Everything You Need to Know About LEGO Ideas Challenges

Think you’ve got what it takes to out-build LEGO fans around the world? You can prove that your building skills are worth their weight in bricks (and earn awesome prizes) by entering LEGO Ideas Challenges. We’re explaining everything you need to know about these LEGO contests.

What Are LEGO Ideas Challenges?

Let’s get right into it. LEGO Ideas Challenges are themed challenges that allow participants to show off their building skills from the comfort of their homes. These building contests allow you to use your creativity and building talents to create LEGO masterpieces that experts (and sometimes the public) will judge.

Wondering what you’ll receive if your build is selected as the winner of a challenge? You’ll get more LEGO, of course! The winners of LEGO Ideas Challenges typically receive several LEGO sets as a reward for their brick-building prowess. Your submission could also become a future LEGO Ideas set, which is basically immortality in bricks.

The challenges span different themes and fandoms, so you’re sure to find something that sparks your interest and imagination. Past challenges have focused on everything from the LEGO A-Frame Cabin to Lord of the Rings.

What Are the Basic LEGO Ideas Challenges Requirements?

So, does having the opportunity to win LEGO sets for being the best brick builder sound right up your alley? If so, you can join a LEGO Ideas Challenge. You just need to be at least 13 years old. The reason why is simple: The Ideas line is for teen and adult LEGO fans (also known as TFOLs and AFOLs).

While there is an age requirement, LEGO Ideas Challenges aren’t limited to people from just one country or region. Instead, Challenges are open to people from all around the world. Additionally, you don’t have to create your submission on your own. You can submit an entry as a group, but you’ll need to figure out how to divide the prizes among the members.

How Do I Get Started?

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably eager to learn how to get started with your first LEGO Ideas Challenge. You can join one of the latest contests by following a few easy steps:

• Create a free LEGO Ideas account.
• Carefully read the rules for the challenge you want to enter.
• Start building your submission using physical bricks or do so digitally. If you create your design digitally, you can use BrickLink Studio or a third-party LEGO CAD software.

Once you’re finished with your masterpiece, you can submit photos of your physical bricks or digital renderings. Just be sure to include everything that the LEGO Ideas Challenge requests in your submission.

What Are the Steps of a LEGO Ideas Challenge?

After you send off your submission, you might be thinking, “Okay, what happens next?” LEGO does a great job of letting participants know the specific timeline for each challenge. In general, you can expect a LEGO Ideas Challenge to include the following steps:

• Idea Intake: This refers to how long you have to submit an entry, and this period is typically about a month.
• Expert Review: During this phase of the challenge, brick experts review the submission. This process often takes about two weeks.
• Winner Announcement: This date refers to the exciting time when LEGO announces the winner or winners.

In some cases, a LEGO Ideas Challenge may also include a crowd vote. During this part of the challenge, everyday LEGO fans can pick their favorite submissions.

What Does the Winner of a LEGO Ideas Challenge Receive?

Now it’s time to answer the question that’s on everyone’s minds: What does the winner (and sometimes runners-up) of a LEGO Ideas Challenge receive? The answer is it depends on the challenge. However, it’s usually multiple LEGO sets and merchandise that relate to the theme.

Here are some examples of prizes from past challenges:

In addition to winning LEGO sets, the winning designs of LEGO Ideas Challenges may be made into future LEGO Ideas sets. When this happens, you can brag to all your friends that you’re a LEGO Ideas Challenge winner and a LEGO designer.

What Are Some Tips to Help You Win LEGO Ideas Challenges?

The winners of LEGO Ideas Challenges get sought-after (and often pricey) prizes. So, what can you do to give yourself the best chance of winning one of these contests?

Here are some tips that can help you bring home the grand prize of a LEGO Ideas Challenge:

• Choose Your Contest Wisely: Rather than submitting LEGO builds to every challenge, focus your time and effort on creating builds that best suit your interests and skills.

• Look at Past Winners: Looking at previous winners to see which types of entries have been successful can give you some insight into what the judges and public like.
• Read the Rules: LEGO does a great job of highlighting the rules for each specific challenge, so read the rules carefully. For example, you can generally use “illegal” LEGO building techniques, but not always.
• Meet All Requirements: Make sure your submission gets all the details right, including those related to the resolution and number of photos.

Finally, you’ll want to pay attention to the challenge deadline because there are no extensions, no matter how good your submission is.

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about LEGO Ideas Challenges, so get out there and show off your building skills.