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The 2025 National Gingerbread House Competition at Asheville’s Omni Grove Park Inn crowned Mary Hulsman’s The Tiny Gnome Builders as the adult grand-prize winner. The competition returned after the 2024 event was canceled following Hurricane Helene, drawing 235 entries from 25 states. Every entry had to be at least 75% gingerbread and completely edible.
Who won the 2025 National Gingerbread House Competition?
Mary Hulsman of Concord, North Carolina, won the adult grand prize with The Tiny Gnome Builders. The top finishers in each age division were:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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Gingerbread House Kit 12.75 Oz – Holiday Cookie Decorating Kit | $18.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Baketivity Holiday Gingerbread House Baking Kit | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Weysat Large Gingerbread House Kit, 131 Pcs Christmas DIY Craft Decor | $37.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Division | First place | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | Mary Hulsman — The Tiny Gnome Builders | Heather Nadeau — The Birch Mouse Burrow | Michael Villella — Wassail Break |
| Teen (13–17) | Courtland High School — Mosaic Stairway of Ginger | Lolajay — Santa’s Game Night | Emma Rhinehart — The Green Jacket & Red Suit |
| Youth (9–12) | Bailey Nadeau — Muddlefoot’s Mushroom Madness | Rachel Cope — Scooby’s Sleighs | Navarra Fritz — Caterpillar in the Chrysalis |
| Child (5–8) | Finley Doyle — Grammy’s Kitchen | Callie Caldwell — I Spy Gingerbread Candy Factory | Kindergarten Cookies — A Christmas Wagon |
The teen winner also received Best Use of Color, showing how a strong palette can reinforce a structure rather than simply decorate it.
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The Tiny Gnome Builders: adult grand prize
Hulsman’s winning entry took the top adult honor in a field judged for both visual impact and execution. The adult division rewards a complete presentation: a coherent idea, ambitious construction, clean detailing and consistency from the main structure through the smallest edible accents.
#1 Best Overall
- Complete DIY Gingerbread House Kit (1.6 lbs): Includes everything you need—pre-baked gingerbread panels, colorful candies, and white icing for decorating and assembling your festive masterpiece.
- Assembly Required for Family Fun: Perfect holiday activity for kids, parents, and friends! Build and decorate your own gingerbread house from scratch with easy-to-follow instructions.
- Pre-Baked & Ready to Decorate: No baking needed! Spend less time in the kitchen and more time creating sweet holiday memories.
- Perfect for Gifting & Holiday Parties: Makes a great Christmas gift or party activity. Ideal for kids, classrooms, office parties, or cozy nights at home.
- Safe & Tasty Ingredients: Made with quality ingredients that are fun to build with and delicious to eat—certified for freshness and enjoyment.
Mosaic Stairway of Ginger: geometric precision
Courtland High School’s teen winner combined a stairway concept with a mosaic-like surface treatment. Its Best Use of Color award highlights the deliberate relationship between pattern, contrast and the building’s form.
Muddlefoot’s Mushroom Madness: imaginative storytelling
Bailey Nadeau’s youth winner demonstrates why a recognizable narrative helps a gingerbread scene read at a distance. The title suggests a character-led environment rather than a basic cottage, giving the judges a clear theme to assess.
Grammy’s Kitchen: detail at the child level
Finley Doyle’s first-place child entry shows that competition quality is not limited to large structures. A focused domestic setting can communicate its idea through familiar shapes, color and edible props.
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- BEST HOLIDAY GIFT: This holiday kids baking kit with beautiful packaging makes the perfect holiday baking gift set. Kids have fun building their edible gingerbread house as they bake, frost, and decorate it with the help of a step-by-step baking lesson.
- FRESH INGREDIENTS, DELICIOUS GINGERBREAD HOUSE: This gingerbread house kit makes a frosted gingerbread house from USA-manufactured ingredients. Includes all dry ingredients pre-measured for less mess and easy cleanup and a list of wet ingredients needed.
- EASY-TO-FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS: This kids’ baking set includes step-by-step instructions illustrated with colorful pictures, making it easy for little bakers to construct their very own gingerbread house and build confidence in the kitchen and beyond.
- KIDS COOKING EDUCATION: This gingerbread house kit for teens and kids teaches baking techniques and kids cooking skills so young chefs can learn and build confidence while creating their very own gingerbread house masterpiece.
- BAKE WITH OUR HEAD CHEF: Scan the QR code in the kids’ gingerbread house kit to access a bake-along video guided by one of Baketivity’s head bakers. With the help of a real live professional baker and our kids’ baking set, your child will feel like a baking pro.
