EAGLE, Wis. – Get ready to whisk up some holiday magic! Old World Wisconsin is calling all bakers, builders and history lovers to join the 2025 Gingerbread House Contest during their annual Home for the Holidays celebration this December.
Transform Wisconsin’s rich history into something sweet by creating a gingerbread house inspired by one of Old World Wisconsin’s 60 historic buildings. From charming log cabins to backyard barns, each creation will tell a story of the people who shaped our state—only this time in gingerbread and icing!
Community members of all ages are encouraged to apply now through Sunday, Oct. 26. Applicants must submit:
- Contestant information
- Reason for participating
- A concept drawing or model of your gingerbread design
- A signed acknowledgement of contest rules
Applicants can apply as an individual or as a team of up to six people. All applications will be reviewed and chosen applicants will be notified by Oct. 31. The 20 entries selected for the contest will be assigned a category, based on age and group size. Guests attending Old World Wisconsin’s Home for the Holidays event will vote on their favorite gingerbread house, and the winning house in each age category will receive a free membership to the Wisconsin Historical Society in 2026!
Click here for a chance to enter the competition!
For more information about the rules of the contest or for any questions, contact Old World Wisconsin Collections and Exhibits Coordinator Jennifer Young at jennifer.young@wisconsinhistory.org.
About Old World Wisconsin
Old World Wisconsin is one of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 12 historic sites and museums. Rated as one of the top attractions to take kids in the Milwaukee area, Old World Wisconsin is a 600-acre regional history attraction that features interactive environments and immersive stories of 19th-and early 20th-century Midwestern immigrant farm and rural life. The museum offers guests family-friendly, hands-on activities such as visiting Crossroads Village and eight working farmsteads, explore heirloom gardens, experience beer brewing traditions, meet heritage animal breeds and try historic crafts and skills. Old World Wisconsin is located on Highway 67 just south of Eagle, Wisconsin, within daytrip distance of Milwaukee, Chicago and Madison. For more information and a list of upcoming events visit oldworldwisconsin.org or call (262) 594-6301. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive free general admission to this site during regular operating hours.
About Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
