Things to Do
Reader alert: Enter our annual Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest

The deadline is noon on Friday, March 22

  • A bonsai tree made out of green and brown Peep chicks and bunnies, with red Peep chicks as the planter.

    "Peep Blossom Bonsai" by Jessica Doody of St. Paul, first place in the 2023 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy photo)

  • A diorama of Peeps picketing outside of a stone cottage. Their signs say, "History matters' and "Save the J.R.H.!' and 'No demolition.'

    "We Give a Peep About History!" by father-and-daughter team of Meg Duhr of St. Paul and Felix Schultz of Green Lake, Wis.: "This diorama is inspired by the West 7th community who rallied to protect the historic Justus Ramsey House," they wrote.

  • Peeps in a living room, playing games.

    "Peep Family Fun Game Night" by Martha Sohn, third place (tie) iin the 2023 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

  • Peeps shopping at a diorama thrift store.

    "GoodEgg Thrift Store" by Katherine Rose, third place winner (tie) in the 2023 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

  • A diorama of Peeps around a plane.

    “Peeployment” by Olivia Noland, 12, of Eleva, Wis., winner of the "Little Peeple" category of the 2023 Pioneer Press Diorama Contet.

  • A girl working on a diorama of Peeps as ducks in a duck pond.

    "Peeps at the Duck Pond" by Carolann Akervik, age 3, of Cottage Grove, winner of the Chick category of the 2023 Pioneer Press Diorama Contet.

  • A diorama of Peeps in an outdoor landscape.

    "Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Peep" by Ava Doody, 13, of St. Paul, honorable mention 2023 "This is a model of Kokiri Forest from the 'Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.' If you are a Zelda fan then you will notice some little Easter eggs I've hidden around such as Saria's ocarina at Link's house and you can see Fado offering you a rupee. I used Peep candy instead of classic marshmallow Peeps because the scale was better for the model. For the water, I used Peep cotton candy with Peep gummies."

  • A chick looking into a mirror and seeing Peeps looking back at him.

    "Reality Chick" by 5-year-old Sage Waki and his mother, Kelsey Nesenson, of St. Paul: (starring Marsha and Mello). Honorable mention, 2023.

  • A diorama of Peeps at the Minnesota State Fair, with a title 'Great MN Peep Together.'

    "Great MN Peeptogether" by the Schomburg family, an interpretation of the Minnesota State Fair that won first place in 2011.

  • A diorama of yellow and purple Peeps dressed in white costumes, sitting in white chairs at tables decorated in white tablecloths, in an outdoor setting with white flowers and a white picket fence.

    "Diner en Blanc Peeps" by Sue Shumate of Burke, Virginia, an entry in the 2017 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

  • 'Peepy Stardust,' by Jill Schaefer of Minnetonka, first-place winner in the 2016 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest

    "Peepy Stardust," by Jill Schaefer of Minnetonka, first-place winner in the 2016 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

  • Two rows of bunny Peeps, working two assembly lines filled with yellow chick Peeps.

    "Peeps Processing Plant" by Amy Lindmeier and Mary Lindmeier of Rosemount and Cory Hummell of Lakeville, second place, 2007. (Sherri LaRose-Chiglo / Pioneer Press )

  • 2022 Peeps: For the People of Ukraine

    Julianne Prekaski, a designer from Seattle, said she was inspired by the people of Ukraine while making her diorama. It won first place in the 2022 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

  • Three blue bunny Peeps and two yellow chick Peeps outside of a diorama of Kramarczuk Deli, holding a tray of blue and yellow cookies that have a sign that says, '$3 Ukraine Cookies.' They are also holding one U.S. flag and one Ukraine flag.

    "Peeps Supporting Ukraine at a Local Twin Cities Favorite" by Jill Schaefer of Minnetonka tied for third place in 2022.

  • A row of pink and yellow Peep bunnies lined up outside of 'Cup and Cone,' made out of craft sticks and construction paper.

    "Flavor of the Day: Peeps" by Ruby Brown, 13, and her dad, Brian Brown, of White Bear Lake, tied for third place in 2022.

  • Honorable mention, 2009 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest: 'Busted' by Nina, Dan, Ella and Luke Welsh of Shoreview.

    Honorable mention, 2009 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest: "Busted" by Nina, Dan, Ella and Luke Welsh of Shoreview.

  • A Peep as Pope, with Peep cardinalls in the background, and the Vatican.

    "The Conclave of Cardinals Elects a New Peep" by Tara McAdams, Carla Bender, Jessie Garretson and Brad Neary, third place, 2006. (Joe Oden / Pioneer Press)

  • Two blue Peeps and seven pink Peeps dressed in black robes, sitting in two rows, above a gold, tiny framed photo of nine U.S. Supreme Court justices.

    "Justice of the Peeps" by Cheryl Maplethorpe of River Falls, Wis., third place, 2005.

  • Two yellow bunny Peeps posing as the 'American Gothic' couple. One of them is holding a pitchfork.

    "American Gothic" by Nina Fan of Falcon Heights, honorable mention, 2013.

  • A framed picture of a yellow chick Peep who is dressed in a period costume with a pearl earring.

    "Peep With a Pearl Earring" by Jill Schaefer, Minnetonka. Second place, 2014.

  • A diorama of a laptop computer, with the screen filled with little boxes of Peep students. A sign says, 'Peep Academy.'

