Gingerbread House Contest Ideas, Judging Criteria and Rules

Gingerbread house contest ideas in 30 seconds

Set a few simple rules before anyone starts building: who can enter, what counts as edible, and how long builders have. Score each house on five criteria (creativity, decoration, structure, theme and overall wow), add a People's Choice vote, and hand out certificates for a handful of award categories. Number the entries so judging stays fair.

• Judge on five things: Creativity, Decoration, Structure, Theme and Overall Wow
• Add a People's Choice vote so every guest has a say
• Give 6 to 10 awards so most builders go home with something
• Number every house and judge by number, not by name
• Write the rules on a sign and read them out before building starts

Simple gingerbread house contest rules

A contest runs smoothly when the rules are short and everyone hears them first. You can print them, post them at the entry table and repeat them out loud. Here is a set that works for family parties, classrooms, offices and community events.

• Decide the format: build on the spot from identical kits, or bring a finished house from home
• Say what must be edible. Many hosts require that every part of the house is food, with the base board as the only exception
• Set a time limit if you build on site, such as 45 to 60 minutes
• Choose entry groups: individuals, pairs or families, and a separate kids' group if ages are mixed
• Pick one optional theme, such as a favorite movie scene, a snowy village or a candy shop, or leave it open
• Tell people when voting opens, and that nobody may vote for their own house
• Remind guests that the houses are for looking, not tasting, until the winners are announced

Gingerbread house judging criteria

Judges need something concrete to score or the result feels random. A clear method is five categories, with each judge giving every house 1 to 10 in each. That is a top score of 50 points per judge, and the numbers make ties easy to spot.

The five criteria in the SteadyStack gingerbread contest kit are Creativity, Decoration, Structure, Theme and Overall Wow. Here is what each one means in practice.

• Creativity: an original idea, unusual shapes or a clever twist on a classic house
• Decoration: neat candy work, icing lines, color choices and use of texture
• Structure: does it stand up straight, are the walls and roof secure, are the joins clean
• Theme: how well the house tells its story or fits the theme you set
• Overall Wow: the gut reaction when you first see it, the house everyone stops to look at
• Use two or three judges who are not entering, and have them score on their own sheets before comparing

Gingerbread house judging categories and awards

Scoring picks the overall winner, and extra awards recognize what makes each house special. Eight categories cover most contests, and a couple of blank certificates let you invent a joke award on the day.

• Best in Show: the highest total score overall
• Most Creative: the most original idea
• Best Decorated: the neatest and most colorful finish
• Sturdiest Build: the strongest structure
• Best Use of Candy: the smartest or most surprising candy choices
• Best Theme: the house that fits the theme best
• People's Choice: the guest vote winner
• Best Kids' Creation: the top entry from the youngest builders
• Blank awards: name your own, such as Most Likely to Collapse or Best Tiny Village

What you need for the contest

Plan on supplies for building and for judging. Building needs the houses and a way to decorate them. Judging needs paper, and a little printing before the day makes everything quicker.

• Gingerbread houses or kits, a sturdy base board for each, and a tray or table for display
• Royal icing for glue, plus bowls of candy, cereal, pretzels, shredded coconut or other decorations
• Entry cards so every house has a number or name in front of it
• A sign-up sheet to record entries (the kit's sheet has room for 22)
• Score sheets for each judge and ballots for People's Choice voting
• A tally sheet to add scores and votes
• Certificates for each award
• A table cloth, wet wipes and a plan for the cleanup

How to run the contest, step by step

Here is a simple timeline for a contest that happens in one afternoon or evening. Change the minutes to fit your group.

• 1. Before the day, print the sign-up sheet, entry cards, score sheets, ballots and certificates.
• 2. As builders arrive, have them sign up and take a numbered entry card.
• 3. Read the rules and the judging criteria out loud, then start the timer.
• 4. While people build, set up the display table with a Welcome sign and a Vote Here sign.
• 5. When time is up, move the houses to the display table with each entry card in front.
• 6. Judges score every house on their own sheets while guests fill in People's Choice ballots.
• 7. Add the scores on the tally sheet, pick the winners for each category and fill in the certificates.
• 8. Announce awards from the smaller ones up to Best in Show, take photos and then let everyone eat.

Gingerbread house contest ideas by group

The same method works for every group, with a few changes to fit the people in the room.

• Family: build in teams, give every child a ribbon or certificate and use a kids' category
• Classroom: keep voting by sticker or ballot, judge by number so nobody feels singled out, and invite another class or staff to judge
• Office: allow teams of two to four, set a lunch-hour time limit and keep the awards friendly. Pair it with other party games for a fuller event
• Church or community event: run a youth group and an adult group, and collect ballots from visitors as they walk by
• Adults only: a theme such as a favorite movie scene or a haunted-house-turned-holiday twist adds fun
• Friends' night: build from identical kits so the difference comes from the ideas, not the budget

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Most gingerbread contests that go wrong stumble on the same few things, and each is easy to prevent.

• No time limit: on-site builds stretch for hours if you do not set one
• Unclear rules: decide what is edible and who counts as a kid or adult entry before the first house is built
• Judging by name: use numbers so friendships do not tip the scores
• Wet icing: allow time for icing to set before moving houses to the display table
• Unplanned allergies: label houses made with nuts or other common allergens if people will eat the candy afterward, and keep a nut-free option on hand
• Forgetting the ties: decide up front whether the tie goes to the higher Structure score or a second vote

A printable gingerbread contest kit

If you would rather not make score sheets from scratch, the Gingerbread House Contest printable is a 17-page US Letter PDF built for exactly this. It starts with a host guide covering the five judging criteria, then includes an entry sign-up sheet for 22 entries, entry cards (6 per page), a judge score sheet for 18 entries scored 1 to 10 in each category, detailed scorecards with room for comments, People's Choice ballots (8 per page) and award category ballots.

It also has a tally and results sheet, 10 award certificates (Best in Show, Most Creative, Best Decorated, Sturdiest Build, Best Use of Candy, Best Theme, People's Choice and Best Kids' Creation, plus 2 blanks), three full-page signs (Welcome to the Gingerbread House Contest, Vote Here, and Look, Don't Taste) and a last page with building tips, a royal icing recipe, a supply checklist and a contest-day timeline. The sign-up sheet, entry cards, score sheets, tally, certificates and checklist have typing fields, or you can print and write by hand.

You can see the full list on Etsy, or browse the Christmas and New Year section for more party kits.

More holiday party ideas

Gingerbread building pairs well with other seasonal activities. A cookie exchange party kit covers invitations, recipe cards, cookie labels, allergy cards, ballots and awards, and you can see it on Etsy. For a different contest, see the guide to ugly sweater contest categories and awards, or compare more options in the holiday party games guide. Adults looking for a longer game night might like our Christmas murder mystery party guide.