Skip to content

LEGO Ideas

Winners announced

You’re the final piece!

Imagine having your very own LEGO design or photograph featured on the front of a new 1,000-piece puzzle produced and distributed by Chronicle Books. Puzzled? Don’t be! Join this next contest challenge and test your building, storytelling, and design skills! 

What makes a puzzle great is the visual expression, so we’re looking for you to submit a top of the class, creative photograph representing any of the below categories that were voted in by the community on LEGO Ideas.

  • Space & Astronomy

    • Think out of this world, real or imagined! We’re looking for images destined for infinity and beyond!

  • Nature Scenes

    • Jaw-dropping mountains, lush jungles, plants and flowers, detailed landscapes and incredible sunsets would all be great entries in this category. We’re looking for nature at its most beautiful.

  • Retro

    • We’re talking anything older than 20 years or so, but brought back to life in LEGO bricks! Dig out the classics— LEGO nostalgia to vintage clothes, patterns, hairstyles, tech, or anything else that screams ‘retro cool.’

  • Architecture

    • Modern, classic, ancient, futuristic? You be the architect! Find inspiration from classic styles or dream up the next big thing.

Please include the first word of the category in the title of your entry.

Submissions must be in either a 4:5 or 1:1 format.

Submissions must have LEGO elements or have a LEGO element style within your design.

All entries that reach the Fan Vote phase of this contest, will be included in a Puzzle Design review. Enter and you stand a chance of becoming the next LEGO puzzle designer!..

Submissions that we allow in this contest include:

  • Toy Photography

  • High quality photograph or rendering of a brick-built creation in a neat setting

  • Digital Art

Chronicle Books have said the best entries will: 

  • Feature a clear unifying theme or storyline.

  • Make use of patterns, gradation, and/or repetition.

  • Not have too much empty space or large borders.

  • Include a variety of different colors.

  • Have enough variation to be challenging as a puzzle for fans 9+

  • Have good image quality (350 dpi or greater at puzzle size)

    • Can be enlarged to a large format puzzle: approximately 25.5 inches wide x 20.5 inches tall (64.8 x 52 cm). A 5:4 ratio/rectangular shape is ideal.

 

 

All submitted designs for this contest must be original, creative designs, i.e. we will not accept submissions featuring official LEGO sets.

No 3rd party IP references will be accepted in this contest. This includes entertainment, landmarks, historical Ips, and royalty covered places.

* Like the regular LEGO Ideas Product Idea Review process, the Puzzle Design review phase does not guarantee that any entry will be turned into an official puzzle.

 

 

If there is a Puzzle Design Review winner, they will receive credit on the puzzle, 1% of net sales of the product (an “author” royalty) and 10 copies of the finished puzzle.

Four Winners (one per category) from the fan vote will each receive:

  • Goodies from LEGO Publishing and Chronicle Books
  • All of the below LEGO Ideas sets
    • 21322 LEGO Ideas Pirates of Barracuda Bay
    • 21324 LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street
    • 21325 LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith
    • 21326 LEGO Ideas Winnie The Pooh

 

ENTRY DEADLINE: Submit your entry no later than July 20th, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EST.  If you’re not sure what time zone you’re in, here’s a time zone converter.

How it Works

The contest will consist of 3 phases:

  1. Submission Phase - Build and submit your entry before July 20th, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EST. We recommend submitting your entry 2-3 days before the deadline in the event we have to return it to you for changes. 
  2. Judging Phase - Our judges review the entries and choose 10 entries from all four categories (40 in total), from July 21st, 2021 to August 11th 2021. These 40 entries will then go forward to a Fan Vote on August 12th, 2021.
  3. Review - The entries that have been selected to be a part of the fan vote will also be reviewed by our review board, for the potential of being turned into a LEGO puzzle.
  4. Fan Vote - LEGO Ideas members will have the opportunity to vote once, for their favorite entry from August 12th, 2021, until August 24th, 2021.
  5. Winners Announcement - We will share the puzzle design review winner if one has been selected and the four category winners here on LEGO Ideas no later than September 8th, 2021! 

How to Enter:

  1. Submissions may be in physical bricks, using a digital building tool such as LEGO Digital Designer, digital art or in the form of Toy Photography. You’re welcome to use image editing tools, such as Photoshop, to enhance your photos/presentation.
  2. Take up to five photos of your creation and submit them to the contest. Make sure to show off all angles and any features or functions of your creation.
    Please submit your photos in as high a resolution as possible so that we can see all the details clearly. If possible, the shortest edge should be at least 1080 pixels.
  3. Add a title and short description.
  4. Upload your entry to the contest using the blue Submit Your Entry button on this page.

