International Dairy Queen, Inc. announced the winners of the Dairy Queen 2020 IRON TIP competition.
IRON TIP is the brand’s biennial cake decorating competition for talented cake artists employed by Dairy Queen stores. Nearly 450 DQ brand cake decorators from across the globe entered this year’s competition. The competition challenges the cake decorators to continue to improve their skills in providing incredible designs to Dairy Queen guests.
The competition commenced with two rigorous rounds during which entrants decorated cakes according to the competition’s guidelines and submitted photos of their design artistry. A panel of judges selected five finalists to compete in-person at Connect 2020, the DQ brand’s flagship franchisee, vendor, industry expert and system leadership conference, which was held January 16-19 in New Orleans.
The finalists and their guests – one from Canada, one from the International division, and three from the United States, were flown to New Orleans to attend Connect 2020. The finalists participated in front of a crowd of cheering conference attendees in three timed rounds of cake decorating that tested their creativity, artistic skills and ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.
“These amazing artists are truly gifted designers who take pride in decorating Dairy Queen® brand cake designs to bring joy to their store’s fans. As a brand we are incredibly appreciative that we attract such a high caliber of skilled artists to share their talents with our fans on a global basis,” says the IRON TIP organizer Cheri Buswell, director of concept support services at IDQ.
The final competition results were:
- 1st place winner, Candice Gumm of Appleton, Wis., received a $1,500 cash prize and commemorative plaque.
- 2nd place winner, Kelly Kirkland of Orleans, Ontario, Canada, received a $1,000 cash prize and commemorative plaque.
- 3rd place winner, Sandra Wheeler of Vail, Ariz., received a $750 cash prize and commemorative plaque.
- 4th place winner, Patricia Mason of Mentor, Ohio and 5th place winner, Chona Villanueva of Bahrain, each received an Iron Tip medallion to recognize their participation, technical skills and artistry.
“In line with our continued growth as a system, this year marked the highest number of entries we’ve ever received, elevating the quality of competition. The five winning finalists are truly the best of the best,” adds Buswell.