2025 Official Rules & Regulations

A quick bread and yeast bread baking contest for adult amateur bakers.

The Contest entry begins at

12:00 AM Central Standard Time (“CST”) on November 1, 2024

and ends at

11:59:59 PM Central Standard Time (“CST”) on January 16, 2025

(hereinafter, “Contest Entry Period”)

 

The Kansas Wheat Commission presents the 2025 National Festival of Breads™ (“Contest”). Participation in the Contest constitutes full and unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Contest Rules. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

1. Eligibility

Contest is open to ADULT home bakers, 18 years of age and older, at the time of contest entry, and must be a legal United States resident residing in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. No teams or groups will be permitted.

Individuals who are amateur bread bakers and do not make the major portion of their income by baking bread may enter. Determination of a contestant’s status rests solely with the Sponsor(s).

Ineligibility

You are not eligible to participate in the Contest if any of the following apply:

• You or your spouse, parent or child are an employee of any national or state wheat organization, or their associations.
• You have been contracted to work with Kansas Wheat.
• You have been a finalist in three (3) National Festival of Breads™ Contests or won the Champion prize.

 

2. How to Enter: READ AND FOLLOW ALL RULES

(Online entries only. No entries accepted by postal mail.)

The Contest entry begins at 12:00 AM Central Standard Time (“CST”) on November 1, 2024 and ends at 11:59:59 PM Central Standard Time (“CST”) on January 16, 2025.

Submit your original recipe and photo at: www.nationalfestivalofbreads.com. You may enter multiple recipes; however, each Entry must be different. You cannot resubmit a recipe with changes after it has been submitted. Follow contest rules exactly; include all information requested. You will only be eligible to become a Category Winner with one recipe.

Upload one color PHOTO of the completed recipe; a phone camera photo is acceptable. The photo should show the whole loaf of bread or roll sliced, so the interior is visible. If the bread product is not sliced, your entry will be disqualified. Please do not attach more than one photo with the recipe. (Do not attach step-by-step photos.)

 

CATEGORIES

Quick Bread: Made without yeast. Made with a leavening  agent, such as baking powder or baking soda, which allows immediate baking after preparation. Examples include but are not limited to: muffins, scones, soda bread, tortillas, coffeecakes, pancakes, fritters, dumplings, fruit and nut breads, waffles, beer bread, biscuits, etc. Usually made with all-purpose flour, self-rising flour, whole wheat flour or a combination of flours. “Quick Breads” are made in a brief period of time with little effort. Note: bagels, pretzels and sourdough breads are usually leavened with yeast and are not “quick breads.”  

Yeast Bread: Made with yeast (instant, active dry, bread machine yeast). Recipe most often uses bread flour, high-protein flour, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or a combination of flours. Examples include: sweet or savory breads and rolls; whole grain breads and rolls; Dutch oven breads; holiday breads and fancy braids; sandwich loaves, etc.

                                                                                                                                     

3. Recipe Rules

This Contest is intended for an original quick bread or yeast bread recipe developed by the Entrant. “Original” means the Contest recipe has not been previously published in print or online in the same or substantially the same form. Category Winners will be required to certify the entry is “original.” Each submitted recipe must not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity.

Recipe will be disqualified if the brand and type of flour is not stated in the recipe. Examples may include: King Arthur Bread Flour, Hudson Cream White Whole Wheat Flour, W-R Bread Flour, Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour, or your favorite local brand you like to bake with.

Seventy-five percent (75%) or more of the total flour used in the recipe must be wheat flour and the remaining amount may be other flour such as rye flour, cornmeal, soy flour, etc.

Recipe should make one (1) or more loaves OR at least one dozen (12) rolls, scones, muffins, biscuits, etc.

Recipe MUST include title, exact ingredient measurements, complete step-by-step directions, size of pan, preparation time, bake temperature, bake time and the recipe yield.

Recipe should follow food safety steps in preparation and baking. Baking food safety resources and a baked goods temperature guide can be found at: https://www.homebaking.org/baking-food-safety/

Recipe should not contain more than 10 ingredients. The following do not count towards the total number of ingredients: water, salt, plain black pepper, and cooking spray. List the ingredients in their order of use.

No meat allowed in dough or fillings.

Due to the differences and variability of sourdough starters, sourdough recipes will not be accepted.

Submit recipe in English using  U.S. standardized volume measurements (cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, etc.) and/or weight (ounces, pound). For example: 1½ cups (6 3/8 ounces). Temperatures should be Fahrenheit (°F).

Once an Entry has been submitted, it cannot be modified or deleted by the Entrant.

 

4. Selection of Winners

Recipe Judging

By submitting a recipe and photo to the National Festival of Breads™, the Entrant is representing his/her recipe as their original creation. Judges will disqualify previously published recipes, including those published online, from food companies, magazines, cookbooks, blogs, or winners in recipe contests.

Category Winners are solely responsible for complying with any applicable copyright restrictions, and the National Festival of Breads™ Sponsors, their agencies and the judges assume no obligation in that regard. Sponsors may contact you regarding your submission.

Each eligible Entry will be reviewed by a qualified panel of food experts. Selected recipes will be test baked and taste-tested in the Kansas Wheat Test Kitchen, Manhattan, Kansas.