Contest Rules:

Acceptable Entry Content

  • You must be the original creator of all creative work you submit (the model, images, photographs, description text, etc.) and you must have the exclusive right to submit your model to this LEGO Ideas Contest. You may not submit a model or any other content made by, or on behalf of, someone else.
  • Entries must be new creations and not previously posted online or submitted to any other contest.
  • Please include the first word of the category in the title of your entry, e.g. “Space: xxx”, “Nature: xxx”, “Retro: xxx” or “Architecture: xxx”
  • You are allowed to use any official LEGO element (LEGO System, LEGO DUPLO, LEGO TECHNIC/Constraction) in your entry. The LEGO elements must be genuine (not cut, glued, or otherwise modified).
  • Entries should not contain copies or references to any other existing third-party work or creation or infringements of any third-party intellectual property right such as Ford or Ferrari. This includes entertainment, landmarks, historical IPs and royalty covered places
  • You’re welcome to use Minifigures in your entry, as long as they don’t contain copies or references to any other existing third-party work or creation or infringements of any third-party intellectual property right.
  • Contest entries related to the topics below do not fit our brand values and will not be approved for publication on LEGO Ideas:  
    • Politics and political symbols, campaigns, or movements  
    • Religious references including symbols, buildings, or people  
    • Sex, nudity, drugs, or smoking  
    • Alcohol in any present-day situation  
    • Swearing or profanity  
    • Death, killing, blood, terrorism, horror, or torture  
    • First-person shooter video games  
    • Warfare or war vehicles in any modern or present-day situation, or national war memorials  
    • Large or human-scale weapons or weapon replicas of any kind, including swords, knives, guns, sci-fi or fantasy blasters, etc.  
    • Racism, bullying, or cruelty to real life animals  

Entry Quality Standards

  • You may submit digital entries using LEGO Digital Designer, which is available for download via this link free of charge. Any entries made in LEGO Digital Designer should not show the baseplate from build mode. You may also create digital entries using third-party LEGO CAD software.
  • You may also submit digital art entries and/or Toy Photography.
  • You may use photo editing software, such as Photoshop, to enhance your entry’s presentation.
  • Entries containing photos that are too dark or blurry will not be approved. To ensure easy judging of your entry, we recommend taking pictures on a neutral background free from background clutter, with your model well framed.
  • The winner must be able to deliver a high-quality open file. If the winner is unable to provide the needed version the winner could be disqualified
  • Please do not include people or limbs in pictures you submit. Photos containing such will be removed.
  • Please do not overlay any text or logos onto your submitted images.

House Rules

  • Entries containing defamatory or degrading elements will not be eligible for the contest.
  • Any cheating or harassment of other participants will result in disqualification from the contest.
  • Your contest entries and comments on contest entries must follow the complete LEGO Ideas House Rules.

Judging

A panel of judges consisting of members of Chronicle Books and LEGO Publishing will choose 10  entries from each category (40 in total), which will go onto a fan vote, based on:

  • Overall originality (does the concept feel new, unique, clever?): 25%
  • ​Overall LEGO creativity (best use of element shapes, colors, bricks, and minifigures): 25%
  • Relevance to end use (will it make for a good puzzle experience?): 25%
  • Quality of design (is the art crisp, clear, well-composed, and usable with minimal changes?): 25%

The 10 entries from each category (40 in total) will then be put forward to a fan vote, in which LEGO Ideas members can vote for their favorite entry. Members will have one vote, and one vote only. The vote will be open from August 12th, 2021 until August 24th, 2021. Based on the community votes, there will be one winner in each of the four categories.

The Fine Print

  • You must be at least 13 years of age to participate and enter.  
  • No purchase necessary to enter and win a prize. Many will enter, few will win a prize.
  • You may submit multiple entries to the contest, but only one entry per person will be considered when winners are selected. This means you cannot win as a semi-finalist and as the grand prize winner with two different entries.   
  • Winners will be contacted on the email address associated with their LEGO ID account after August 24th, 2021. Winners will be announced on LEGO Ideas when all winners have returned the signed Winner’s Certification Documents. A winner who does not return their Winner’s Certification Document within one week (5 days) of receiving it will be disqualified, and a new winner will be selected.   
  • This contest is not open to residents of Iran, North Korea, Myanmar/Burma, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Syria, any other U.S. sanctioned country and where prohibited or restricted by law.    
  • By entering the contest, you agree to follow the rules on this Contest Brief page and you agree to the LEGO Ideas Terms of Service.    
  • This contest is offered, organized and run solely by the LEGO Group. Participants should direct all queries and matters relating to the contest to LEGO Ideas.

Prizes:

If there is a Puzzle Design Review winner, they will receive credit on the puzzle, 1% of net sales of the product (an “author” royalty) and 10 copies of the finished puzzle.

Four Winners (one per category) from the fan vote will each receive:

  • Goodies from LEGO Publishing and Chronicle Books
  • All of the below LEGO Ideas sets
    • 21322 LEGO Ideas Pirates of Barracuda Bay
    • 21324 LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street
    • 21325 LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith
    • 21326 LEGO Ideas Winnie The Pooh

 

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information, see the Contest FAQ.