Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ 4th Virtual Edition: 2025 Competition Overview

Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ 4th Virtual Edition
2025 Competition Overview
(Rules, Theme Description, and Registration Link)

****** FEBRUARY 28 UPDATE IN A NUTSHELL *****
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN AND OVER $10,000 USD IN PRIZES, WITH MORE TO COME! THE SPONSORSHIP CAMPAIGN HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN!

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INTRODUCTION

Excited?! My judges and I certainly are, so let's get started! The complete set of rules and theme description for the fourth virtual edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ are here, which means you can safely start planning and even making your entries! And, since the competition is online, anyone (13 years of age or older) anywhere in the world can enter!

REGISTER TO ENTER HERE ON EVENTBRITE

Registration on Eventbrite (the competition registration platform) is now open too! What does it mean to register? Registration is nothing more than a declaration of your intent to enter the competition. It does not obligate you to submit an entry, but it does require you to submit your name, contact information, and payment of a non-refundable $15 USD entry fee per entry to cover competition admin costs. I encourage you to register early (in fact, as soon as possible), as getting an early read on the number of possible entries helps me immensely with planning the judging process. Plus, registration gives you access to the entry databases, which I highly recommend you review before you start your entry. Thank you!

Once you have paid the registration fee on Eventbrite, you will automatically receive a receipt from Eventbrite (check your email junk box) with a note from me with links to access the entry databases. (The note is at the very bottom of the Eventbrite confirmation email, so be sure to scroll down to find it.) The entry databases reside here on Cookie Connection and are only accessible to paid registrants. They are where you will eventually upload your entry photos, a video, and other supplemental materials explained at the end of this post before entries are due on May 31, 2025, 5 pm CDT.

If you have any questions about anything in this post, please place them in the comments below so that everyone can benefit from the Q&A. Or, if your question pertains to your particular circumstance, please email me at sweetlife@juliausher.com. Please note, however, that, out of fairness to all entrants, I will not provide guidance or tips related to theme interpretation or designing and executing your entry. To stay up-to-the-moment current on competition happenings, don't forget to follow the competition section in this blog.

2025 COMPETITION SCHEDULE

The following schedule was released on January 31 in our first competition post of the year, and it remains the same, with one important exception about requesting feedback noted below.

May 31 (5 pm CDT): In addition to being the deadline to submit entries, this date is also the deadline to request feedback. Remember, one of the very best aspects of entering this competition is the tremendously thoughtful feedback you can receive from our world-class judges (to be announced in about two weeks) . This feedback will show your score on each judging criteria and how it compared to the average score of all entrants in your classification/category, allowing you to clearly see where your entry excelled and where it could have been improved. More important, the judges will provide in-depth comments to help take your decorating to the next level. However, very important: this feedback must be requested; we will only take the time to compile it if we know you want to receive it! To request feedback, please email me (sweetlife@juliausher.com) before May 31 (5 pm CDT) saying you would like it; do not leave requests on social media where I may not see them. Feedback will be processed in the order requests are received, so please allow at least two to three weeks from the announcement of winners on June 30 to receive it. Depending on the quantity of requests received, delivery time may be faster or slower.

What is 5 pm CDT in your part of the world? Use this time zone converter.

Now onto the classifications and categories for which you can create entries.

CLASSIFICATIONS

Classifications refer to your age and how you characterize your skill level. You will be required to select your skill-based classification when you register.

• The competition is open to anyone 13 years of age or older, anywhere in the world.
• The competition has two skills-based classifications in each category, as defined here:
  
  • Beginner/Intermediate: Sugar artists with less than five (5) years of cookie decorating experience who are developing their skills. Also includes anyone who does not fit the “Advanced/Master” description below. Can include either hobbyists or those who work professionally in cookie decorating, as long as the individual is not a cookie decorating instructor.
  • Advanced/Master: Sugar artists with five (5) or more years of cookie decorating experience and/or those recognized as having advanced cookie decorating skills or mastery of cookie decorating techniques. Also includes all cookie decorating instructors and anyone who has won any prize in any cookie competition in the past. Can include either hobbyists or those who work professionally in cookie decorating.
• Please note that if you enter multiple cookie categories (i.e., both 2-D Cookie and 3-D Cookie, as defined below), you must use the same skill level classification for all entries. The skill level classifications above describe your overall cookie decorating skill and experience and are not particular to different types of cookies.

CATEGORIES

Each entry must be made to comply with the characteristics of one of the cookie types described below. Again, you will be required to select your cookie category when you register. You may enter in more than one cookie category, though each entry requires a separate $15 USD entry fee.

