Community Advocacy for Merritt Island

CAMI'S 2025 TREE-MENDOUS GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION 

RULES AND PROCEDURES 

 

ENTRY FORM DEADLINE:  Tuesday, December 9, 2025, by 11:59 pm

 

ENTRY SUBMISSION: Thursday, December 11, 2025 5:00-7:00 pm @ Brevard Veteran Memorial Center, 400 S. Sykes Creek Pkwy,  Merritt Island, FL (in the Museum)

 

DISPLAY OF HOUSES: Saturday, December 13 from 4:00 pm –7:00 pm

Houses will be on display during the Holiday Illumination Celebration at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center Museum, 400 S. Sykes Creek Parkway, Merritt Island, FL.  Awards will be posted on houses while displayed for the evening.  Prizes and houses must be picked up immediately after the event (7:00-8:00 pm).  Any houses not picked up will be disposed of by CAMI.

 

The deadline to submit the Competitor Entry Form is December 9, 2025, at 11:59 pm. CAMI reserves the right to refuse any entry deemed inappropriate. For additional questions, please contact Jenny Gordon at donandjennyg@gmail.com.

 

ENTRY CATEGORY GUIDELINES

Notifications will be sent out via email. If the individual entering is under 18 years of age by the date of the competition entry, consent from a parent or legal guardian is required in addition to disclosing the minor’s date of birth. Each participant may only submit one entry.

Following receipt of the Competitor Entry Form, the entrant will receive a confirmation email.

 

ENTRY CATEGORIES

• Individuals:

  • Adult Category - Individuals 18 years of age and older entering as a single entrant.

  • Teen Category - Individuals between 13 and 17 years of age entering as a single entrant.

    • (Must have a parent permission form)

  • Youth Category - Individuals between 8 and 12 years of age entering as a single entrant.

    • (Must have a parent permission form)

• Family:

  • Family must provide the names and ages of all participants.  One entry per family. Participants under the age of 18 must have parent permission form.

• Special Needs:

  • Individuals and teams with special needs ages 18 and up.

• Businesses:

  • A local business submits an entry and wins bragging rights.

 

JUDGING:  All entries will be judged on five criteria (100 Points):

1. Overall Design & Appearance (20 points)

2. Originality and Creativity (25 points)

3. Use of Color (15 point)

4. Precision & Neatness, (25 points) Neatness and skill level are important

5. Consistency of Theme (15 points) Are your title and theme consistent and evident in your piece?

 

PRIZES: All winners receive appropriate place ribbons and:

Adult      First place $100     Second place $50     Third place $25

Teen       First place $50       Second place $25      Third place $10

Youth     First place $25        Second place $15       Third place $10

Special Needs Individual      First Place $50           Second Place $25       Third Place $10

Special Needs Team              First Place $50           Second Place $25       Third Place $10

Business Category                 Bragging rights!

 

SIZE LIMITATIONS

Entry must be placed on a board base no larger than 24 inches wide, and 24 inches long. The entry may not exceed 18” in height including the base board. Plywood of 1/2” is a suggested base.

 

Nothing should extend beyond or hang over the edge of the base.

 

Non-edible materials such as paint and/or ribbon are approved and encouraged to decorate the outer edge of your (plywood) base only.

 

Weight is not to exceed 40 pounds including the base board.

 

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

The structure of the house must be made of gingerbread.

 

You may NOT use a commercial (store bought) kit.

 

Everything above the base of your entry must be composed completely of edible materials. 100% edible!

 

You may NOT use structural materials, like Styrofoam, in your display.

 

Any candies must be free of wrappings and any other non-edible material.

 

Any entry with non-edible components or using unapproved techniques will be automatically disqualified from placing in the competition.

 

TEEN AND YOUTH CATEGORY

Entries must be solely constructed by the individual(s) entering the competition and highlight their own skills.

 

Teen and youth competitors may be supervised, for safety reasons, by a parent, legal guardian, or classroom teacher but not overly assisted. (For example-assisting with use of the oven, stove or mixer)

 

All teen and youth competitors require consent from a parent or legal guardian in addition to disclosing the minor’s date of birth.

 

SPECIAL NEEDS CATEGORY

Entries should be constructed by the individual or team as much as possible while being supervised to insure safety of the participants.

 

Each participant in the Individual category should have a designated contact person for all communications.

 

Each TEAM should have ONE designated contact person for all communications.

 

The minimum age will be 18

 

BUSINESS CATEGORY

Entries may be from a commercial kit. 

 

All participants must be listed on the entry form and must be 18 or older.

 

Judging criteria will be the same as above.