(CNN) — In honor of National Gingerbread House Day, December 12, we celebrate the culinary creations of the 24th annual National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, North Carolina.

Gingerbread houses have taken over the Omni Grove Park Inn, which hosts the annual competition and displays entries throughout the hotel's public spaces during the holiday season.

The grand prize winner was Beatriz Müller of Innisfil in Ontario, Canada, with her "Dream House" creation.

First place in the teen category (ages 13 to 17) was won by the Courtland High School German Program team from Spotsylvania, Virginia. Perry Pate from Hickory, North Carolina, took first place in the youth category (ages 9 to 12).

More than 150 gingerbread house designers and builders submitted their edible homes for consideration, competing for the grand prize of $8,500 in cash and prizes.

The gingerbread houses, which took many designers months to create, were judged on appearance, originality and creativity, difficulty, precision and theme.

The houses, which often are part of intricate scenes, must be made entirely out of edible materials, and of those ingredients, 75% must be gingerbread.