• 2-D Cookie: A single large flat decorated cookie OR a collection of flat decorated cookies (no maximum cookie count) arranged laying down, artistically, and also minimally overlapping, so that the decorative details on each cookie can be seen in your submitted photographs. (By “flat”, we mean the cookies themselves must be flat; they can be decorated with icing and other media to create added dimension.) The entire entry must be no smaller than 1 x 1 foot (30 x 30 cm) and no bigger than 3 x 3 feet (91 x 91 cm). These measurements relate to the cookie or cookie composition and exclude any inedible baseboard.
• 3-D Cookie: A multi-cookie construction, where decorated cookies are arranged in any orientation and pieced together to create a freestanding, dimensional piece of cookie art. A minimum of 12 decorated cookies must comprise this construction; there is no maximum cookie count. The cookies in the entry needn’t be flat; they can also be contoured, embossed, molded, modeled, sculpted, or otherwise shaped. The entire entry must fit into a 2 x 2 x 3-foot-tall (61 x 61 x 91-cm-tall, L x W x H) area. The entry may be smaller than this area, but it cannot be larger. Again, these dimensions relate to the cookie structure and exclude any inedible baseboard. Important: A 3-D cookie is not a flat cookie onto which royal icing has been pressure-piped or added as a transfer to create dimension. Likewise, a 3-D cookie is not a flat cookie onto which molded or modeled fondant (or some other decorating medium) has been added for dimension. Cookies of these descriptions should be placed in the 2-D Cookie category.

THEME

For those of you who have never entered my competition, entries must always be designed afresh (no recycled work is permitted!) and guided by the theme that the judges have selected for the competition. This year, that theme is . . .

Nature's Symphony: With the dawn of each day and the turn of every season, Mother Nature astounds us with endless diversity; uncommon beauty; changing "rhythms" and "codas"; and the "harmonies" (and tensions) she ultimately orchestrates amongst the "players" in her "symphony". Your interpretation of "nature's symphony" may be as literal/realistic or as figurative/abstract as you like, but no matter the approach you take, your entry should be an expression of nature's awe-inspiring grandeur. Your entry should convey not only the diversity and majesty of nature, but also the interconnectedness of its various elements - whether in or out of tune with one another - and its power to impact the human spirit.

Also, please remember that no copyrighted material of any kind (art, logos, etc.) can be used in your expression of this theme. All cookie designs must be your original work.

PRIZES

The 2025 sponsor drive started only very recently, and I am thrilled to report that 2025 competition prize value is already just over $10,000! (This number is a combination of cash and digital gift certificates that can be redeemed anywhere.) I expect this number to continue to grow, and, though it will be challenging to meet our 2024 record-breaking mark of $25,500, I am working my hardest to make sure we do. Many thanks to our incredibly generous 2024 and 2025 sponsors. To thank them, please pop over to our sponsor recognition page (currently being updated to reflect our 2025 sponsors), click on their company links, browse their products and services, and like them on social media! It's the least we can do to show our love and appreciation! ❤️

Please note that while we intend to award twelve prizes to the top three entrants in each of the four skill level classifications/categories (2-D Cookie/Beginner-Intermediate, 2-Cookie/Advanced-Master, 3-D Cookie/Beginner-Intermediate, and 3-D Cookie/Advanced-Master) as well as to the Kerry Vincent Best in Show winner, the exact number of prizes and their allocation are at the judges' discretion, as always.

JUDGING SYSTEM

• Scored on a 70-point system for 2-D Cookie; 90-point system for 3-D Cookie; see “Judging Criteria” below for details.
• Bronze, silver, and gold level entries will be acknowledged in each skill level classification within each category, based on the following criteria:
  • Bronze = entry earns 71%-80% of total possible points
  • Silver = entry earns 81%-90% of total possible points
  • Gold = entry earns 91% or more of total possible points
• The Kerry Vincent Best in Show Award will also be given to the one entry (across all skill levels and categories) that best demonstrates impeccable skill, attention to detail, design innovation or aptitude, and high style – all hallmarks of Kerry’s legendary designs.
• Again, cash and digital gift certificates will be awarded at the judges’ and sponsors' discretion to those achieving the highest scores in each skill level classification/category.
• Score sheets with judges' feedback will be delivered digitally after winners are announced, but only if requested by May 31 (5 pm CDT), as noted above.
  

