The 9th annual BSA Gingerbread Design Competition & Exhibition will take place this year—this time in a virtual format! The Gingerbread Design competition is a fun and tasty way to highlight great works of edible architecture while spreading holiday cheer. This exhibition raises funds for BSA community design programs while challenging designers to explore a sweet new medium.

The year 2020 has challenged all of us and now, the BSA challenges you to create a gingerbread masterpiece inspired by the theme "Escape 2020: Fantasyland." The theme invites you to leave your 2020 woes behind and explore your favorite fictitious and fantastical worlds through artistically crafted gingerbread creations.

Once the virtual exhibition launches on December 10, we invite everyone to vote for their favorite gingerbread masterpieces with their dollars! Funds raised through the exhibition support community design initiatives of the Boston Society for Architecture. Tax-deductible donations of any size are welcome. All donations count.

For design inspiration and to see highlights of past entries of this exhibition, view the Facebook Photo Gallery!

Additional Information

Where can I find the Welcome Packet and the Family Guide?

The Welcome Packet is for all participants as it contains essential information for submitting your final gingerbread photo(s), inspiration, and more!

The Family Guide is for participants who are creating a gingerbread entry with children as it helps to guide younger participants through the design process.

Important dates:

November 20, 2020, 5:00 PM | Deadline to register

December 6, 2020, 11:59 PM | Deadline to submit completed entries

December 10, 2020 | Virtual exhibition and voting opens

December 20, 2020, 11:59 PM | Online voting closes

December 21, 2020 | All winners announced on architects.org and social media platforms (@BSAAIA)

Awards

Awards will be given for the following categories:

• Golden Whisk for most amount of money raised
• Silver Spatula for most number of votes
• Chocolate-covered Rolling Pin for judges' choice
• People's Choice Award for most number of votes on Facebook

All entries will be virtually judged by a panel of expert gingerbread architects who will bestow additional festive awards! Winners will be announced on on architects.org and on BSA social media platforms on December 21, 2020.

Competition and submission rules:

• To be eligible for the competition, you or a representative for your team must complete the registration form by Friday, November 20, 2020 at 5 PM EST. Entries that are not registered will not be accepted to the competition.
• We will begin accepting pre-registered submissions in mid-November. For each entry, we will accept up to five (5) photographs, two (2) sketches, one (1) video, and one (1) rendering. Minimum submission must include at least one (1) image. More information on the submission process will be included in your welcome packet.
• All visible elements on your gingerbread creation must be edible.
• Voting will begin on December 10, 2020 when the virtual exhibition launches. Everyone will be encouraged to vote, both with their dollars and their "likes."
• Please remember that this is a family friendly competition! The BSA reserves the right to not display an entry considered to be inappropriate.

Why donate to the BSA?

This festive exhibition supports serious work. All of the donations we receive directly benefit the BSA's public programs, including our community design projects. These programs provide design assistance to neighborhoods and community organizations typically left out of architecture and planning conversations, working to bring neighborhood voices into larger design processes. In the recent past, the BSA Foundation has been involved in projects in Roslindale, East Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan, working on issues ranging from climate resiliency to healthy schoolyards to affordable neighborhood housing.

Additional questions?

For any additional questions you may have about this year's Gingerbread Design Competition & Exhibition, please email [email protected].

The Gingerbread Design Competition, a program of the BSA, was launched by the Community Design Resource Center (CDRC) in 2012.