Congratulations to all of this year’s Pinkorama entrants!  You are all winners– or, rather, the rest of us are the winners for getting to see all the loveliness you’ve created.  I am, as always, in utter awe of the scenes you’ve spun from marshmallow and sugar.

This year’s entries brought us everything from dancing penguins to a goat as bridesmaid.  (Okay, fine, a goat with bridesmaids.  But I’m sure the goat was convinced she was actually part of the wedding party.)

The competition was fierce.  In fact, the count was so close that I went back and counted a second time, just to make sure I had it right.

First, a huge round of applause to our amazingly talented runners up!

— The Peepduction of the Crimson Rose by Carla and Rowan, featuring Colin as Dick Van Dyke and dancing penguins (I love those penguins);

— and Peeping on the Princess of the Peepchritudinous Toes by Carrie and Laura, featuring a prone poet, a nervous undercover governess, and the world’s most adorable tiny bookshop.

In a very close second place that was two votes away from being a tie, we have….

— The Slaughter of the Peepocents by Candace and Cassandra, featuring the Daughter of Turnip covered in the contents of what used to be jam tarts and the most beautiful– and edible!– parlor you ever did see.

In first place– drum roll, please!– our 2021 Pinkorama winner is….

— The Peepwedding of Emmie and Captain DeWitt by Debbi Olson, featuring the Smith College RePeep Unit, one very happy mustachioed British captain, and a self-satisfied goat (also chickens).

So many congratulations, Debbi!  This is one of my very favorite bits of one of my very favorite books, and it’s such joy to see it brought to life like this.  Those tiny Smith College RePeep Unit uniforms could not be more perfect.  They are truly a Band of Peeps!

So many thanks to everyone!!  It’s an understatement to say you all outdid yourselves.  These are the very pinnacle of Pinkoramae– and I can’t wait to see what you do to top it next year!

And thank you to everyone who popped by to cast a vote!  There was no possible way I could have picked one by myself.  They were all too wonderful.

All the runners-up receive Band of Sisters mugs crammed with chocolates— and our grand prize winner gets a mug and an ARC of the still untitled upcoming Team W book as soon as there are ARCs to be had.  Just email me and let me know where to send your prizes, and I’ll pop them in the mail to you as soon as I finish stuffing those mugs with chocolate.

Thank you to everyone who participated for making a stressful year that much happier!  I hope these lifted everyone’s spirits the way they lifted mine.

Until next spring….