anything to meet? And/or some other life-changing experience you can’t wait to have? Using a minimum of 12 cookies in a 3-D cookie vignette, tell us the story of your dream adventure in a way that illuminates its every magnificent feature. Make the judges feel as if they’re alongside you on this adventure – again, extreme imagination, exquisite details, and exceptional technique will be rewarded!

JULIA M. USHER'S COOKIE ART COMPETITION™ REQUIREMENTS:
(for both 2-D/3-D Cookie categories)

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• The show and competition judges reserve the right to deduct points or disqualify entries if any of the following requirements are not met.


• All entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form.

• Registrations must be received by 07/01/2019.Late registrations and entries will not be accepted or judged. See show schedule at the top of this page.

• No machined or laser-cut parts allowed.

• Entry must be made, in its entirety, by the entrant. Faux or store-bought cookies or icing cannot be used. No one else can assist with the entry.

• Entry cannot have been previously entered in another competition, show, or exhibition. The work must be fresh and tailored to this competition’s theme.

• Entrant must maintain the anonymity of his/her entry until judging is complete (i.e., entry cannot contain entrant’s identity; entrant cannot display entry on social media or show entry to judges in advance)

• Entry cannot contain copies or close facsimiles of others’ copyrighted designs, art, logos, or other material unless written permission was received from the copyright holder to copy/use said work in this competition AND that written permission is included with the entrant’s entry form.

• Entry cannot contain inedible materials. Any items that could be construed by judges as inedible (including, but not limited to, luster dusts and glitters) should be clearly identified by brand name on the entrant’s entry form. Exception for 3-D Cookie category: Internal supports are discouraged, but allowed if they are clearly visible and able to removed from the cookie(s) if they were to be eaten (i.e., such as cookie pops).

• Entry must contain a minimum of 12 clearly identified cookies. There is no maximum number of cookies for the entry.

• Entrant must conduct her/himself in an ethical and professional manner. Good sportsmanship matters!

For 2-D Cookie category only: The individual cookies in the entry must be flat, but they can be displayed in an upright position. The cookies can be touching, but they should not be overlapping. Judges should be able to clearly see all parts of each cookie without moving any of them. The entire entry must be contained on a display base, made of any material, no larger than 14 x 14 inches.

For 3-D Cookie category only:
Entry must conform to the competition’s definition of 3-D, meaning cookies must be constructed/engineered to create a standing piece of cookie art. Again, all cookies included in the construction must be clearly identified on the entrant’s entry form. The entire entry must be contained on a display base, made of any material, no larger than 14 x 32 inches, with the long side being the front-facing side. There is no height constraint. All 12 (or more) cookies needn’t be joined together, but at least 12 cookies must be freestanding (i.e., standing up) either alone or in smaller groupings, and, taken together, all 12 (or more) cookies must form a cohesive 3-D composition. Solitary flat cookies (i.e., laying down and not joined to any other cookie) can be included in the entry, but they will not count toward the minimum requirement of 12 cookies.

NEW: Each 3-D entry must also be accompanied by four (3- to 4-inch) decorated cookie samples for tasting. These cookies can be flat, but must be made with the primary cookie dough and icing used in the 3-D entry. They must also be decorated to complement the vignette in your 3-D entry. These cookies will be used in a final scoring round that includes a cookie taste and texture component.

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JUDGING CRITERIA

Judging Criteria: 3-D Cookie Category
Judges will evaluate each entry across the first nine criteria; only finalists in this category will be judged on the tenth criterion:

1. Interpretation of Theme
2. Number and Difficulty of Decorating Techniques Used (Decorating techniques include, but are not limited to, outlining/flooding, dipping, dimensional pressure piping, wet-on-wet/marbling, stenciling, airbrushing, painting, stamping, fondant work, edible paper work, isomalt, etc.)
3. Number and Difficulty of Construction Techniques Used (Construction techniques include, but are not limited to, contouring dough, embossing or molding dough, stacked or sandwiched 3-D constructions, 3-D mitered corner constructions, cookies on sticks, etc.)
4. Mastery of Decorating and Construction Techniques Used
5. Cleanliness of Individual Cookie Elements and 3-D Construction
6. Scale, Balance, and Viewability of 3-D Construction (from all angles)
7. Originality of Design (Again, copies of copyrighted materials are not permitted unless written permissions were obtained in advance and included with the entry form.)
8. Setup/Display (Edible plates, platters, or other display pieces will be awarded more points.)
9. Overall Appeal
10. Taste and Texture (Again, only finalists will be scored on this criterion, though all entrants must submit cookie samples for tasting in order to be eligible to win.)

