22nd Annual Gingerbread Competition: People's Choice Results

Published on January 07, 2025

22nd Annual Gingerbread Competition Announces People’s Choice Award Voting Results

Pittsburgh, PA – The City of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce this year’s winner of the People’s Choice Award after thousands of votes were cast for the 2024 honors.

Blackhawk High School has received the most votes for their entry entitled “Pittsburgh's Own - George Ferris & His Ferris Wheel” in the 22nd Annual Gingerbread Display and Competition presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, and is the 2024 People’s Choice Award Winner. Blackhawk’s entry also collected a first-place ribbon in the High School category of this year’s competition, and most remarkably, the 2024 contest is the third consecutive year that an entry from Blackhawk High School has been voted to receive People’s Choice Award recognition.

The students’ creation evoked the holiday spirit of the gingerbread contest while also celebrating the engineering achievement of one-time Northsider George Ferris, creator of the Ferris wheel. The entry, which included replicas of both Mr. Ferris’s Arch Street home and iconic invention adorned in red and green holiday decor, caught the attention of many visitors to the display with its movable wheel made entirely of gingerbread. Preparing as early as September, the sculpture class students began with a visit to Mr. Ferris’s home for measurements to help to create a computer-aided design drawing from which they would make their laser cut gingerbread pieces with support from Technology and Engineering Education faculty. “We are incredibly proud of the cross-curricular education, hard work and dedication our students poured into this project. Blackhawk High School is thrilled to take home this prestigious award for the third consecutive year—an achievement that reflects the unwavering dedication and pride of our entire Blackhawk community,” says art department teacher Ashley Biega.

In the competition’s 22nd year, nearly 300 entries were displayed at the historic City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh from Light Up Night through the holiday season. In addition to the 19 category winners, the display also included recognition of two special awards - the Carnegie Museum of Art Curator’s Choice and the inaugural Clearview Choice. The online gallery of all entries remains available for virtual visits at getinvolved.pittsburghpa.gov/gingerbread-house-competition.

The Gingerbread House Display and Competition began in 2002 when Downtown Pittsburgh hotels hosted the event to benefit the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund, and since has attracted many thousands of entries and visitors to PPG Place before moving to the City-County Building in 2019.

The Gingerbread House Display and Competition is presented by the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events in partnership with Clearview Federal Credit Union, and with media support from KDKA Radio, 100.7 Star, Y108, WAMO 107.3, and 93.7 The Fan.

For more information on this event, please email gingerbread@pittsburghpa.gov or call 412-255-2493.

Olga George
olga.george@pittsburghpa.gov
412-627-0679