Specialty awards and unusual techniques
| Award | Winner | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Best Use of Color | Bettina Hoeninger / Courtland High School | Mosaic Stairway of Ginger |
| Best Use of Sprinkles | Emma Rhinehart | The Green Jacket & Red Suit |
| Longest Standing Competitor | Merry Spafford (22 years) | Chrismice on Santa Watch |
| Most Unique Ingredient | Drew Lehman | Hobbiton, using basil flowers |
| Pop Culture Star | Helen Clark and Girl Scout Troop 42504 | Addams Family Mansion |
| Most Innovative Structure | Vera Ward-Robinson | The Gate House |
| Community Spirit Award | Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins | The Rainbow Bridge |
| Rising Star Award | Mindy Bandiera | The Village at Christmas |
| Furthest Traveled Competitor | Colleene Little (2,699 miles from Castle Rock, Washington) | Tales of the Pacific NorthWest |
| People’s Choice: Best in Show | Merry Spafford | Chrismice on Santa Watch |
How were the gingerbread houses judged?
Judges evaluated each entry in person at Omni Grove Park Inn using six published criteria:
- Overall appearance
- Originality
- Creativity
- Difficulty
- Precision
- Consistency of theme
These criteria favor a balanced design. A technically difficult build still needs accurate joins and controlled decoration; an imaginative concept must remain legible and consistent across the whole piece. The 2025 rules required every creation to be 75% gingerbread and 100% edible. The awards ceremony itself was closed to the public.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can I see the 2025 gingerbread winners?
The physical display ran from November 18, 2025, through January 4, 2026, at Omni Grove Park Inn. That exhibition has ended. During the display period, visitors who were not resort guests could generally view the entries after 6 p.m. on Sundays or at any time Monday through Thursday. Fridays and Saturdays were generally reserved for registered resort guests and confirmed dining guests, with holiday exclusions.
Rank #3
- 131 Pcs Complete Gingerbread House Kit: Includes 6 soft clay panels, 10ml 502 glue, 3 packs of frosting glue, 70 candy sprinkles, 10 lollipops, 5 mini donuts, 30 heart shaped candies and 6 Christmas decorations for DIY holiday crafting
- Non Edible Clay Gingerbread House Decoration: Made with faux clay panels and decorative accessories, this DIY Christmas gingerbread house is designed for crafting and display, not eating; create a realistic holiday centerpiece that can be stored and reused every Christmas season
- Realistic Snow Candy Details: Create a winter wonderland look with 3 packs of creamy frosting glue, colorful sprinkles and candy-style decorations; decorate the roof and walls with sweet details to build a unique Christmas house display
- Fun Family Christmas Activity: This DIY gingerbread house craft kit provides a hands-on holiday project for kids, teens and adults; enjoy assembling, decorating and creating festive memories together during Christmas parties, family gatherings or winter craft activities
- Christmas Gift Holiday Display Idea: Perfect for DIY lovers, families and Christmas enthusiasts, the finished gingerbread house can decorate mantels, tables, shelves and holiday displays; a creative seasonal gift for making lasting Christmas memories
The grand-prize, adult second-place and adult third-place entries were scheduled to remain at the resort for the following year. For people unable to travel, Omni’s official “12 Days of Gingerbread” social showcase ran on Facebook and Instagram from December 1–12, 2025. The competition’s information page also provides a 2025 winners gallery.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHow to build a competition-style gingerbread house
A retail decorating kit can help with practice, but it may not satisfy the competition’s 75%-gingerbread requirement. Check the ingredients and construction materials before entering any contest.
- Choose one readable concept. Start with a setting or story—such as a workshop, burrow or game night—and list the visual elements that make it unmistakable.
- Draft a scale plan. Map every wall, roof, stair and tower before baking. The official competition resources include a gingerbread blueprint and piping practice sheet.
- Engineer the structure first. Bake panels to consistent thickness, let them cool completely and test-fit every joint. Difficulty earns credit only when the finished form remains precise.
- Use edible adhesive carefully. Royal icing should hold seams before decorative work begins. Support large or delicate sections while the icing sets.
- Build a controlled palette. Select a small group of icing colors and repeat them across the structure so the theme stays consistent.
- Add texture with purpose. Sprinkles, candies, piped lines and unusual ingredients such as basil flowers should explain the scene, not obscure it.
- Inspect from every angle. Look for gaps, uneven piping, leaning walls and unfinished rear or side surfaces. Precision and consistency are judged across the entire entry.
Why the 2025 competition mattered
Founded in 1992, the National Gingerbread House Competition has grown from a local contest into a nationally recognized showcase. Its 2025 return brought together makers from 25 states after the previous year’s cancellation, pairing elaborate architecture with accessible storytelling across four age divisions.
Quick Recap
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