The Washington Post’s 2023 Peeps diorama contest winners

So, why Peeps? These headache demons are more than the marshmallow of the season. They are both an artistic tool and medium. They come in bird and rabbit shapes, and if you’re still not convinced, note the variety of colors and flavors. You can munch on a classic Peep, burn your tongue on a Hot Tamales Peep and start your day with Peeps cereal. (We do not recommend all in one sitting.)

This contest dates all the way back to 2007, with participants spanning countries and generations. But in 2017, the contest was discontinued.

Four years later, in 2021, The Washington Post performed a resurrection, this time, on TikTok. Amid the pandemic, more than 80 people set aside their sourdough starters and whipped coffee to tackle a Peeps diorama, which they could submit via TikTok or a photo. Last year, we were once again overwhelmed with submissions — and one lengthy YouTube video from a very creative 7-year-old.

This year, our 1.6 million TikTok followers did not let us down. The dioramas were judged on the following criteria:

Theme: The best themes are relevant to the year of the contest — for example, the entry titled, “Rudy Giuliani’s appearance on ‘The Masked Singer.’”

Originality: Although Peeps have become more versatile, there’s only so much you can do with the two basic shapes: a chick and a rabbit. We’re looking for contestants who really find a way to create an original master-peep-ce — like the Peep Minions in this year’s “Despicable Peeps” entry.

Craftsmanship: Although a diorama typically exists within a singular box, we want to see if contestants can use their engineering skills to break out of the shoe box. TikTok user @steviekicks440 really stretched the limits this year with a three-story diorama.

Showmanship: While competitors can submit video or photos, most chose to post on TikTok, which earns you extra points. The official account for the beloved TV show “Arthur” created a diorama based around the show’s famous “library card” song.

Edibility: Can you eat it? How much of it can you eat? Does the shoe box look edible? Is it cake? Am I cake? This final category confused our judges (and likely readers) the most.

Last year’s Peeps diorama contest winners

Here are a dozen of our favorite entries, capping off with this year’s winners.