LaGRANGE — Local merchants are lining up to sponsor the 2015 LaGrange Daily News Cookie Contest and sponsorships are still being accepted.

The contest is scheduled for Dec. 2 at the newspaper office on Ashton Street and is open to all Troup County residents.

This year, LaGrange police Sgt. Johnny Byrd, County Commission Chairman Patrick Crews and Paul Baxter, retired pastor of First Baptist Church on the Square, have signed up to judge entries and pick their favorite holiday cookie for three categories: traditional, decorated and children’s recipes.

To enter the Daily News Cookie Contest:

• Bring a dozen cookies prepared from one recipe to the Daily News office, 105 Ashton St. Entries will be accepted between 7:30 a.m. and noon on Dec. 2. Cookies received after the deadline will not be considered for judging.

• To the bottom of each container, attach a legible copy of the recipe and include your name, daytime phone number and category you are entering: traditional, decorated or children’s.

• Adults may enter one recipe in each of the traditional and decorated categories. Children up to 16 years old may enter one recipe in the children’s category.

• Bring your cookies in a container that may be retrieved at the newspaper office after the contest has ended on Dec. 3.

• Judges will choose the top cookies, with prizes awarded to each winner. Judging will be based on both taste and appearance.

• Winners will be notified by the Daily News and the recipe will be featured in the Living section of the newspaper on Dec. 5.

• Daily News employees and immediate family members are not eligible. Previous winners may compete again, but should not submit the same recipe used in a previous year.

The following companies and organizations have already donated items to be awarded to winners: Pizza Villa, Hog Heaven, Taylor-Foster Fine Jewelers, Walmart, Home Depot, Mare Sol, Diva Nails, Chalk It Up, PC Screen Printing, Taste of Lemon and Creative Call-Ins. Callaway Gardens, The Little White House, West Georgia Garden Center, First America Title and the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce have also agreed to donate prizes.

The deadline to submit prizes is Nov. 27. Companies and organizations who sponsor the contest through donations will receive a business-card sized ad free of charge denoting their contribution to the contest. Contact Daily News Cookie Contest coordinator Jenny Hart at 706-884-7311 to become a sponsor.