    2021 Special Frontline Worker Winner: Samantha Kennelly honors teachers who keep the learning going virtually in the pandemic with "Peep Academy," our choice for the winner in the special diorama category for 2021.

  • A diorama of Peeps sledding down a hill. A sign says, 'April 11 Snow day in St. Peep mn.'

    "April 11 Snow Day in St. Peep, MN" by Joe Wicker, 11, of St. Paul. Little Peeple winner, 2019.

  • Honorable mention in the 2019 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest: 'Diorama of Peeps making a Diorama: 10 years of Schomburg family making dioramas' by the Schomburg family.

    Honorable mention in the 2019 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest: "Diorama of Peeps making a Diorama: 10 years of Schomburg family making dioramas" by the Schomburg family (Murray Schomburg, Aaron Schomburg, Kathy Licht, Heidi Schomburg, Scott Schomburg, Moira Schomburg, Brian Schomburg, Candace Okeson, Bev Schomburg, Greg Schomburg and the kid crew -- Grayden, Evelyn, Harrison, Helena, Lexi, Izzy, Noah and Kaia).

  • A Peep, wearing a red bandana to hide his bunny face, stands on one side of a brick wall with cans of spray paint. Around the corner, yellow bunny Peeps with cameras look at a painting of a Peep (in black and white) with a red balloon.

    "Infamous Graffiti Artist, Peepsy" by Jessica Krueckeberg of Minneapolis. Third place, 2019.

  • A diorama of Peeps roasting tiny human figurines for s'mores over a campfire.

    "Peeps Making S'mores" by Betsy Cotone of South St. Paul. First place, 2019.

  • Peeps in a diorama, skating with a Winter Carnival palace in the background.

    "Saint Peeps Winter Carnival 2018," created by by Beth Barron, Kari Pederson, Cathy Rose and Megan Shircel of Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). Second place, 2018.

  • An open-sided diorama featuring two Peeps recreating painting/portraits of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. On the left, the Peep sits among greenery; on the right, the Peep is set against a plain white wall, wearing a white and black evening gown. A sign says, 'Smithsonian, National Portrait Gallery.'

    "Presidential Portrait Peeps, created by Sue Shumate of Burke, Virginia. The diorama recreates the portraits of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama that were recently unveiled in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. It took first place in 2018.

  • A diorama of Peeps that says, 'Only Peeps in the Building" and has a Peep dressed in a coat, holding a purse, walking a Peep chick.

    "Only Peeps in the Building" by Laura Dill of Wakefield, Mass. Honorable mention, 2023.

of

Expand
Author
By | mguthrey@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

Hey, Peeps! It’s time to stock up on those marshmallow creatures, heat up your glue guns and enter our annual Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

To participate, make a diorama of any size featuring marshmallow Peeps. The theme is wide open, as is our tradition — anything from current affairs to historical events, daily life, celebrities, religion, art or sports, movies or books … but the judges prefer family-friendly entries.

Here are the 2023 winners of the Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest

Some people create their scenes in diorama-friendly boxes, but this is not required. Ultimately, it’s your creativity we want to showcase, as we’ve done since 2004.

When your marshmallow masterpiece is complete, take a photo or two of the diorama and email it to peeps@pioneerpress.com.

In your email, be sure to include the name, phone and email address of the creator or creators — in addition to their city of residence — so that we may contact them if needed. If the creator is 12 or younger, make sure you tell us in order to be eligible for the youth prizes (and include an adult’s name and contact info).

Also, please tell us about your artistic process — inspiration, methods, near-disasters — so that we can share your genius with the world.

The deadline to email photos of the diorama entries is noon on Friday, March 22. Winning entries will be featured in the Pioneer Press on Easter on Sunday, March 31.

Winners will be chosen by a judging panel made up of Pioneer Press employees. Diorama qualities we seek include:

How recognizable is it?

You’ll have an advantage if your diorama scene touches an immediate chord of visual recognition, like the entry that played on the iconic scene in Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd’s picture book, “Goodnight Moon.”

A yellow bunny Peep tucked into bed in a bedroom that is a recreation of 'Goodnight Moon.'
“Goodnight Moon” by Rebecca Tangalos of Rochester, Minn. Honorable mention, 2008.

Craftsmanship

We are impressed by miniature craftsmanship. It’s one thing to put a chick in a Barbie car or a dollhouse. It’s another thing to handcraft the Death Star out of marshmallows.

A diorama of yellow and purple Peeps dressed in white costumes, sitting in white chairs at tables decorated in white tablecloths, in an outdoor setting with white flowers and a white picket fence.
“Diner en Blanc Peeps” by Sue Shumate of Burke, Virginia, an entry in the 2017 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest.

Photography

It probably won’t win if it’s not a good photo.

A diorama of Peeps sledding down a hill. A sign says, 'April 11 Snow day in St. Peep mn.'
“April 11 Snow Day in St. Peep, MN” by Joe Wicker, 11, of St. Paul. Little Peeple winner, 2019.

You don’t need to have a fancy camera or professional skills — just opt for natural lighting versus a flash (say, near a window during daylight hours); shoot from the Peeps’ eye level and get in close (fill the frame); watch the background (don’t make it too busy); and, finally, we prefer horizontally composed images (if possible).

Good luck, Peeps!

 

 

More in Things to Do