Julia continues her latest botanical series with these cookies inspired by the very beauties climbing her own garden arbor. (Or we should say “arbors”; she grows many varieties of clematis!) This edible variety is made entirely of royal icing transfers, some contoured and others stenciled, like the delicate trellis in the background. After drying, each piece is individually airbrushed and then assembled together on the cookie to create this masterpiece. A labor of love, without question, but definitely a project anyone can do with Julia’s detailed step-by-step instructions.
This year’s competition, Julia’s last one before she heads into cookie-retirement, shaped up to be her best ever! For the first time in competition history, Julia aligned herself with an exclusive media partner, the wonderful Kelly Jane, Editor/Founder of the illustrious D’licious Magazine. Julia’s goals with this partnership were to give sponsors more exposure across a wider range of platforms and to take competition participation across the world to new heights. And she is elated to report that her goals were surpassed! Competition registration reached its highest level in five years, and the final prize tally ($32,000 USD) was an all-time record, thanks to 24 amazing sponsors!
The competition closed for entries on May 31, 2026, with submissions coming from countries across the globe – Iran, Ukraine, Japan, Spain, Mexico, Poland, and the United States, to name just a few. And the 12 amazing winners were announced on June 27. Their creations were extraordinary, not just in their technical details, but also in how beautifully, and often quite poignantly, they expressed the competition’s theme, “Architect of Your Dreams”. Julia encourages you to check out the winning entries and to learn more about their talented creators via the teal link below. She also extends a heartfelt thank-you to all entrants, sponsors, and judges who joined her for this last leg of her competition journey, and for the 12 wonderful competitions that preceded this finale! What a wonderful send-off!
Julia kicked off 2026 in style with a trip to the D’licious Magazine Awards in the UK, where her site Cookie Connection won the Online Community of the Year Award. (Hurrah!) Apart from a trip to International Cake Show Australia in July (where she’s up for another award), she’s purposely kept her 2026 cookie class and travel schedule lean in order to handle her final and best-ever cookie art competition! She also plans to explore some new non-cookie opportunities going forward. If you find yourself craving a Julia-class during this time, please check out her vast library of recorded tutorials under the “TUTORIALS” section of this site, or her free instructional videos on YouTube.
Japan Salonaise Association, Japan and Other Asian Markets
Japan Salonaise Association, Japan and Other Asian Markets
Japan Salonaise Association, Japan and Other Asian Markets
Japan Salonaise Association, Japan and Other Asian Markets
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