For 17 years, Calgary architecture and land development firm E2 + Associates has been turning gingerbread into gold for children’s hospitals—and this year’s competition is no exception. The annual GingerCane design contest, which opens for registration on November 1, has now raised more than $400,000 since its launch in 2010, with every dollar donated directly supporting three children’s hospital foundations.
Past entries from GingerCane contests, built at home from gingerbread, candy and whatever else came to hand, show the creativity that has fueled the event for nearly two decades.
E2 + Associates presents the proceeds of GingerCane 2025 to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, January 2026.
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The GingerCane cheque is signed before presentation to the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
GingerCane opens for its 17th year on November 1. The public picks the winners by donating, and every dollar goes to children’s hospitals.
Seventeen years in, what matters most is the people who keep showing up to build, donate and give where we live”— (Michael) Sean Young, CEO, E2 + Associates
CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, October 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — GingerCane, the annual gingerbread design competition run by Calgary architecture and land development firm E2 + Associates, opens for registration on November 1 for its seventeenth year.
While architects typically spend the year drawing buildings nobody can eat, for one month each year they get to build one that can. Teams work in gingerbread, candy, cookies, crackers, icing, Rice Krispie squares and anything else they can dream up, and the public decides the winners by donating. Every dollar donated to a build counts as one vote for it, and all of it goes to three children’s hospital foundations: the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.
Since 2010 the contest has raised more than $400,000 for these three foundations. “We work with people who build communities, and GingerCane is a way to put that same creativity and generosity to work for the children and families in those communities. Seventeen years in, what matters most is the people who keep showing up to build, donate and give where we live,” said (Michael) Sean Young, CEO, E2 + Associates.
Anyone can enter. Registration opens November 1 at gingercane.com, and a team can be a company, a family, a group of friends, a classroom or one person with a steady hand. No baking experience is required. The competition runs in three categories — industry professionals, the general public, and kids.
The kids category is a contest in its own right, with its own prize, judged the same way as the rest. Families regularly enter together, and the adults do not always win. Nobody has to build anything to take part. From November 23 the public votes by donating at gingercane.com, where every dollar given to a build counts as one vote for it. Voting stays open until December 16. The builds themselves happen wherever teams can find a flat surface—kitchen tables, lunchrooms and boardrooms across Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg—and the voting happens entirely online. Past team names tend to give away how seriously everyone takes it: Dough-glas Homes, the Uncle Phil-anthropists, Melcor Sweet Developments and Candy Cane Creations.
“We are so grateful to the community for all the imaginative ways they come up with to raise money and awareness for the Alberta Children’s Hospital, including through the annual GingerCane gingerbread house building competition. Funds raised through this sweet initiative have supported the hospital’s highest priority needs, including purchasing vital equipment and supporting family-centred programs, helping ensure children and families have access to exceptional care when they need it most,” said the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“Donor support helps fund world class care, groundbreaking research, specialized training, and programs that support kids and families throughout their medical journey and beyond. Through Stollery No Bounds, GingerCane is supporting excellence today while helping build a new stand-alone Stollery Children’s Hospital for tomorrow,” said the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“GingerCane helps support important initiatives at HSC Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, including programs like those offered through the Child Life Department. Through play, education, and emotional support, Child Life helps children and families navigate the challenges of hospitalization, easing stress and creating more positive, comforting experiences throughout their hospital journey,” said the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.
Voting closes at a public reception at E2’s studio, 1043 19 Avenue SE in Ramsay, on the evening of December 16, where the winners and the year’s total are announced. The reception is open to anyone who wants to see the builds in person. Results are published December 17.
Seventeen years of builds, totals and the teams behind them are collected at gingercane.com/impact/
E2 + Associates was founded in Calgary in 1986 and marks its fortieth anniversary this year. The firm works in architecture, development consulting and land intelligence, and is currently active in more than 75 communities across Western Canada.
Registration and details: https://gingercane.com
Media contacts
Katrina Wilgenbusch, Executive Assistant, E2 + Associates
katrinaw@e2.associates, (403) 256-5123
Kelsey Glover, Manager, Community Initiatives and Events, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation
kglover@achf.com, (825) 255-8198
Heather Shtuka, Senior Advisor, Communications and External Relations, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation
heather.shtuka@stollerykids.com, 825-468-8904
Sara Shyiak, Director, Marketing and Communications, Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba
Sshyiak@goodbear.ca, 204-794-0094
Katrina Wilgenbusch
E2 + associates
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Why it matters: GingerCane turns a playful holiday tradition into a steady, community-powered revenue stream for children’s hospitals across three provinces. By blending public voting with charitable giving, the competition demonstrates how local creativity can directly fund vital equipment, family programs, and future hospital expansions—proving that even a gingerbread house can make a lasting impact on pediatric care.
