Donna Kern Ball of Newtown is back again as one of the 24 contestants in The Maritime Aquarium's 13th annual "Festival of Lighthouses Contest."

NORWALK, CT – A Newtown woman and her delicious holiday lighthouse are vying for the $1,500 grand prize in The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s 13^th annual “Festival of Lighthouses Contest,” opening Nov. 22.

Donna Kern Ball’s “Gingerbread – Man – Kind” is among the 24 creative handmade entries in the holiday display, which will be open daily through Jan. 19 in the popular Connecticut family attraction.

The lighthouse contest works like a juried art show except that you and thousands of other Maritime Aquarium visitors are the jury. Visitors can follow the homemade beacons through the galleries and cast a vote for their favorite. The lighthouse that gets the most votes wins $1,500. There are cash awards for five runners-up too.

The 24 lighthouses were built by local artists looking for a challenge, by families who wanted to work together on a fun project, and by students fulfilling a school assignment.

Seeing the lighthouses – and casting your vote – is free with Aquarium admission.

Kern has entered the contest four straight years. She won in 2011 with a lighthouse made from sugar cookies, came in sixth in 2012 with a crocheted beacon, and took home the second-place prize last year with a design made from Twinkies^®, Ho Hos^® and other Hostess snack cakes.

Her entry this year is a large round beacon of white frosting, festooned on multiple levels with gingerbread figures, gingerbread hearts, candy canes, ribbon candy and peppermints. Painstaking pipings of frosting on the gingerbread figures cast them in all sorts of professions – sailor, musician, athlete, firefighter and more.

“Each year we are amazed by the time and effort that our contestants put into their lighthouses,” said Judith Bacal, the Aquarium’s exhibits director. “The bar gets raised every year on design and craftsmanship. In turn, having all these smart and creative pieces of art on display only makes the experience of visiting The Maritime Aquarium during the holiday season even more engaging, enjoyable and memorable.”

Rules of the “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” are kept to a minimum to allow for maximum creativity. Lighthouses must be 3 to 6 feet tall and have a working light, and may not include animal remains, such as shells. Beyond that, it’s up to the creators’ imaginations. Some lighthouses are modeled after actual lighthouses; others are wildly whimsical.

Lighthouses in the 2014 contest are made out of everything from wood, paper and stone to frosting, gingerbread, crocheted yarn, gumballs and homemade candies. Some are modeled after real lighthouses, such as the Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield. Others are wildly imaginative, with dragons, zombies and the cast of Disney’s “Frozen” all represented. (But thankfully all not on the same lighthouse.)

“Because each visitor gets a lighthouse ballot, the contest adds another element of family fun to an Aquarium visit, as kids and parents debate and compare their votes,” said Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “Their opinions usually are quite different.”

Besides the contest’s $1,500 top award, other prizes are: $750 for second place, $375 for third; $300 for fourth; $225 for fifth; and $150 for sixth. Winners will be announced at an evening reception on Jan. 22.

The 2014 “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” is free with Maritime Aquarium general admission, which is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $12.95 for children ages 3-12.

For more details about Maritime Aquarium exhibits, IMAX^® movies and programs, call (203) 852-0700 or go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org.