Arts & Culture

Gingerbread Houses You’ve Got to See to Believe

There’s no sugarcoating it: The annual National Gingerbread House Competition, held at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, is intense. The event pits dozens of architecturally minded amateur bakers against one another, vying for bragging rights and a grand prize of five thousand dollars.

Crowds of up to sixty thousand view the structures over the nearly six weeks they are on display—this year November 26–January 4. Here’s a look at some of the winners from the 2016 competition.

By CJ Lotz Diego and Jennifer Stewart Kornegay

November 15, 2017

GRAND PRIZE WINNER, 2016
Beatriz Müller; Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

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GRAND PRIZE WINNER, 2016

Beatriz Müller; Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

GRAND PRIZE ADULT TEAM, 2016
Jengerbread; Chapel Hill, NC

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GRAND PRIZE ADULT TEAM, 2016
Jengerbread; Chapel Hill, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Courtland High School German Program; Spotsylvania, VA

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FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Courtland High School German Program; Spotsylvania, VA

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

ADULT SECOND PLACE, 2016
Glenda Tant; Lebanon, TN

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ADULT SECOND PLACE, 2016
Glenda Tant; Lebanon, TN

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

ADULT SECOND PLACE, 2016
Glenda Tant; Lebanon, Tennessee

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ADULT SECOND PLACE, 2016
Glenda Tant; Lebanon, Tennessee

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

ADULT THIRD PLACE, 2016
Linda Carney; Asheville, NC

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ADULT THIRD PLACE, 2016
Linda Carney; Asheville, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Gail Oliver; Johnson City, TN

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ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Gail Oliver; Johnson City, TN

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Meghan Morris; Apex, NC

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ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Meghan Morris; Apex, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Heather Haynes; Clarksville, IN

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ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Heather Haynes; Clarksville, IN

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

TEEN FIRST PLACE, 2016
Courtland High School German Program; Spotsylvania, VA

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TEEN FIRST PLACE, 2016
Courtland High School German Program; Spotsylvania, VA

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

TEEN FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Courtland High School German Program; Spotsylvania, VA

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TEEN FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Courtland High School German Program; Spotsylvania, VA

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

YOUTH FIRST PLACE, 2016
Perry Pate; Hickory, NC

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YOUTH FIRST PLACE, 2016
Perry Pate; Hickory, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

YOUTH FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Happy Homeschooling Girls: Chloe Jennings and Allie Church; Purlear, NC

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YOUTH FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Happy Homeschooling Girls: Chloe Jennings and Allie Church; Purlear, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

YOUTH SECOND PLACE TEAM, 2016
The Tree Toppers; Blue Ridge, GA

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YOUTH SECOND PLACE TEAM, 2016
The Tree Toppers; Blue Ridge, GA

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

YOUTH THIRD PLACE, 2016
Josie Robinette; Asheville, NC

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YOUTH THIRD PLACE, 2016
Josie Robinette; Asheville, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

CHILD FIRST PLACE, 2016
Sarah Beth Robinson; Palmyra, VA

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CHILD FIRST PLACE, 2016
Sarah Beth Robinson; Palmyra, VA

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

CHILD FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Edwards Workshop; China Grove, NC

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CHILD FIRST PLACE TEAM, 2016
Edwards Workshop; China Grove, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

CHILD SECOND PLACE, 2016
Avery Browning & Gilliam McCormick

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CHILD SECOND PLACE, 2016
Avery Browning & Gilliam McCormick

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

THE GREAT GINGERBREAD HOUSE, 2016

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THE GREAT GINGERBREAD HOUSE, 2016

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

CJ Lotz Diego is Garden & Gun’s senior editor. A staffer since 2013, she wrote G&G’s bestselling Bless Your Heart trivia game, edits the Due South travel section, and covers gardens, books, and art. Originally from Eureka, Missouri, she graduated from Indiana University and now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, where she tends a downtown pocket garden with her florist husband, Max.

Jennifer Stewart Kornegay is an award-winning freelance writer and editor based in Montgomery, Alabama. Her articles cover a variety of topics, including food and food culture, makers and travel, but the throughline is an emphasis on telling the stories of the interesting people behind them all.

A cover with Nate Bargatze

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