Judging Criteria: 2-D Cookie Category
Judges will evaluate each entry across the following seven criteria:

1. Interpretation of Theme
2. Number and Difficulty of Techniques Used: (Techniques include, but are not limited to, outlining/flooding, dipping, dimensional pressure piping, wet-on-wet/marbling, stenciling, airbrushing, painting, stamping, fondant work, edible paper work, isomalt, etc.)
3. Mastery of Techniques Used
4. Cleanliness of Icing/Covering and Cookies
5. Originality of Cookie Designs (Again, copies of copyrighted materials are not permitted unless written permissions were obtained in advance and included with the entry form.)
6. Setup/Display (Edible plates, platters, or other display pieces will be awarded more points.)
7. Overall Appeal

SWEET TASTE COMPETITION

Open to Cottage Law Bakers, Bakeries, Restaurants and Culinary Schools. All participants must have a business license, resell license (if you plan to sell at show) and insurance.

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• Participating bakers/bakeries will present one single 2oz. serving of one recipe.

• Participating bakers/bakeries agree to submit 300 2 oz. samples in their own containers. Containers will not be provided.

• Participating bakers/bakeries agree to submit 4 Samples for Professional Degustation with no identifiers.

• Participating bakers/bakeries agree to submit 296 Samples for People's Choice Awards, identifiers allowed.

• Participating bakers/bakeries agree to not use non-edible items, ingredients, materials in their recipe.

• Participating bakers/bakeries agree to submit recipe that includes ONLY FDA COMPLAINT INGREDIENTS.

• Participating bakers/bakeries agree to offer small, bite size samples for general public for duration of show.

CHILDREN'S COMPETITION

• Bring in 3 Decorated Cupcakes

• Child may use undecorated cupcakes that were purchased from a bakery.

• Child may have adult help with the undecorated cupcake baking.

• Child will not have ANY PHYSICAL HELP with decorating the cupcake.

• Child may receive assistance with prepping frosting, piping bags, purchasing items.

• Child must present a sketch as part of their entry form of what they intent to create.

OOPSY DAISY

Show Me Sweets Reserves the Right NOT to award in a category where entries to not meet the standards/requirement for category.

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• Each Plant/Flower Specimen should be presented in a NON-EDIBLE.

• TERRACOTTA POT up to 12" Round.

• Specimen can be either real or imagined.

• No restrictions on height or overhang.

• All material visible MUST BE EDIBLE. This includes any soil and moss.

• Pot maybe decorated with edible material if you like.

THEME CAKE

Show Me Sweets Reserves the Right NOT to award in a category where entries to not meet the standards/requirement for category.

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• Presented on display base no larger than 12x12, base to be covered.

• Cake must be traditional cake shape. Ex. Round, Square, Oval, etc.

• Must use all edible items except for items used in internal structure, if applicable.

• No limitations on height.

Sponsored by Never Forgotten Designs .

DARK CHOCOLATE FOREST

Show Me Sweets Reserves the Right NOT to award in a category where entries to not meet the standards/requirement for category.

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• Must include at least one element of sculpting and one element of  internal structure.

• Must represent cake

• Nothing hanging over the edges of the presentation board for competition entries.  Everything must be contained within the base board's max parameter or 25" x 25". No height restrictions.

• Cake Foams, styrofoam, elements for structure allowed but must be completely hidden from all view points.

• Real cake not required, however must be able to be re-created with real cake. Ability to re-create in edible form will be considered during judging. Entries that do not have cake element will be disqualified from this Sculpted & Structured Cake Competition.

• Only registered competitor and one helper for carrying / placing on table will be able to assist with set-up on the day of show. Helper is NOT to touch, decorate or assist with touch-ups of the piece.