Cake Competition registration and information
Over $7K in prizes!
Pettinice Cake Show competition is open to all cake decorating and sugar art enthusiasts. The competition provides an opportunity to showcase decorating skills and win awards and prizes.
Find your inspiration
You don't need to copy an artwork, you can just capture the colours or any small detail within your chosen painting or sculpture to create your cake. It can be any genre, from comic book art to classical Renaissance, to watercolour, to modern. You are completely free to create your design any way you like, with any edible material you wish to use! Have fun, and we can't wait to see what you create.
Registration deadline:
20 SEPT 2019
Theme: Cake Art
Entry fees
(all prices include GST)
- Junior (12 and under) $5.00
- Single Tiered: $10
- Sculpted $15
- Wedding $15
Jump to:
Entry and consent form
This form can be completed online from a computer or laptop. You can also choose to download the form and complete by hand.
The Pettinice Cake Art Show and national cake decorating competition on October 19 and 20 in Auckland will celebrate cake art as an inspiring masterpiece according to its organisers NZ Bakels.
Junior prizes
- Grand prize: $50 cash plus $50 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $100.
- 2nd place: $25 cash plus $50 Sponsored voucher, plus $25 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $75
- 3rd place: $25 cash, $25 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $50
Please note, we will be adding additional goodies to the prizes from our generous sponsors.
Rules
- Please follow the General Rules as listed below.
- The cake must be a single tier. It can be a tall tier, but only one clear tier to avoid disqualification.
- The cake may be baked for entrants, but any simple carving and decorating must be done on their own.
- Toppers or anything added to the outside of the cake must be handcrafted and made of edible material.
- Entries should fit in a 14” x 14” (36cm x 36cm) space including the board and/or any other elements that stick out in any direction. No element of your design should exceed this space.
- Cake dummies are allowed for uncarved shapes.
- Cake entry must include a 6"x4" photograph of the famous/published art piece that inspired their work.
Advanced single tier
- Grand prize: $150 cash plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $300.
- 2nd place: $50 Sponsored voucher plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $200
- 3rd place: $100 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed).
Prize value: $100
Intermediate single tier
- Grand prize: $100 cash plus $100 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed)
Prize value: $200. - 2nd place: $50 Sponsored voucher plus $75 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $125
- 3rd place: $75 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed).
Prize value: $75
Beginner single tier
- Grand prize: $50 cash plus $100 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed)
Prize value: $150. - 2nd place: $50 Sponsored voucher plus $50 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $100
- 3rd place: $50 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed).
Prize value: $50
Please note, we will be adding additional goodies to the prizes from our generous sponsors.
Rules
- Please follow the General Rules as listed below.
- The cake must be a single tier. It can be a tall tier, but only one clear tier to avoid disqualification.
- The cake should not be sculpted. It may be a round, square, rectangle, heart, hexagon, or shaped from a standard pan. Cake dummies are allowed.
- Toppers or anything added to the outside of the cake must be handcrafted and made of edible material.
- Entries should fit in a 14” x 14” (36cm x 36cm) space including the board and/or any other elements that stick out in any direction. No element of your design should exceed this space.
- Stable backdrops that fit within your entry’s designated space are allowed provided the following: a) they are secured to your entry so they can’t tip and damage other entries, b) they do not obstruct the judge’s view of your entry in any way.
- Cake entry must include a 6"x4" photograph of the famous/published art piece that inspired their work.
Advanced wedding
- Grand prize: $300 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $500.
- 2nd place: $150 cash. $50 Sponsored voucher plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $400
- 3rd place: $100 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $300
Intermediate wedding
- Grand prize: $200 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $400.
- 2nd place: $100 cash. $50 Sponsored voucher plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $300
- 3rd place: $50 cash plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $200
Beginner wedding
- Grand prize: $100 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $300.
- 2nd place: $50 Sponsored voucher plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $200
- 3rd place: $100 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed).
Prize value: $100
Please note, we will be adding additional goodies to the prizes from our generous sponsors.
Rules
- Please follow the General Rules as listed below.
- The cake must be at least three tiers.
- All flowers must be handmade. Floral wires should not be inserted directly into the cake, use straws or picks. Although cake dummies are allowed, care must be taken to treat your entry as if it were a real cake. The design and armature must be easily translated for real cake weight.
- Toppers or anything added to the outside of the cake must be handcrafted and made of edible material.
- If applicable, the underside of all exposed dummies must be covered (hanging cakes, or invisible tiers).
- Entries should fit in a 20” x 20” (50cm x 50cm) space including the board and/or any other elements that stick out in any direction. No element of the design may exceed this space.
- Minimum of three different techniques must be used in your display. (For example, covering a cake with fondant, using sugar molds, making sugar flowers, painting on a cake, etc.)
- Finished height must be a minimum height of 20" (approx 50 cm not including the base), and the entry must be of a sufficient size that it would meet a minimum of 100 servings of cake.
