LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Vote, View and participate in our LEGO Contests to win awesome LEGO prizes.
SugarConroy
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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by SugarConroy » Sun Sep 25, 2011 9:50 pm

Christmas Contest idea --- create your own Advent Calendar.

For those of us who have grumbled about some of TLG's previous offerings, this would be a chance to make the perfect Advent Calendar.

Contestants can have a bit of flexibility in either creating an Advent Calendar "Theme" (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates, Space, etc.), roll their own classic 'City' version or come up with a completely new Theme.

Advent Calendar would include a certain number of Figs, mini scenes, accessories and micro builds - which would add up to 24 days. You could have restrictions on piece count (ex: 180-300), number of figs to scenes to micro build ratios, or just leave it open.

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My other idea would be to create 6-10 foot heavily armed and armored LEGO Snowmen and have each entry take part in Gladiatorial combat. Winner take all. I know nothing screams Christmas like dueling Frosty's --- but that may be a little too sentimental, even for the Holidays.


-S. Conroy

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by silvashado » Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:59 pm

I love the idea of a build your own Advent Calendar. Eurobricks just did the Expand the Winter Village so I'd prefer not to do that. I didn't enter, but my husband did so it'd be nice to do something different. I also like the idea of vignettes of special memories/moments. I love to do vignettes to tell a story. The other thing I like about vignettes is that it levels the playing field a bit for those who don't have a lot of pieces.

As for the raffle versus voting issues, it is a building contest so there should be a voting system. Yes, it's pretty much a popularity contest, but really, what isn't? However, some of my favorite contests have had small raffle prizes (little polybags) for a few of those who enter. Also, if you want to encourage people to give constructive feedback, you can also have raffle prizes for those who give the best feedback. That gives people a chance to win something through means other than building.

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Customizing Contest?

Post by Aragorn » Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:36 am

Can someone start a customizing contest? If anyone is interested please post here.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by dho7622u » Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:52 pm

I had an idea for a contest after I opened a second set of something i already had.

What about an alternative build contest. A set gets rebuilt trying to use as many parts as possible. Points could be given for looking unique, using most parts, etc.

Something to think about.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by Morgan19 » Wed Nov 14, 2012 8:51 pm

dho7622u wrote:What about an alternative build contest. A set gets rebuilt trying to use as many parts as possible. Points could be given for looking unique, using most parts, etc.
Yes!

FBTB's had a couple of those over the years, but it's been a while since the last one... I really enjoy that "sealed deck"-type of contest because of the (more or less) level playing field: it's not about how many parts you have, but what you can do within a limited palette.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by vynsane » Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:53 pm

The only problem with an alt-build contest is that you have to have the set in-hand. If you don't, you have to go out and buy the set in order to enter. Although, as an avid LDD builder, my mind immediately goes to allowing digital creations, with a file of all the pieces included in the set to start from. That would even it out.
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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by condor » Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:06 pm

Just a thought, and I hope I'm not angering anybody, but can you guys make the contests only available to members who have joined at least three months ago? Most of the entries for the current contest are from people that joined in March and have less than 5 posts. It seems that people come out of the woodwork to enter these contests and then are never heard from again.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by The-Daryl » Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:48 pm

condor wrote:Just a thought, and I hope I'm not angering anybody, but can you guys make the contests only available to members who have joined at least three months ago? Most of the entries for the current contest are from people that joined in March and have less than 5 posts. It seems that people come out of the woodwork to enter these contests and then are never heard from again.
Aside from the obvious potential to annoy people with the sentiment, I agree.

Heck, personally, I am not a huge fan of people that might even be older members, but every single post they have ever made is something to do with contests- I think we can all agree we enjoy contests, but speaking for myself, I'm not just here for free stuff, I try to contribute when I spot a sale, thank folks that turn me on to one, have conversations, answer questions when I can, ask questions when I must, etc.

But, that's from a community member's standpoint. Not someone who runs a site. I have no idea how much the extra traffic might equal revenue from advertisers, for instance. And even if it doesn't make them an extra red cent, the rules are, in the end, determined by the people that put in the time and resources to allow the rest of us to have this place to share our hobby.

Since winners are determined by votes, it's the community that decides who wins. And who knows - the guy who finds a contest in a search engine and only posts once (so far) might become the next "upstanding" member of the community. :up:

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by jimmythunder » Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:36 am

Speaking from experience, the contests are a good way to introduce new people to the forum and the community here. It may just take a competition to draw someone beyond the front page of this website.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by vynsane » Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:37 am

^ That's a good point, jimmythunder.

Additionally, I have to say, as a relative newbie to the hobby, I found the 'community' at large very closed off and antagonistic to noobs, to the point where I almost decided not to participate in any of the various forums out there. I happened upon TnB which I think was just coming out of its infancy at that point and it was a breath of fresh air since it was very inviting and welcoming. I wouldn't want that to change, frankly, and imposing a 'member freshness' threshold date on contests would definitely adversely affect the perception of accessibility of the forum. There are enough rule and restrictions at other forums (as well as in our real lives). Our enjoyment of this (or any other) hobby shouldn't be laden down with so many rules and regulations.

I would, though, encourage any members who joined recently in order to enter the contest to stick around and join in on the discussions!
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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by dho7622u » Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:54 am

vynsane wrote:^ That's a good point, jimmythunder.