For 3-D Cookie Category:

(10 points awarded across each of 9 criteria for a total of 90 points)

1. Interpretation of theme: Nature's Symphony (Think out of the box; judges often prefer theme interpretations that are personal or unpredictable, or that tell a story through the relationship of cookies in the piece.)
2. Number and difficulty of decorating techniques used (Decorating techniques include, but are not limited to, outlining/flooding, dipping, dimensional pressure piping, wet-on-wet/marbling, stenciling, airbrushing, painting, stamping, fondant work, edible paper work, isomalt, etc.)
3. Number and difficulty of construction techniques used (Construction techniques include, but are not limited to, contouring dough, embossing or molding dough, stacked or sandwiched 3-D constructions, 3-D mitered corner constructions, cookies on sticks, etc.)
4. Mastery of decorating and construction techniques used
5. Cleanliness of individual cookie elements and 3-D construction
6. Scale, balance, and viewability of 3-D construction (from all angles)
7. Originality of design (Copies of copyrighted material of any kind – characters, logos, others’ original art, etc. – are not allowed.)
8. Setup/display (Edible plates, platters, or other display pieces will be awarded more points.)
9. Overall appeal

• A completed registration form and paid entry fee (non-refundable $15 USD per entry) are required before you can receive a link to the online entry database(s). Again, REGISTER HERE ON EVENTBRITE. There is a different entry database for each skill level classification/category, so be sure to select the one that pertains to you. Competition admin will not reclassify entries that have already been submitted.
• There is no limit on the number of entries per person. However, a separate $15 USD entry fee is required per entry.
• Entrants must submit a complete entry form (to the correct database) that contains the entrant's name, email address, phone number, theme interpretation, description of techniques and media used, a video, a hero photo, several supporting photos, and a few other items. Please review the "Category-Specific Submission Requirements" in the section below (ideally before you start your entry), and have the items listed there prepared before you sit down to submit your entry.
• Again, links to entry databases will automatically be emailed to you, via Eventbrite, as soon as Eventbrite has processed your registration form/payment. The links will direct you to a secure area on Cookie Connection (this site) where you will be prompted to upload the items listed in the "Category-Specific Submission Requirements" when your entry is complete.
• Very important: The name, email address, and phone number that you use to register on Eventbrite must match those on your entry form on Cookie Connection. Otherwise, we will not be able to verify that you paid an entry fee, and your entry will be eliminated.
• Absolutely no markings (names, logos, etc.) that identify you or your business should be on or in any of the videos, photos, or text descriptions that you submit on your entry form. Likewise, you must maintain the anonymity of your entry until judging is complete (meaning you cannot display your entry on social media or show your entry to judges in advance). All judging is done blind, without knowing the entrant, to ensure the most objective evaluations. (Names, email addresses, and phone numbers submitted on entry forms will be masked before judging occurs.)
• Entries must be arranged and photographed/videotaped on a solid single-color backdrop with no additional photo styling or staging. The cookies should speak for themselves!
• Videos should not be professionally produced; a simple video taken on your mobile phone will suffice. The primary goal of the video is to ensure that judges can see your entry from all angles.
  
• Videos and photos cannot be digitally altered in any way. The use of AI, filters, color enhancements, removal of flaws, and any adjustments that change how the entry views in real life to the human eye are strictly prohibited. Exception: Exposure adjustments can be made to correct for poor ambient lighting.
• The entry must be made, in its entirety, by the entrant. Faux or store-bought cookies or icing cannot be used. No one else can assist with the entry. Collaborations are prohibited.
• The entry cannot have been previously entered in another competition, show, or exhibition. The work must be fresh and tailored to this competition’s theme.
• The entry cannot contain copies or close facsimiles of others’ copyrighted designs, art, logos, or other material. Remember: Originality is rewarded in this competition!
• The entry cannot contain inedible materials, including those labeled “nontoxic” or “for display use only”. Any items that could be construed by judges as inedible (including, but not limited to, pencil, luster dusts, and glitters) should either not be used or be clearly identified by brand name on your entry form in the area where techniques are described so that judges can verify their edibility. Remember, "nontoxic" does not equate to "edible". Exception for 3-D Cookie Category: Internal supports are discouraged, but allowed if they are clearly visible to judges in your hero photo (without looking at any work-in-process photos) and could easily be removed from the cookie(s) if they were to be eaten (i.e., such as sticks in cookie pops).
• You must conduct yourself in an ethical and professional manner, and treat others in our global community just as you want to be treated yourself. This competition celebrates diversity and inclusivity, and we expect our entrants to do the same. Good sportsmanship matters!
• By submitting an entry, you are giving us permission to share any photos or videos you included in your entry form, but only after the competition winners are announced, and only with proper attribution of your material. Use of photos/videos will be limited to publicizing finalists, winners, and future competitions.
• By submitting an entry, you certify that you have read and abided by all of the above rules as well as the specific submission requirements for your category (or categories), below. Judges reserve the right to deduct points or to disqualify any entry they feel violates rules or doesn’t meet requirements, or any entrant who behaves in a manner inconsistent with the values of this competition.
• Judges’ decisions are final.