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

View as Slideshow

1 of 19

GRAND PRIZE WINNER, 2016

Beatriz Müller; Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

2 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

3 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

4 of 19

ADULT SECOND PLACE, 2016
Glenda Tant; Lebanon, TN

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

5 of 19

ADULT SECOND PLACE, 2016
Glenda Tant; Lebanon, Tennessee

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

6 of 19

ADULT THIRD PLACE, 2016
Linda Carney; Asheville, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

7 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

8 of 19

ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Meghan Morris; Apex, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

9 of 19

ADULT TOP 10, 2016
Heather Haynes; Clarksville, IN

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

10 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

11 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

12 of 19

YOUTH FIRST PLACE, 2016
Perry Pate; Hickory, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

13 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

14 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

15 of 19

YOUTH THIRD PLACE, 2016
Josie Robinette; Asheville, NC

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

16 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

17 of 19

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

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

18 of 19

CHILD SECOND PLACE, 2016
Avery Browning & Gilliam McCormick

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

19 of 19

THE GREAT GINGERBREAD HOUSE, 2016

Photo: COURTESY OF THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN

Subscribe today and save.

Get a Print Subscription Get a Digital Subscription Give a Gift Manage Your Subscription