This year’s Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™, the last one before Julia heads into cookie-retirement*, has 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 have been surpassed! Competition registration reached its highest level in the last five years, and the final prize tally ($32,000 USD) is 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. While the judges are busy evaluating entries (with the aim to announce winners on June 30), Julia encourages you to show the competition’s sponsors your love by visiting their sites here, exploring their products and services, and following them online. It’s the least we can do to show our appreciation for taking this year’s competition over the top!

* IMPORTANT: In January 2026, Julia announced that she plans to retire from cookie art at the end of 2026, and that she very much considers this competition her last hurrah, a parting gift to the cookie community, if you will. She is most thankful for the entrants, judges, and sponsors who are accompanying her on this final leg of her cookie journey.