Now in its sixth year, the Gingerbread Design Competition is a fun and tasty way to highlight the delicious talents of Boston landscape and architecture firms. While challenging designers to explore a new medium, this sweet event also raises funds for community design programs of the BSA Foundation.

This year’s theme is “Innovations and Firsts," celebrating 150 years of Boston as a hub of innovation.

As in previous years, there will be an “auction” during the first week of the Gingerbread exhibition, raising funds for the BSA Foundation’s community design programs. The close of the auction will be celebrated at a public reception on Monday, December 18, 2017. Guest judges Brendan Ciecko (Founder, Cuseum), Louise Kennedy (Senior Arts Producer, WBUR), and Sarah Kennedy (Service Manager, No.9 Park) will be announcing their favorite entries at the reception, as well as awarding the Golden Spatula and Golden Whisk to the designs that are most beloved by the public.

Vote for your favorite gingerbread house now! Voting will be open until midnight on December 31, 2017.

Join the BSA Foundation for the Gingerbread Reception to view 15 gingerbread designs from teams of architecture and landscape architecture firms on exhibition, enjoy light refreshments, and celebrate the incredible bakers on Monday, Decmber 18, 2017 at 6:00 pm.

Essential dates for 2017:

October 17—Open call for participants issued
November 20—Registration deadline
December 7—Gingerbread creations dropped off at BSA Space by firms
December 11—Gingerbread exhibition opens at BSA Space; auction open
December 16—Family Design Day: Gingerbread
December 18—Public reception; auction close
December 31—Exhibition closes at BSA Space; firms pick up their creations

To register and for more information, please contact Elliya Cutler, Program Manager of Civic Initiatives, at [email protected] or 617-391-4027.

Image: Gingerbread Design Competition 2017, projects designed by Perkins Eastman Architects (front) and Finegold Alexander Architects (rear).

The Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA) reaches its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2017. That’s 150 years of design professionals working together to build often inventive and creative buildings for this city and for the people who live in it. It’s really quite amazing—150 years of progress, innovation, standard-setting, collaboration, and community building.

Other initiatives marking the 150th anniversary may include: an exhibition timeline at BSA Space focusing on the BSA's achievements over the last 150 years, weekly essays from a leader or ally of the organization, and plaques to be mounted on design award winning buildings.