GULF BREEZE — Gulf Breeze Elementary School fifth-graders Brody Manning, Nerissa Williamson and Lauren Lopez Thursday won the grand prize and two honorable mentions, respectively, in the Northwest Florida chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ Gingerbread House Contest.
Saturday, the three will face the top three winners from three other schools: Pensacola’s Longleaf Elementary School, West Navarre Intermediate and Panama City’s Breakfast Point Academy in the Bodacious Gingerbread House Contest.
Nine judges for Thursday’s contest from local architecture firms and other businesses awarded not only the best overall and two honorable mentions but also the best roof, best use of peppermints, best theme, best sustainable design, most humorous, best landscape, best use of icing, most colorful, best traditional gingerbread house, best contemporary gingerbread house and best use of lights.
There were 17 entries from Gulf Breeze Elementary students. Some houses featured a swimming pool, an airstrip with airplane, a train engine, sun bathers and stilts like a true Florida beach house.
Manning’s house was in fact a church. Williamson had several structures with a pair of roads in between. Lopez’s house had sailboats and a wheat-cereal-piece roof.
AIA and The Bodacious Family of Shops combined their annual gingerbread house contests to open the contest for more schools, according to AIA marketing assistant Ashleigh Voisin.
The Bodacious Gingerbread House Contest benefits the Studer Community Institute.
"They were totally on board and by working together, we have been able to bring the competition to the next level and host it in four local schools," Voisin wrote in an email.
The grand prize Saturday for bakers less than 12 years old will be a ride with Kazoo and the Blue Wahoos as their VIP in the Cox Christmas Parade on the same day of contest, $100 gift card to Bubba’s Sweet Spot and a tuition waiver for SoGourmet’s weeklong Kids Cook Summer Camp.
Second and third place will each receive a $50 gift card to Bubba’s Sweet Spot.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 3 Gulf Breeze students advance in gingerbread house contest