BELHAVEN — A local library is gearing up for an event that challenges participants to make books out of edible materials.

Belhaven Public Library will host its inaugural Edible Book Contest on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library. The deadline to register to submit an entry for the contest is Saturday at 11:30 a.m., and judging will take place at noon, according to branch manager Joan Bogun. The contest is free and open to the public.

Bogun said all entries that follow all contest rules will qualify to be judged. Among the rules are: edible books must be created, not store-bought; the book that is edible should be displayed or labeled; each edible book should have a display of the ingredients and how it was created; edible books will be judged according to most creative use of ingredients and best visual presentation, and funniest idea, Bogun said.

Entries can be made from cake, breadsticks, vegetables, chocolate and other edible materials. Judges will name a first-place winner, and there will also be a people’s choice award for the most popular entry. Creations are photographed and then consumed, according to Bogun.

The idea for an Edible Book Contest originated from the International Edible Book Festival, an annual event held on or around April 1 that is celebrated in parts of the world since the year 2000. The festival, created by Judith A. Hoffberg and Beatrice Coron, is held in commemoration of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, famous for his book Physiologie du gout, a witty meditation on food, according to books2eat.com.

“You don’t have to be a food artist to sign up,” Bogun said. “Members of the community are encouraged to attend and drool over the art. The goal is to encourage the community to be involved in the library and its programs and services for the public.”

Bogun said the event is just one of many programs the library conducts annually for people of toddler age up to adult age. The library is currently preparing for its Teen Summer Reading Program, themed around Super Heroes this year. However, the one-time event that is the contest is much anticipated by Bogun, who thinks the event will be fun for the entire family, she said.

“I just think that it should be fun — a way of the family being able to do something together,” Bogun said. “We’re a small town, and I just feel like it would be something that’s fun for everyone and that will draw people closer to the library.”

Belhaven Public Library is located at 333 E. Main St. in Belhaven. For more information about the Edible Book Contest, visit books2eat.com. To register to participate, contact the library at 252-943-2993 or visit the Belhaven Public Library on Facebook.com.