About the competition

On Saturday, March 26th professional and amateur bakers will faceoff to claim the title of Best Cupcake for their creation. In addition to the ultimate bragging rights and exposure to your baking genius, you can will amazing prizes including the Grove Park Inn's Bed, Breakfast and Dinner for Two Package professional and amateur grand prize and the iPod Touch 4th Generation youth grand prize...now that's an award for baking some great cupcakes! We have some great changes for this year's event including new categories, the addition of Top Chef style open judging for our professional level and a people choice award, too.

Register Your Cupcakes

Who can compete?

Anyone who can make a cupcake, that's who! Cupcakes can be entered on four levels:

Professional: you typically make money as a baker or chef ($50/cupcake entry donation)
Amateur: you bake as a hobby or pastime, i.e. you don’t get paid to do it ($30/cupcake entry donation)
Youth - High School: you are a high school student on the day of the event ($15/cupcake entry donation)
Youth - Middle School: you are a middle school student on the day of the event ($15/cupcake entry donation)

Each cupcake entry can only be entered into one category, however contestants may enter different recipes into multiple categories or even the same category. What we are saying is that every cupcake you enter must have a different recipe, the same recipe can not be used and entered into multiple categories. Each cupcake entry requires a non-refundable, but 100% tax-deductable donation to the American Cancer Society ($50 for each professional entry, $30 for each amateur entry and $15 for each youth entry.) Categories include:

The Professional & Amateur Categories

Best Retro Cupcake: your grandma's recipes updated or not - we're celebrating the classics (chocolate, red velvet, vanilla..) in this category.

Best Wedding Cupcake: the happiest day of your life should be matched by the perfect wedding cupcake.

Best Special Occasion Cupcake: Birthdays, Halloween, 4th of July, Super Bowls and Baby Showers, there are so many occasions to enjoy cupcakes.

Best Cocktail or Beer Inspired Cupcake: Use your creativity to create a cupcake that takes its inspiration and/or ingredients from cocktails or beer. Two requirements for this category: beer or alcohol is used as an ingredient and only contestants 21 years and older can enter a cupcake in this category.

Best Local Foods Cupcake: a cupcake with two or more local ingredients, i.e. ingredients grown and produced within 100 miles of Asheville (or your town for our out-of-town contestants).

Best Gluten-Free Cupcake: a cupcake that excludes ingredients derived from gluten-containing cereals: wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, and triticale.

The Youth Categories

Best Retro Cupcake: your grandma's recipes updated or not - we're celebrating the classics (chocolate, red velvet, vanilla..) in this category.

Best Media Inspired Cupcake: from Twilight to Sponge Bob... cupcakes take their inspiration from the media world around us. This category is for youth only...sorry grown-ups.

Best Special Occasion Cupcake: Birthdays, Halloween, 4th of July, Super Bowls and Baby Showers, there are so many occasions to enjoy cupcakes.

Now what?

It's simple: Register your cupcakes. Donate to help find cures to cancer. Bake and decorate 6 regular size and 24 mini cupcakes. Win. Enjoy your victory.

Deadline for Cupcake Entries is Wednesday, March 23rd at 5:00 pm. Both the registration and registration fee must be in our hands (electronically or physically) by that time.

What to expect on March 26th?

Youth and Amateur Bakers - you should bring your cupcakes (baked and decorated) to the Grove Park Inn between 9:00 and 11:00am. We have skilled cupcake handler volunteers who will setup your cupcakes in the event room. You do not need to bring display items.

Professional Bakers - you should bring your cupcakes, display items and business marketing materials to the Grove Park Inn between 10:00 and 12:00. We encourage you to go all out with your cupcake display space!

Questions? Visit our Insider's Guide to Cupcakes for Cures to get them answered.