Judging Criteria and Point System

Taste & Quality                                                                                (50 points)

Originality, Appearance, Artistic Flair & Shaping             (30 points)

Written Recipe & Photo                                                               (10 points)

Nutritional Value & Healthfulness                                           (5 points)

Ease of Preparation                                                                         (5 points)

 

5. Prizes

TWO (2) Category Winners will be selected, one from each category (Quick Bread and Yeast Bread). Each will receive a $1,000.00 check and a “Baking Bundle” from Sponsors, ERV $250.00.

Honorable Mention Winners will receive a check for $100.00.

 

 

6. Conditions

Category Winners

If your recipe is one of the two (2) Category Winners, you will be notified via phone and/or email on or around May 1, 2025.

Category Winners are not allowed to share their recipe on social media, blogs, or other media outlets until after the champion is announced on June 4, 2025.

Selected Category Winners will be required to sign a notarized affidavit verifying the originality, authorship, and ownership of their recipes prior to competing in the National Festival of Breads™, their eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules and a release of the Kansas Wheat Commission, sponsors, the judges, and their respective directors and employees from all liability, claims, and damages (the “Release”).

Category Winners shall return (the “Release”) electronically and by mail to Kansas Wheat within seven (7) business days of date of personal delivery or date of sender’s postmark. Failure to return (the “Release”) in the time permitted, or return of notification as undeliverable, will result in the Category Winner being disqualified and an alternate selected.

Selected Category Winners will be required to sign a consent and release (the “Consent”) to grant the National Festival of Breads™ Sponsors permission to use said Finalist’s name, photograph, likeness and personal information in any media relating to their participation for publicity, promotion, advertising, and other purposes without further notice or additional compensation to promote the Contest or the recipe; and shall further assign the Kansas Wheat Commission all rights of ownership, including copyright, in any such recipe and return (the “Consent”) electronically and by mail within seven (7) business days of receipt of notification. Selected Category Winners may be required to make themselves available for interviews during the time their recipe is publicized locally or nationally in the media.

All Category Winners agree to return any prize received if the representations made herein or in (the “Release”) prove to be untrue and to further indemnify and hold harmless the Kansas Wheat Commission against any and all claims, damages, and expenses, including attorney’s fees incurred as a result of any such misrepresentation.

Selected Category Winners may waive to receive a prize. Prizes are non-assignable and non-transferable. No substitutions or case equivalents allowed by winners. Prizes are subject to availability and Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. The winners are solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes and fees associated with the receipt of any prize.

Notification of Other Winners

All winners other than Category Winners will be notified exclusively by email. Sponsors will attempt to re-send said e-mail up to two times. If any winner does not respond to e-mail notification within three days of its transmission, or should the e-mail be returned as undeliverable after two attempts, the prize will be forfeited, and an alternate winner will be selected.

 

7. Online Announcement

The AWARDS will be announced online on the National Festival of Breads™ website and social media on Wednesday June 4, 2025.

The decisions of the Judges and Sponsor(s) are final in all matters relating to the determination of the Category Winners, “Best of Breads” National Festival of Breads Champion, and all other awards and prizes.

 

8. Other Terms

Sponsor(s) reserve the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or website; violates the Contest Rules; or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner during the competition, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. By submitting one or more recipes, each Entrant accepts all Contest Rules and agrees to be bound by the decisions of the Judges and Sponsor(s), which shall be final.

Each Entrant also agrees that each original recipe and all legal rights and interests in said recipe, including the rights of copyright, become the exclusive property of the Kansas Wheat Commission and sponsors, which reserve the right to edit, adapt, copyright, publish, transfer and use any or all Contest entries, without compensation to the Entrant or any third party.

It is expressly understood that Sponsor(s) are under no obligation to the Category Winners other than as expressly set forth in these Contest Rules. All Category Winners must agree to abide by these Contest Rules, and the decisions of the Sponsor(s) and the Judges, which shall be final in all matters relating to the National Festival of Breads™.

The National Festival of Breads™ Sponsor(s) and the employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, and representatives of Sponsors’ affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising, promotion and legal advisors are not responsible for and shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, or unintelligible entries; (ii) telephone, electronic, hardware, or software program, network, Internet, or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties; (iii) errors in transmission; (iv) any changes or effects caused to the Entrant’s computer system as a result of submitting online entries, (v) technical failures of any kind (vi) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Sponsors that may cause the Contest to be disrupted or corrupted; (vii) any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind caused by a prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use of a prize, or from participation in the Contest; or (viii) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest.

All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of the Contest Rules, or rights of Entrants, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with, the substance laws of the State of Kansas, without regard to conflicts of law principles. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any such provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, these rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision were not contained therein.

All entries become the physical property of the Sponsor(s) and will not be acknowledged or returned. Evaluations from judges and scores will not be sent to Entrants, Honorable Mention or Category Winners.

This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook or Instagram. By entering, you understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Facebook or Instagram.

If for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned by any cause, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor(s), Sponsor(s) reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to suspend, modify, or terminate the Contest and determine winners from entries received prior to action taken, or as otherwise deemed fair and equitable by the Sponsor(s).

Odds of winning depend upon the total number of eligible entries in the Contest.

After June 4, 2025 category winners and their recipes will be posted on NationalFestivalofBreads.com. To receive a list of winners, write to the National Festival of Breads, 1990 Kimball Ave., Manhattan, KS 66502.

© COPYRIGHT 2024 Kansas Wheat Commission