Gingerbread house contest judging sheet and criteria
A gingerbread house contest runs on looks, and judges tend to pick the house they know. Below is a 100-point sheet you can print, what each row means, and how to number the houses so the vote stays blind.
Gingerbread house judging sheet
Five criteria, 100 points. These weights are my suggestion, so adjust them. Structure, decoration and creativity carry equal weight, so a plain, well-built cottage can still lose to a clever one that stands up.
| Criterion | Max | Low scores | High scores | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 25 | Walls lean or crack, a roof that slid, visible gaps, a house that needs a hand to stand. | Square corners, a straight roof line, tight seams, stands without help. | |
| Decoration and neatness | 25 | Smeared icing, uneven candy, bare patches, icing blobs. | Clean piping, even spacing, a consistent style from roof to base. | |
| Creativity | 25 | The standard cottage with a candy cane door. | A new shape or scene, an unexpected use of candy or cereal. | |
| Overall look | 15 | You would not stop to look at it. | A house that draws people to the table. | |
| Theme and edible materials | 10 | Ignores the theme, or uses inedible parts when the rules say everything must be edible. | Fits the theme and follows the materials rule. | |
| Total | 100 | Entry number: ______ Judge: ______ | ||
Rough guide for each row: under a third of the points means a clear fault, around half is fine but forgettable, and the top fifth is for houses you would photograph. If your contest has no theme or materials rule, split that row between creativity and decoration.
Set up the table
- Agree on a materials rule before people start building. I suggest "everything on the house must be edible", plus a size limit, for example a base that fits on a 12 inch board, so entries are comparable.
- Have builders put their name only on the bottom of the board. One person who is not entering adds a number card to each house and keeps the key.
- Place the houses in random order on one table with good light and room for judges to walk around. Keep it away from heaters and curious toddlers.
- Let judges look from all sides. Back walls and roofs often hide the weak spots.
- Vote before anyone starts eating the houses.
What to judge
- Structure
- Does it stand, and are the seams tight? A house with a good frame and a slightly crooked roof beats a flat one held up with extra icing.
- Decoration and neatness
- Piping, candy placement and consistency. Judge the work, not the amount of candy.
- Creativity
- Shape, scene and use of materials. Reward a new idea over a copy of the picture on a kit box.
- Overall look
- The gut check from a few steps away. It catches houses that score fine on every row but do not stand out.
- Theme and edible materials
- Only if you set one. Keep the weight small.
Kit houses, from-scratch houses and houses built by kids are hard to compare. I suggest separate classes, such as kids, teens and adults, or kit and from scratch, each with its own scorecard. This sheet covers looks only. To judge the taste of the gingerbread too, run a second vote on taste.
Running it with the scorecard
List the entries in the order of the number cards, up to 20 entries. Guests open one link on their phones, see Entry 1, Entry 2 and so on, and rate each from 1 to 5. Put a printed QR card on the table. When you close voting, the ranking with the builder names appears for anyone with the results link. Use the paper sheet for a small judging panel and the phone vote for a crowd-favorite prize.
Start a gingerbread house scorecard. The title is filled in; add the entries and share the link.
Create a scorecard