- Cake entry must include a 6"x4" photograph of the famous/published art piece that inspired their work.
Advanced sculpted
- Grand prize: $300 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $500.
- 2nd place: $150 cash. $50 Sponsored voucher plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $400
- 3rd place: $100 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $300
Intermediate sculpted
- Grand prize: $200 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $400.
- 2nd place: $100 cash. $50 Sponsored voucher plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $300
- 3rd place: $50 cash plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $200
Beginner sculpted
- Grand prize: $100 cash plus $200 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed) Prize value: $300.
- 2nd place: $50 Sponsored voucher plus $150 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed). Prize value: $200
- 3rd place: $100 Bakels product (no cash compensation is allowed).
Prize value: $100
Please note, we will be adding additional goodies to the prizes from our generous sponsors.
Rules
- Please follow the General Rules as listed below.
- The entry must be made of at least 75% real cake, and 25% dummy or rice cereal, using food safe armature, cake boards, and dowels for stability.
- A minimum of five (more is better) in-process pictures that clearly show the structure, sculpting and carving of the entry without revealing anything about the identity of the competitor must be displayed along with the entry including:
a. showing assembled armature skeleton,
b. carving and sculpting progress,
c. final carved cake to dummy ratio,
d. finished cake prior to crumb coat,
e. icing, covering and detail work. - If no photos are provided, your piece will not be judged.
- Toppers or anything added to the outside of the cake must be handcrafted and made of edible material.
- Minimum of three different techniques must be used in your display. You can do more. (For example, covering a cake with fondant, using sugar molds, making sugar flowers, painting on a cake, etc.)
- Stable backdrops that fit within your entry’s designated space are allowed provided the following: a) they are secured to your entry so they can’t tip and damage other entries, b) they do not obstruct the judge’s view of your entry in any way.
- Entries should fit in a 20” x 20” (50cm x 50cm) space including the board and/or any other elements that stick out in any direction. No element of the design may exceed 20” x 20”.
- Minimum height of 12" tall (30.5cm), base not included.
- Cake entry must include a 6"x4" photograph of the famous/published art piece that inspired their work.
General Rules
- Registration must be completed and paid for by 19 September 2019.
- All entrants must fill in an entry form, and consent release form.
- Review the Division description, and choose the Division that most closely matches your skill level. Consideration should be given to other applicable skills; for example, a competitor with an art degree who has worked with clay sculptures for 5 years should be entering in the Advanced Division even if they have only been working with cake and edible media for a short time.
- Each entry will receive an identifying number that will be attached to the cake board to assist in judging.
- Absolutely no identifying markings should be on or near the entry before judging (names, logos, business cards, etc).
- All entrants must check in at the registration desk before being escorted to the vendor hall.
- Entries must be checked in and you will be escorted to your table between either of these two options:
Friday, 18 October 2019 between 12:00 - 2:30pm
Saturday, 19 October 2019 between 8:00 - 9:00am
Be sure to allow enough time to unload, park and set up before the 9:00 a.m. Saturday deadline. Unloading will take place at the back entrance of the venue, and a map will be provided by email once registered. As soon as entries are unloaded, you will be escorted out to move your vehicle to the front parking lot. Please work quickly to allow others to load in. - Judging will begin promptly at 9:00 am on Saturday 19 October 2019.
- Winners will be announced 3:30pm on the main stage on Sunday, 20 October 2019
- Entries are not permitted to leave the hall until 4:00pm on Sunday, 20 October 2019.
- Entries must be removed from the display area between 4:00pm - 5:00pm, on Sunday, 20 October 2019. Any items remaining after 6:00pm will be disposed of by staff.
- All entries will be photographed and shared on website and social media and by entering the competition, you are giving us permission to share pictures. Nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicenseable, and transferable right and license to use, reproduce, create derivative works of, distribute, and publicly display any photos taken by our staff, volunteers, or contractors.
- Electricity is not available for divisional entries.
- To conserve room for all entries, any element of your entry must not extend past the allotted space. There will only be 8 cm (3") between entries, and this space must be kept empty for the safety of neighboring entries.
- All decorations must be edible. Any sugar or edible medium is allowed.
- Do not use non-edible items in place of sugar media (for example, plastic pearls instead of fondant pearls.) Columns, supports, wires, and stamens are allowed. Cold Porcelain is not allowed. Edible images are allowed and will be judged in context with the entire entry. The use of Disco Dust and other such non-edible but non-toxic media should be limited to portions of the entry that could reasonably be removed, as if the entry were to be served. Pasta is considered edible. Food safety practices: all wires, armatures, and non-edible elements that would not normally be considered safe to be in contact with food must be treated in the same way as if the cake is being eaten. Entries should use flower picks, Safety Seal, aluminum foil, straws, or other appropriate means of separating non-food safe materials from the cake. Entries made from substitutes or Styrofoam should demonstrate equivalent reasonable care.
