2012 Gin-GRR-bread Habitat Contest

Three Grand Prize Winners will receive an exclusive, keeper-led tour of American Trail for a group of ten guests.

Registration for the 2012 Gin-GRR-Bread Habitat Decorating Competition is now closed. Please visit ZooLights to view the habitats and vote on your favorite one!

Entry Fee

A $20 non-refundable entry fee is required.

Participant Categories

The competition is open to all ages. The participant categories are:

• Family or Youth Team: Teams with children ages 17 and under. Teams must amount to a minimum of two participants, but are not to exceed five participants. Teams may be comprised entirely of youth, or of adults and youth.
• Adult Team: Teams of participants ages 18 and over. Teams must amount to a minimum of two participants, and are not to exceed five participants.
• Adult Individual: Adults ages 18 or over who are working alone.

Rules

• Only one entry per person, team, or household will be accepted.
• Entry must be original—no gingerbread kits allowed. All entries must be solely constructed by the individual or group entering the competition. Adults in the Family or Youth Team categories should assist with operating the oven and/or stovetop.
• With the exception of two (2) half-inch strips of undecorated edges on the base, all visible surfaces must be made of edible items.
• Entries must have the individual or team captain's name and entry number on the underside of the base.
• Entries must include a typed half-page description of the gingerbread habitat. Include unique features about the habitat and materials used in the construction process. The top of the sheet should have the title of your gingerbread habitat and the entry number. Please DO NOT include your name in the description of your gingerbread habitat.

Materials, Design, and Construction

• The entry must be delivered in completed form attached to a sturdy base, such as half-inch or three-quarter-inch plywood, enabling it to be freestanding. Bases shall be no bigger than 15" L x 12" W. Entries may not be taller than 14" H. Bases must have a half-inch of undecorated surface on two opposing edges so the habitat can be easily picked up and moved. You may color the edges with paint, markers, etc. to match the theme of your habitat.
• With the exception of two (2) half-inch strips of undecorated opposing edges, ALL visible surfaces must be edible. You must use a sturdy non-edible base, and may use internal support framing and structures. Edible materials are not limited to sweets. "Edible" materials include candies, nuts, cereal, cookies, crackers, pasta, and any other food item that does not include a wrapper, stick, or other non-edible material.
• Habitats may be treated with clear, preservative shellac. FONZ staff reserves the right to discard, at any time, any habitat in decay or disrepair.
• Entries must have the individual or team captain's name and entry number on the underside of the base.

Prizes

Grand Prize

FONZ will award the Grand Prize to one winning individual or team in each category: An exclusive, keeper-led tour of American Trail for a group of ten guests. Guests will not come into direct contact with animals.

Prize winners will be notified by email. Tours will be scheduled by the individual or team captain after notification of winning. At least one adult chaperone must be present for the entire tour.

Honorable Mention

FONZ will award one Honorable Mention prize to a runner-up in each category. Honorable Mention winners will be notified by email.

Judging Processes and Criteria

Select Staff of Smithsonian's National Zoo, as well as distinguished guests of the community, will judge this competition. Entries will be judged on overall appearance, originality and creativity, and consistency of theme (Theme of the competition is "A Winter's Tail on American Trail")

Winners will be notified and prizes awarded by email by Friday, December 1, 2012. All rulings by the judges are final.

Entry Intake, Display Information, and Entry Pick-Up

Completed entries must be delivered to the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Visitor Center Auditorium between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 17 or Sunday, November 18, 2012. The Zoo's address is 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008.

The Auditorium is located within the Visitor Center near Connecticut Avenue; closest parking is in Lot A. Vehicles will be allowed thirty minutes for unloading entries. Entrants are responsible for the full transportation of their habitats from their vehicle to the Visitor Center Auditorium. Carts will not be available for transporting gingerbread habitats. National Zoo and Friends of the National Zoo staff are not permitted to assist in the transportation of any gingerbread habitat entry.

Entries will be on display at the Visitor Center Auditorium beginning Friday, November 23, 2012 and ending Monday, January 1, 2013. Unless participants make arrangements with the competition coordinator, habitats will be discarded on Tuesday, January 2, 2013.

Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) reserve the right to photograph entries for promotional purposes.

Registration

I understand and agree to the following rules and regulations:

• Any entry must be composed of primarily gingerbread, with edible products only, and it will remain on display at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Visitor Center until Monday, January 1, 2013.
• The $20 entry fee is non-refundable. If I or my team do not deliver a gingerbread habitat, I/we will not receive a refund.
• Completed gingerbread entries must be delivered to the Visitor Center Auditorium on Saturday, November 17, 2012 and Sunday, November 18, 2012 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on a sturdy base no larger than 15" x 12" with a label underneath the base including the individual or team captain's name and entry number.
• Unless participants make arrangements with the competition coordinator, habitats will be discarded on Tuesday, January 2, 2013.
• Friends of the National Zoo is permitted to use images of my entry for advertising and promotional purposes.
• FONZ reserves the right to not exhibit any entry deemed inappropriate, and to remove any habitat in disrepair.