NORWALK — A Newtown woman’s gingerbread lighthouse is the sixth place winner in the “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Donna Kern Ball finished “in the money” for the fourth straight year, taking home $150 for her “Gingerbread – Man – Kind” lighthouse. Her 2014-15 entry was 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 others.

The Aquarium’s 13th annual holiday display ran from November 22 to January 19, and featured 24 large model lighthouses built by local artists, students and hobbyists. The contest’s winners are chosen by Aquarium visitors, who enjoy the lighthouses in the aquarium galleries and then vote for their favorite.

More than 12,000 votes were tallied in this most recent display, which – as always – attracted a collection of widely creative works. 

At a January 22 ceremony at The Maritime Aquarium, this year’s full list of winners was announced.

First place, which includes a $1,500 cash prize, went to Pedro Davila, a mason from White Plains, N.Y., for “Black Rock,” a lighthouse made of intricately cut stone.

Second place ($750) went to woodworker David Bishop of Stamford for “Imagine Dragons”; third place ($375) went to Amye Huizinga of Danbury for “Frozen,” featuring characters from the Disney movie; fourth place ($300)  went to Margaret Phillips of Cos Cob for “Lighthouse Island,” a crocheted lighthouse; and Jo Stecker of Norwalk finished in fifth place ($225) with “Seaside Bakery,” a dollhouse lighthouse.

“Once again, we were able to offer Aquarium visitors a very fun and creative holiday display, all thanks to the thought and effort that our contestants put into their lighthouses,” said Chris Loynd, marketing director. “For that, we are very honored and grateful.”

Donna Kern Ball won the contest in 2011-12 with “Sugar Cookie Sheffield Island,” a lighthouse made from sugar cookies; came in sixth in 2012-13 with “Wooly West Quoddy,” a crocheted beacon a design made from Twinkiessecond place prize last year with “Twinkie, Twinkie Little Lighthouse,” she and her mother collaborated on; and took home the

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and other Hostess snack cakes.

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Photos of all the winners can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/Maritimeaquarium.

Entry forms for the 2015 “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” will be available on the Aquarium’s website this summer.