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Click this link to nominate

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 https://tinyurl.com/CakeCollaborator

 

 

Nomination Rules
CCM Awards USA - Open Worldwide.
Cake Collaboration nomination time frame July 2025 June 2026
Other categories require 5 years of work.
Cake Hero is a lifetime award.
1. You can only nominate once.
2. There are no fees whatsoever to nominate or receive an award.
3, For all nominations we require the name of the nominee and the social media links
please.
4. For the Cake Hero and Rising Star award make sure to clearly state as to why you
believe this Hero and Rising Star stands out from the rest. Your responses will be key
for the winners of these two categories.
5. Best Magazine Tutorial- Cleary indicate the tutorial name and artist.
6. Please remember to provide us as much information as you can as to why you think
these nominees deserve the CCM USA Awards..
6. CCM USA Awards for 2026 will be a virtual event.

7.The Magazine's Head Judge Adriano Zumbo will decide on winners. His decision is
final.
8. Nominations will run up until August 10th 2026.
9. Finalists will be announced on the 15th of September 2026.
10. Winners will be announced on the 10th of October 2026.

You will NOT be able to nominate any of the CCM judges for skill level categories. CCM
winners will NOT be able to win the same title two years in a row. CCM Cake Hero
Award is a lifetime achievement award that can only be won once.
Please bear in mind that the CCM team are data collectors not judges. All sponsors
who are NOT judges are eligible for nominations.
CCM judges can only be considered towards the Cake Hero Award, Rising Star and
Magazine Tutorial awards.

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CCM Award Categories 2026
1) Cake Hero Award
At CCM we created a Hall of Fame category. We call it Cake Hero. Whether they are a master
of the whisk or a symbol of sugary perfection, a Cake Hero (or Idol) isn’t just a baker—they are
an architect of joy. We call them "idols" because they represent the sweetest version of
ourselves. This person has made a huge impact on the sugar world. They have changed the
sugar world.

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2) Sculpted Cake Award

A sculpted cake is where the culinary world drops the apron and picks up the chisel. It is a
delicious deception—a gravity-defying feat of engineering disguised as dessert.
Imagine walking into a room and seeing a vintage leather suitcase, a hyper-realistic garden
gnome, or a shimmering dragon coiled on a rock, only to realize that beneath the "leather" and
"scales" lies layers of moist sponge and velvety ganache. Using structural armatures and
"modeling chocolate," artists transform cake into 3D masterpieces that trick the eye before
tempting the palate.

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3) Chef Nicholas Lodge Sugar flower Award - Sponsored by The Foundation
Imagine a garden that never wilts, where the blooms are as sweet as the sentiments they
represent. The tiny thorns on a stem, the dew-like shimmer of steam-set glaze, and the
botanical "imperfections" make them look real. .Sugar flowers are the crowning jewels of the
confectionery world—a breathtaking intersection of botanical accuracy and culinary magic. They
aren't merely "decorations"; they are hand-sculpted miracles made from a pliable paste,
transformed by a steady hand into something that defies the laws of nature. Whether it’s a
single, sculptural Magnolia sitting solo on a minimalist fondant tier or a wild, cascading "S" curve
of Sweet Peas and Peonies, sugar flowers turn a dessert into a gallery piece. They are a
testament to the fact that with enough patience, even the simplest ingredients can be turned into
a masterpiece.

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4) Figure Modeling Award
Think of Figure Modeling as the art of breathing life into sugar. It is the moment a cake stops
being a dessert and starts telling a story—a transformation of pliable, sweet dough into
miniature masterpieces. From the microscopic stitching on a fondant sneaker to the soft blush on
a figurine’s cheek applied with petal dust, the magic is in the minutiae. "You aren't just

decorating; you are conducting a silent play atop a sponge-cake stage. Every figure is a tiny
soul made of sugar, waiting for the candles to be lit.

5) Cookie Award -
It is the porcelain of the pastry world—a buttery, golden canvas transformed by a flood of liquid
silk. Decorating royal icing cookies is a slow-motion dance of precision and patience. It’s the
satisfying "snap" of a dried surface giving way to a soft, sugary interior. It is where baking stops
being a chore and starts being edible architecture. We love royal icing cookies because they are
temporary art.

6) Cake Collaborations Award
This award rewards a group. The admins who come up with the theme, recruit members and
then put countless hours into creating the polished presentation. But they don't do it alone. The
artists of the collab create the works of art we all enjoy. It is truly a work of many coming
together.

7) Artistic Expression Award - Wedding and Celebration Cakes. Includes wafer paper
creations, painted cakes and any other medium.
A cake is more than just a dessert; it is the edible heartbeat of a celebration. It stands
at the center of the room—a towering monument to a milestone, a silent witness to "I
do," and the sweet climax of every great story.
Modern celebration cakes defy the laws of baking, featuring everything from sleek,
wafer-paper sails and "deckled" edges to gravity-defying tiers wrapped in lush, fresh
blooms. Every cake is a biography in sugar. Through hand-painted textures, bespoke
monograms, or intricate sugar-paste sculptures, it tells the world exactly what is being
honored—be it a lifelong union or a golden jubilee.

8) Best Magazine Tutorial Award
This award recognizes top sugar artists for excellence in CCM tutorials often featured
in the magazine's quarterly edition. Focuses on tutorials that have diverse techniques
from sugar flowers to sculpted figures, cookies and tiered cakes.

9) Rising Star 2026

Recognizes up and coming talent in the sugar community. The award recognizes artists
demonstrating exceptional creativity in the industry. They are the rare mix of raw talent
and relentless momentum, moving from "one to watch" to "the one to beat" in record
time.

10) Eddie Spence MBE Royal Icing Award
Imagine a cake transformed into a masterpiece of edible architecture. Royal icing isn’t
just a topping; it is the "lace and jewelry" of the baking world. Known for its pristine,
snow-white finish and its ability to dry into a firm, matte crunch, this icing allows
decorators to perform feats of sugar-defying gravity. Whether it’s a vintage-style tiered
cake with tiered ruffles or a modern minimalist design with sharp, clean edges, royal
icing turns a simple dessert into a timeless work of art.