You Are Invited to Compete - Enter Now!

November 19 & 20, 2010 w South Towne Expo Center, Sandy, UT

"At the Smithsonian"

--NEW!! Previous participants receive $15 off the total due for EACH cake entered!--

You are invited to be mentored by expert judges, inspired by colleagues, and recognized in ways that enrich both personally & professionally.

Click here to Download "Official Rules or Participation" to print

Click here to Download "Entry Form" to Print

OFFICIAL RULES OF PARTICIPATION 

 COMPETITION SET-UP: Thursday, Nov. 18, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm

1. PARTICIPANT COMMITMENT: No competition participant is required to purchase booth space or advertising (or any other goods/services) to participate in the competition. Note that The Utah Chocolate Show is a 2-day event. Entrant will receive a 2-day special pass at set-up on Thursday, 11/18. All participants are expected to be present at the awards presentation in the show hall, beginning at 10:15 AM Friday, 11/19. Each participant is strongly encouraged to submit a Creator’s Statement (see item 12, below). Awards are presented & displayed before doors open to the public at 11:00 AM on 11/20.
2. THE 2010 COMPETITION THEME IS “At the SMITHSONIAN.” Decorators have full artistic license to interpret the theme in whichever way they choose. NOTE: It is NOT COMPULSORY to utilize this theme; you may choose an “independent theme.” Judging criteria will remain as outlined. ALL CAKES are eligible for prizes, regardless of theme used, but in the event of a tie score in any point category that may necessitate the judges to confer, judges will be at liberty to favor cakes reflecting the theme.
3. Rule Categories: DECORATORS WILL INDEPENDENTLY CHOOSE THE rule category under which their cake is be judged: Classic, Chocolate, or Freestyle. Entrants will indicate this choice on entry form.  Rule categories & complete descriptions are as they were last year. See page 2.  
4. PARTICIPANT CHECK IN & CAKE SET-UP: CAKE SET-UP is THURSDAY, 11/18/09 from 4:00 pm to 9:00 PM. Entrants MUST check in with the competition staff before setting up. Business cards and/or other printed promotional materials must be brought to set-up, where they will be secured in a private print media box that we have prepared for each entrant. The secure print media box prevents the premature revelation of information regarding any entry reaching or influencing any judge. Once judging is complete, staff promptly places identifying materials on display. To deliver cakes, enter with your vehicle through the security gate at the south end of South Towne Expo Center and proceed to the rear entrance of Hall 3. ENTER FIRST ON FOOT TO CHECK-IN & RECEIVE YOUR TABLE LOCATION(s); then, unless arriving very late in the day, you should be able to enter the hall with your vehicle. Upon check-in, each entry is assigned a random identifying number. Entries that are not checked in & completely set-up by 9 PM on 11/18/10 may be subject to a delay fee for preventing the show hall from being locked & secured at the contracted time. A check-in signature is required from the person setting-up & taking down. If the person setting up is not the same person who will be taking the cake down, competition staff must be notified at check-in.
5. ORIGINAL WORK: All work on the wedding cake itself must be exclusively that of the individual named as the creator. However, assistance with (or a sponsorship of) Presentation & Display (see item 11, last bullet point) is permitted, recognized & credited. Please provide this information in the proper field on your entry form.
6. DEADLINE: All entrants must submit their intent to participate no later than November 10, 2010. A limited number of late entries may be accepted, with an additional late fee of $25 (see item 8).
7. ELIGIBILITY: This is an open competition for professionals and amateurs alike, age 18 and up. All entrants, regardless of skill or experience, will be judged using the same criteria. Entrants may participate as a business, as an individual representing a business, or as an “Independent,” competing in only their own name. Skill/experience distinctions are acknowledged in printed materials, but are not consideration in judging. Entry forms must be filled out completely (except as noted), the accompanying release signed, and payment of entry fees must be received to confirm participation of an entry.
8. ENTRY FEE:  $95 for first cake, $55 for each additional cake, through November 10th. After this date, a limited number of entries may be accepted as can be accommodated & at management’s discretion, with a late entry fee of $25.00.  NOTE: Previous competition participants receive $15 off your amount due for EACH cake that is entered for competition.
9. ENTRY LIMITATIONS: There is no limit to how many cakes one entity or individual may enter. However, we reserve the right to close entries at any time, should it become logistically needful to do so.
10. BONUS!!—For entrants choosing to ALSO be a VENDOR, 50% of each 2009 ENTRY FEE CAN APPLY TOWARD BOOTH COST: The equivalent amount of HALF of a cake’s entry fee (BEFORE THE $15 DISCOUNT available to repeat competitors) may be applied toward the cost of a booth reservation; e.g., to reserve a 10’ x 10’ booth (booth list price= $535), HALF of your first cake entry fee (list price: $95) is $47.50. This amount is applied toward the $535 booth cost, reducing the booth cost to $487.50. See entry form. Entrant & booth reservation MUST be the same name, legal entity & contact info.
11. UNIVERSAL CRITERIA FOR ALL CAKES—FOR ALL THEMES & ALL RULE CATEGORIES:

•   Permissible Non-edibles : On the cake exterior, non-edible decorations, embellishments, or implements to attach them to the cake (e.g. dowel, wire, ribbon) must not exceed 20% of the visible whole.
• Size: Cakes must have a minimum of 3 tiers or elements of central focus, in any shape or interpretation. Overall height of cake, including bases, pedestals & height embellishments, must be AT LEAST 18” tall but not exceeding 60” in height. The base board must not exceed 36” in diameter.
• Name or Title: Please select a name or title for your entry. In the unlikely event that the name or title you have chosen has already been selected, you will be notified so that you may rename your entry.
•  Cake Structure & Composition: Real cakes, cake dummies, or any combination are acceptable, but the nature & design of each cake MUST be conceivably reproduce-able in real cake & edible elements. Cakes must be capable of remaining on display in a relatively cool, climate-controlled environment for 48 hours without a compromise in their appearance.
• Presentation & Display: Each entry will be provided with a bare display table, 60” diameter round and 30” in height. Draping and decoration are the responsibility of the entrant. Participants may use any elements they wish to drape and decorate the table, noting that artistic and edible elements that complement & support the cake’s design will be awarded higher values. If you wish, you can request that your table be pre-draped with a white top surface, for an additional fee of $10.00. Please note this in the appropriate box on the entry form.

12.  RULE CATEGORIES: Entrants will declare a RULE CATEGORY for each cake on each cake’s entry form. Category assignment is determined by the entrant; categories will NOT be reassigned by competition staff or judges on-site. Please read the descriptions & judging criteria carefully. Each entry will be judged within the category you declare, according to the rules outlined below.  

 13.   CREATOR’ S STATEMENT: Each decorator is strongly encouraged to submit a unique Creator’s Statement for each cake entered.  You need not duplicate your decorator biography; one copy is sufficient. These statements have been requested by our judges to help them in assessing each entry. Statements will be anonymously provided to the judges and may be included, in part or in whole, in related print materials. We welcome & encourage Creator’s Statements that are submitted together with the corresponding entry form; however, we understand that plans & ideas can evolve—so it is not REQUIRED that you submit the statement at the same time WITH the entry form. However, please note that Creator’s Statements MUST be submitted no later than November 8, 2010. Instructions for submitting your Creator’s Statement accompany the entry form.

14.   TASTING CAKE: In addition to the display cake entry, each entry must be accompanied by a “tasting cake” for the judges’ evaluation. Per judges’ requests, CUPCAKES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN 2009. Tasting cakes can be in any other form, provided it is the equivalent of no less than 4 average-size servings. Tasting cakes are NOT displayed with competition cakes or judged on appearance, but should represent your workmanship & complement the entry. 

15.   JUDGING: Judging will take place FRIDAY morning, November 19th, from 8 AM to 10 AM. Entrants may not arrange, adjust or otherwise touch their displays Friday morning, excepting unusual circumstances. Hall doors open to the public at 11:00 AM. Participants are welcome, but not required, to be in the hall during judging. During this time, entrants must avoid any speech or behavior (e.g., touching, pointing, or other overt signs of familiarity) that could identify them as a participant or prematurely connect them with their entry. Logo smocks, aprons, T-shirts or other identifying objects are expressly forbidden in plain sight until judging is complete. Participants disregarding this rule may be disqualified.

