Rules, Forms, Judging and More

Cottage Baker’s Club 

 

Competition Rules and Information

 

1. Contestants must meet the qualifications of “Cottage Baker”

        https://cottagefoodlaws.com/virginia-cottage-food-laws/.

1. Contestants must reside in the Hampton Roads area (7 Cities).  

2. Adult contestants are 18 and over.  Kid Competitions are for children 7-17.

3. There are NO fees to enter in any competitions.  We know it takes a lot of time and money to make your creations, so no fee of any kind is needed to enter.  That also means, no cash prize (This is about business exposure, not a $ prize)

4. Contestants may only have 1 submission for each competition but are welcome to join as many competitions as they can complete.

5. All submissions must be home baked (not store bought) by the Cottage baker.

6. All submissions  are to be prepared, stored and delivered in a sanitary manner or risk rejection from the competition. (Let us know in advance of your drop-off if the submission requires refrigeration or any special needs)

7. All submissions must be fully cooked and completed when presented for submission.  Any entry that is not fully cooked and completed will not be judged.

8. Contestants agree to submit a list of ingredients used in all aspects of the entry.  We don’t need the recipes, just the ingredients used.  This is only shared with the judges. 

9. All submissions become property of the Cottage Bakers Club when submitted for competition as we will be photographing them, possibly videoing them and sharing them as part of the competition, marketing process and to celebrate the winner(s).  Not to mention tasting them, so the submissions will be relinquished to the competition (Not your design...that’s all you...we just want ownership of that particular submission so we can judge it, feature it and digest it, in good consciousness) 

10. Please do NOT have anything inedible in your submission outside of typical support structures and any items in your submission that are inedible must be listed on the Entry Card or it will not be eligible for judging.  

11. Please make advance arrangements to retrieve any specific cake boards or stands or dishes you have used in your submission and wish returned to you.  

12. Each competition will have its own specific rules.  For any questions or clarifications on these rules, please visit the competitions specific group page to inquire about them.

13. Your submission must be delivered to the receiving location on time to be entered as a valid entry.  

14. Each competition will have a specific drop off time/date/location listed.  You must adhere to this information. 

15. Your submission must include a completed Entry Form to be judged as this form contains information critical to tasting.

16. Absolutely no identifying markings should be on or near the entry. (Names, logos, business cards, etc).

17. Baking Contest Officials have the right to accept, reject, and classify submissions in accordance with the rules.  

18. All entries will be photographed and shared on website and social media, by entering the competition, you are giving us permission to share pictures. 

19. Winners will be announced as soon as judging has been completed

20. Judges Decisions are Final ~ No Exceptions

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Judging Day Requirements

 

1. Submissions must be dropped off to the location provided by the deadline.  

2. Submissions must include:

   1. Your completed submission (cake, pie, bread etc…)

   2. Your completed Entry Form

      1. The name of the Cottage Baker

      2. Contact information for the Cottage Baker

      3. Social Media Information for the Cottage Baker

      4. The name of the submission

      5. A description of your submission

      6. A list of all ingredients used for the submission (this is for the judges only)

      7. A list of any inedible items within your submission

      8. Any possible allergens should be listed on the card in RED

 

Please make sure we know, in advance, if your submission requires refrigeration.  

We may provide you with an alternative drop-off time/location. 

 

Judging Process

 

1. The Cottage Baking Club Committee Judges will go through each submission using the following criteria to determine the final winner for the official competition.

   1. 50 points Taste & Bake.  It has to taste amazing and it should be prepared properly.

   2. 20 Points Creativity & Originality of the design

   3. 20 Points Appearance & Neatness

   4. 10 Points How well does the submission meet the details of the competition? 

2. All eligible submissions will be photographed and uploaded to the website to promote the Cottage Baker as well as possible Voter Favorite Competitions etc....Your submission gives us permission to do this. 

3. The winner(s) will be notified of their win as soon as a decision has been made.  

4. Each judge will use a provided score card with comments to score each submission in the competition. 

5. Each submission will receive an identifying number that will be attached to the entry to assist in unbiased judging.