IVCC announces edible car contest winners

Students flooded Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby last Wednesday to show off their engineering skills with a twist by participating in the 19th annual edible car contest.

The event hosted 208 student participants from multiple area schools; including six junior high schools and four high schools. Eighty vehicles were speed tested.

Junior high students dominated the event as they took home every speed trophy and received 12 of the 18 special designation trophies.

Here is a list of the award winners.

Speed

First place: JFK – Team Dirty Rider’s Dirt by Jaxen Ponsetti and Dax Diaz

Second place: A tie: Putnam County Junior High – Team PC’s Mint Mobile by Eli Glnn, Sophie Sheppard, Austin Solder and Bentleg Parsons; Oglesby Washington – Team Cockadoodles' Supercharged Honda Civic by Easton Strand, Aiden Zavza and Levi Zenermo.

Third place: Princeton Christian Academy – PCA Divas' Muffin Man, by Isabella VanDen Berg and Daniqua DuPreez.

Best Place Overall High School

DePue High School – Team Pretzel’s Swiss Cheese Sandwich by Rylee Harsted, Madilynn Soulsby and Cayla Weygand.

Best Overall Middle School

JFK Spring Valley – Team Sparkles car Lady Glitter Sparkles by Vanessa Morales and Arelis Picazo

Creativity

First place: Ottawa High School, Team We Were Sleepy’s Breakfast Mobile by Wyn Dietz, Aidan Hardee and Quintin Oley.

Detail

First place: Putnam County Junior High, Imagine Dragons' Fire by Denny Long

Most Nutritious

Ottawa High School: Team Beef Heads' Charcuterie Cruiser by Kaleb Nimke, Ayden Sexton and Grant Smithmeyer.

Sweetest

IVCC Art Club: Too Sweet’s Dona Dulce by Samantha Blaskiewicz, Maria Reinert and Shannon Slaight.

Judges Call

First place: Ottawa High School, We Were Sleepy’s Breakfast Mobile by Wyn Dietz, Aidan Hardee and Quintin Oley.

Design

First place: Putnam County’s Mint Mobile by Eli Glnn and Sophie Sheppard, Austin Solder and Bentleg Parsons.

Faculty Staff

Candy Throne by La Moille Junior High instructor Addy Dever.

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Nearly 200 students from schools across the Illinois Valley competed in the 19th annual Edible Car Contest on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in the cafeteria at Illinois Valley Community College. Schools from Princeton Christian Academy, La Moille, JFK in Spring Valley, Putnam County schools, Trinity Catholic Academy, Oglesby Washington, La Salle-Peru High School, DePue School and Ottawa High School all participated in the contest. Cars must be built entirely from food items edible to humans. Prizes were awarded for design, creativity, detail, nutrition, speed and best overall. (Scott Anderson)