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Donaldson named apple recipe grand prize winner

Keira Donaldson was named the grand prize winner of the Apple Recipe Contest during Friday’s kickoff of the N.C. Apple Festival. Donaldson’s Apple Masquerade also took first place in the competition’s desserts category. [photo courtesy of Lia Beddingfield Chapman]

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 5, 2026

Judges named Keira Donaldson the Grand Prize winner of the 2026 Apple Recipe Contest on Friday as the first day of the North Carolina Apple Festival kicked off.

Donaldson’s Apple Masquerade also took first place in the desserts category of the annual competition, which is sponsored by Henderson County’s Cooperative Extension Office.
The apple recipe contest calls on cooks, bakers, chefs and what organizers describe as “inquisitive culinary producers” to put their apple recipes to the test during the festival’s competition each year.
Among other rules, the competition requires that all recipes contain at leas two cups of apples or one cup of applesauce and be homemade.
The contest was held at the cooperative extension office on Friday. Winners were announced at the festival’s main stage at the Historic Henderson County Courthouse on Main Street shortly after the opening ceremony on Friday.
In addition to the grand prize winner, judges named first, second and third place winners across three categories including desserts, pies and pastries, bread and a kid’s competition.
In the Desserts category, Donaldson took first place while Lindsay Swope took second place with her Apple Spice Pastry Torte. Karl Wolfe won third place with his Apple Cranberry Crisp Bars.
In the Bread category, Marlene Merrell won first place with her Apple Zucchini Muffins with a Crumble Ready to Rumble. Kathy Y, Ham earned second place with her Tropical Apple Bread with Orange Glaze. Shelby Scattergood took home third place with her Apple Fritter Focaccia.
Scattergood also won first place in the Pies and Pastries category with her Portuguese Egg Tart Apple Pie “Pastéis de Nata.” Merrell won second place with her Smoky Mountains Apple Bear Claws. Tracey Trapp earned third place with her Apple Pie Crumb Buns.
In the Kids category, Zella McCall won first place with her Apple Strudel Cheesecake. Paisley-Anne Gordon earned second place with her Apple Dapple Cake while Jameson Linkous came in third with his Mom's Special Apple Cake.