Outside of UF’s Library West, the air smelled strongly of confection. Spread across three tables, the submissions for the George A. Smathers Libraries’ Edible Book Contest lay waiting for judgment, drawing the noses of interested bystanders.
The contest had two rules: The submission must be edible and somehow related to a book.
Contestants took advantage with their creative freedom. One submission depicted the cover of “Watership Down” using only spices. Another suspended a portrait of a man in a glass pitcher of water, depicting “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
For the past seven years, the libraries have hosted the contest in celebration of National Library Week, usually drawing about 30 to 50 contestants. This year, however, the contest saw fewer submissions.
“This year, we have 14. And we don’t know why,” said Christine Yip, staff member at Marston Science Library and head of the contest. “But we get really great entries every year.”
People walking by were asked to vote. Daniel Milstein, an 18-year-old UF economics and political science freshman, was impressed by all of them.
“It was a very tough decision,” he said. “You can tell everyone put in a lot of work in making the best design.”
In the end, Deborah Kellermann, a teacher at UF’s English Language Institute, and her Reading and Writing Level 50 class won best overall for their version of “The Wizard of Oz.”
George A. Smathers Library staff member Jane Anne Carey takes a photo of an edible book on the Library West walkway during the Edible Book Contest on Thursday.