- Judges reserve the right to remove or disqualify any entry they feel violates rules or doesn’t meet requirements. Awards will be at the judges’ discretion based on the criteria. There is not automatically a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place award.
- Judges decisions are final.
Division Information
Use this as a guide if you are not sure what category you fall in.
Junior (12 and under)
Child 12 and under, based on the age the child will be at the time of the show, not at the time of registration.
- An adult can help bake the cake for a child to decorate, but the child must then complete any carving or decorating by themselves. They can also use an dummy.
- Maximum cake board size: 14" round or square board.
- Before beginning, write your name and division information on the under side of your cake board for identification purposes.
- Entries must include the completed entry form, follow the art theme, and include an image of the original piece of art that inspired them.
Beginner (under two years experience)
Basic skills, with less than two years cake decorating experience.
- Generally a hobby decorator that makes a few cakes a month.
- You might be a student enrolled in a culinary/pastry program.
- Open to all categories.
- Before beginning, write your name and division information on the under side of your cake board for identification purposes.
- Entries must include the completed entry form, follow the art theme, and include an image of the original piece of art that inspired them.
Intermediate (over two, under five years experience)
Developed skills, may have started teaching or selling.
- Has graduated from a culinary/pastry program school within the last year.
- Has previously won or placed 1st or 2nd in Beginner division award for any prior cake decorating competition.
- Has started selling cakes or toppers in some capacity, or making cakes for others outside of their family as a hobby.
- Open to all categories.
- Before beginning, write your name and division information on the under side of your cake board for identification purposes.
- Entries must include the completed entry form, follow the art theme, and include an image of the original piece of art that inspired them.
Advanced (five years experience +)
More refined and higher level of skills, gives classes or demonstrations and/or selling cakes regularly.
- Has previously won or placed 1st or 2nd in an Intermediate (or higher) division award for any prior cake decorating competition.
- Has a cake business or working as a decorator for another cake business.
- Has taught or teaches live or online cake decorating classes
- Open to all categories.
- Before beginning, write your name and division information on the under side of your cake board for identification purposes.
- Entries must include the completed entry form, follow the art theme, and include an image of the original piece of art that inspired them.
Judging system
Judging is scored on a 100 point system.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be chosen in each category and division.
Best in Show winner will be chosen among the 1st place winners.
- Gold Award will be awarded to all entries that score 90-100 points
- Silver Award will be awarded to all entries that score 80-89 points
- Bronze Award will be awarded to all entries that score 70-79 points
Scoring for all categories
Entries will be judged on the following:
10 points: Incorporation of required elements for category, and piece follows the Art show theme correctly by interpreting a famous / published artwork.
10 points: Skill: Number of techniques and mediums
10 points: Proportion, balance, and use of color
15 points: Creativity and Originality
15 points: Neatness of cake covering
20 points: Neatness of decorations on cake
20 points: Difficulty of techniques used
International winning cake decorator, Pettinice Ambassador and NZ Bakels representative, Nina Blackburn says cake decorating as an interest and profession has seen huge growth in recent years due to TV shows of extreme cake designs and social media postings of beautiful creations all made from cake and icing.
“That’s why we want to show what New Zealanders can do through this show and competition and we’re starting with an exciting theme of "Cake Art."
We want entrants to create their interpretation of a famous/published artwork that moves and inspires them. They can use novelty or classic tiered cake decorating for their technique. Both are an art within itself.
We want to give decorators a platform – an opportunity to try new techniques, test new things that are on the market or hone in on a skillset that makes their heart sing. This is a chance for both hobbyists and working cake decorators to play and showcase our New Zealand talent.
Nina says art choices could be anything – from a Jan Davidsz. de Heem floral still life, to fabulous line art and portraits of Alphonse Mucha.
You are free to choose any era and any style of painting, sculpture or even comic book art. “They’ll have the chance to build and create it, thereby inspiring and moving those who see the finished cake. “Your piece will be on the table with an image of the original piece of art that inspired you. This will give cake decorators an incredible freedom to explore all the things we’ve got in our cake decorating tool and skill arsenal. Imagine a fondant tiered cake with cocoa butter painting which mimics oil painting, butter cream that can be almost used with a palate knife to create beautiful floral works like a Monet. There are lots of things that cake decorators can do and those that want to sculpt can even recreate a 2D piece of art and make it 3D. They can have fun and enjoy it,” says Nina.
Nina stresses the show and competition is open to all skill levels with winners in each beginning, intermediate and advanced categories taking home cash prizes and products. “We’re hoping lots of people will enter so that we have plenty of cakes on display at the show. It will be open to the public, making it an excellent opportunity to promote what you can create. We’ll also have cake decorating demonstrations, hands-on workshops, even a children’s activity. There will be lots to see and do and amazing prizes to be won, including a $500 cash Best in Show grand prize. “Trends are born from these cake shows! That’s where your imagination is free and your creativity is wide open. Come along and share your art in cake, we can’t wait to see what you create.”