16.    PRE-SHOW AWARDS PRESENTATION: Announcement of winners is scheduled to begin Friday at 10:15 AM. All participants are expected to be in the show hall beginning 10:00 AM on Friday, 11/19.

«     Overall 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners are awarded according to the total point tabulations from scores assigned by the professional judges, and cash prizes are awarded in the amounts of (respectively) $500, $300, & $200.

«     One Category Champion is crowned in EACH of the rule categories.

«     Special Distinctions & Theme Honors are awarded at the discretion of the judges.

17.   PUBLIC VOTING & Utah’s Choice Awards: Public voting to determine the winners of Utah’s Choice Awards is carried on throughout the show, CLOSING at 7:00 PM, Saturday 11/20, TWO HOURS prior to show close, to allow counting ballots & preparing awards. The Utah’s Choice Awards will be presented at 8:30 pm. It is recommended that all participants be in the show hall at this time. The categories for public voting are:

«     Innovative Artistry Award —For Exceptional CREATIVITY

«     Unforgettable Award —For Breathtaking BEAUTY

«     Impeccable Award—For Unmistakable SKILL

«     Chocolate Bombe Award—For jaw-dropping use of CHOCOLATE

«     Passion Award—For The Overall Public FAVORITE

18.   OPPORTUNITY TO SELF-PROMOTE: Each entrant’s printed promotional materials are available to show attendees over the course of show; after the initial placement of entrant’s printed materials by competition staff (immediately following announcement of winners), entrant is responsible for replenishing own materials.

19.   JUDGES’ RIGHT OF REFUSAL: Competition judges, sponsors & event management reserve the right to disqualify and/or deny display, by consensus of at least 3 authorized persons, of any entry they esteem to exhibit poor judgment, poor taste, or gravely failing to respect the rules & intent of the competition.

20.  JUDGES’ SCORING: To determine the overall 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd place winners, all eligible entries will be scored on a four-part, 200-point system, outlined below. In the event of a tie, judges will first confer & re-evaluate to break the tie. Should this still result in an impasse, an alternate judge will be invited to (blind) score the entries in question; these scores will then be added to original judges’ scores to break the tie.

PART 1: REPESENTING THE RULE CATEGORY—See chart on p. 2 (Total of 20 possible points)

• Cake adheres to its category description and/or requirements: 10 pts.
• Originality, inspired design or inventive scope employed within category: 10 pts.

PART 2: THE HANDIWORK (Total of 105 possible points)

·   The holistic experience/overall observer impact: 20 pts.  (Taken as a whole, does this cake positively& immediately capture & intrigue?)

· Artistic merit of the cake’s concept: 25 pts.  (Is the IDEA employed here a GOOD IDEA?)

·  Creative execution of the selected theme: 25 pts. (How well is the creator USING and COMMUNICATING his or her idea?)

·  Precision & techniques employed: 35 pts.  (Does the creator stick to “safe,” ordinary techniques, or demonstrate a true skill set & a trained hand?)

PART 3: THE DISPLAY & PRESENTATION (Total of 35 possible points)

·  Original & creative vision for a concept-supporting display: 15 pts. (Is the presentation IDEA a worthy one that SUPPORTS—not  competes with—the cake’s presence?)

·   Artistic skill in translating that vision into tangible supporting elements: 20 pts. (How effectively is the creator bringing this idea to LIFE?)

PART 4: TASTE (Total of 40 possible points)

 ·    Flavor & texture of cake itself: 20 pts.

 ·  Flavor & texture of filling: 10 pts.

 ·    Flavor & texture of icing, enrobing, other external edible elements: 10 pts. 

21.   SHOW CLOSE & BREAK-DOWN: Participants MUST SIGN OUT with the coordinator BEFORE beginning to break down cake displays. Displays may be disassembled beginning at 9:00 pm Saturday, 11/20/2010, AND NOT SOONER. Cakes, display items, awards or personal items that are left in the hall after 11:00 PM Saturday night, 11/20/2010, may be disposed of as abandoned material or become the property of The Utah Chocolate Show.

Good luck! We can’t wait to see what 2010 brings!