(PHOTOS) Laramie County youth and college students show off their creativity in the 2023 Gingerbread House Contest

CHEYENNE, Wyoming – Wednesday night, dozens of applicants ages 5 and up competed for the title of grand champion in Laramie County’s 2023 Gingerbread House Contest.

More than 150 individuals and teams entered the contest across 13 divisions, 4-H Youth Development Educator Christy Nagy said at the event. Naji awarded the first, second and third place ribbon to the contestants in each section, divided according to age. Each first place winner also received gift baskets containing goodies from event sponsors, including Cheyenne Fire Department, Prairie Pantry, Derby Club, Walmart, R&B Breakfast Club and others.

Aside from the 13 winners in each division, the gingerbread house stood out among the rest and took home the grand champion ribbon. The winning team, which came from the ‘Adult Team’ section, was made up of local residents Danny Burt, Jessica Burt and Sammy Smith. Their candy bar consists of a hut, a barn, a kennel, a pond, and several small candy dogs.

“The oven was open all day,” Danny Burt said. He added that it took a lot of trial and error to complete the gingerbread house.

From left, Sammy Smith, Jessica Burt and Danny Burt hold their first place and grand champion ribbons next to their gingerbread house Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

A close-up of the overall contest-winning creation depicts a candy dog, a hut, a barn, a kennel, and a pond. Jessica Burt said their team’s theme was inspired by the fact that they own six dogs.

The sugar pond was photographed in a large gingerbread house at the Laramie County Gingerbread House Contest Thursday evening. Her colleague Jessica Burt said the pond was created from melted sugar.

The team of three used two to three batches of royal icing, half a bag of sugar, and an entire ton of candy over the course of three days to complete their winning creation. This was also the first gingerbread house they ever made.

Below are photos of some of the overall entries from Thursday night’s event.

The first-place winner in the Adult Individual division of the gingerbread house contest was photographed Thursday night at the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

A gingerbread house featuring candy penguins was photographed in the “adult singles” section Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

The first place winner in the “Team LCCC” division of the 2023 Gingerbread House Competition was photographed Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

Laramie County Community College sophomore Alexia Johnson is shown holding a first-place ribbon for her creativity in the Collegiate Individuals division Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

Alexia Johnson’s creation, the English Bus, was on display Thursday night. Johnson said she had always wanted to go to England, which inspired the concept behind her winning gingerbread house.

A ski lodge-style gingerbread house is displayed on a table Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

A sugary version of Spider-Man sits on top of a gingerbread house decorated with mints and marshmallows at the 2023 Gingerbread House Contest Thursday night at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

Dimitrios Chronopoulos, left, and Nia Trejo stand behind their first-place finish in the College Team division Thursday night at the 2023 Gingerbread House Competition at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. Chronopoulos said he and Trejo chose to base their creation on Oreos because he believed he could eat them after the competition.

The first place winner in the Youth 11-13 division of the 2023 Gingerbread House Contest was photographed with his ribbon Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

The first place winner in the Youth 8-10 division of the 2023 Gingerbread House Contest was photographed with his ribbon Thursday night in the Clay Pathfinder Building at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.

Get ready to be amazed by the creative talents of Laramie County’s youth and college students as they showcase their skills in the 2023 Gingerbread House Contest! This annual event brings together participants of all ages to design and construct elaborate gingerbread houses, displaying their imagination and artistic abilities. From intricate details to eye-catching decorations, the contest is a celebration of creativity and holiday spirit. Join us as we take a closer look at the impressive entries and the individuals behind these stunning creations.