Additionally, I have to say, as a relative newbie to the hobby, I found the 'community' at large very closed off and antagonistic to noobs, to the point where I almost decided not to participate in any of the various forums out there. I happened upon TnB which I think was just coming out of its infancy at that point and it was a breath of fresh air since it was very inviting and welcoming. I wouldn't want that to change, frankly, and imposing a 'member freshness' threshold date on contests would definitely adversely affect the perception of accessibility of the forum. There are enough rule and restrictions at other forums (as well as in our real lives). Our enjoyment of this (or any other) hobby shouldn't be laden down with so many rules and regulations.

I would, though, encourage any members who joined recently in order to enter the contest to stick around and join in on the discussions!
I agree. T'n'B was the only place that felt welcoming to me. I think keeping that vibe going makes it very different than the others.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by aemil » Mon Mar 25, 2013 3:18 pm

condor wrote:Just a thought, and I hope I'm not angering anybody, but can you guys make the contests only available to members who have joined at least three months ago? Most of the entries for the current contest are from people that joined in March and have less than 5 posts. It seems that people come out of the woodwork to enter these contests and then are never heard from again.
Well, don't know if I should agree or disagree with you condor.. Got your point and seems fair. However, from my point of view, I have to say that contest is a great way of attracting people and even make the forums known to others. I for example, learned about this great community, who already makes me feel so welcome, from flickr as I was browsing and saw a picture from someone who entered the contest.

I had a big gab with legos, even though as a child I used to play a lot, I somehow stopped as I was growing up (my small bro magically destroyed everything as well hehe) and found that passion again about 2 years ago. Since then, I started mocing just a few months ago. Why am I saying this.. I'm saying these cause I found the subject of the contest so intriguing that I had to built something, mostly for me and for the fun of finding solutions. I mean, as I am not an expert builder, I like to have a subject to begin with. It's not that my imagination is limited :P, it's just fun to have a theme, especially with some restrictions. And ok, the contest has great gifts, but that's not the only reason I submitted my entry. I also want to see what other people will build, what ideas they'll come up with, and voting is a great way to see how good you are doing! :-D

Hope I wasn't boring :-)

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by Yatkuu » Fri Mar 29, 2013 1:56 am

condor wrote:Just a thought, and I hope I'm not angering anybody, but can you guys make the contests only available to members who have joined at least three months ago? Most of the entries for the current contest are from people that joined in March and have less than 5 posts. It seems that people come out of the woodwork to enter these contests and then are never heard from again.
I’d like to give my two cents on this – given that I do find myself somehow included in your considerations.

If the owner of this website chooses to organize a contest with a clever theme, democratic rules (piece count limit) and very appealing prizes, I find only natural that this is going to draw some attention and attract people to join the forum and enter the contest. The larger the prizes, the better your chances are to draw some talented builders out too, which in turn is something that will bring more exposure to the site – that’s what I call a win-win.
What is not clear to me is the reason you would want to complain about this? If you fear that seeing a flow of contest entries from new members is going to reduce the chances of "senior" members to actually win that's only fair game and people just need to step-up their games - that's what contests are for.

Suggesting that only senior members of the forum should be allowed to enter would be a terrible idea IMO. People are falling back into LEGO all the time, and some are dropping off too.. if you don’t want this forum to die on its own you have to open up to new members and give them the opportunity to get involved – again, incentives are great for that.
I discovered this site thanks to a contest (the mini modular one), I am very well aware that I am not an active member of the forum but I ever since I found out about the site I keep coming back to check the blog page on a regular basis – I’m afraid I just I don’t have the time to get involved more in the forum section and I don't think I should have to justify myself for that.

Of course, it goes without saying that everyone should respect a certain level of “forum etiquette”, starting by introducing themselves – which I hope is something everybody who entered the contest did! Also, if I take part in a contest here I will make that clear in my picture descriptions, aemil stands as proof that this is also a way to advertise the site and spread the word further – all in the benefit of the site.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by jsalwen » Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:15 am

I know I'm new around here, but I just wanted to throw in a suggestion.

I think it's cool that you guys have contests with some impressive prizes, but I think it might be cool to have build challenges for fun. It doesn't always have to have a prize, just a way for community members to have fun building something with a general topic.

A topic per month or two, which can be run in addition to whatever contests you guys are doing.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by SEK527 » Thu Oct 16, 2014 7:15 am

jsalwen wrote:I know I'm new around here, but I just wanted to throw in a suggestion.

I think it's cool that you guys have contests with some impressive prizes, but I think it might be cool to have build challenges for fun. It doesn't always have to have a prize, just a way for community members to have fun building something with a general topic.

A topic per month or two, which can be run in addition to whatever contests you guys are doing.
I love the idea! I'd enter prizeless fun contests!

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by vynsane » Thu Oct 16, 2014 7:34 am

^^ That's not a bad idea, thanks for bringing it up!

I don't know if we can facilitate more than one a month, or even 12 in a year, but it might be possible to have one every other month or so, in between our major contests (which are usually one per quarter).

Over at Eurobricks they also do a LEGO Digital Designer relay build, where one person builds something in LDD and then hands the file off to someone else who then adds to it, and so on. I've always thought that was a cool activity. I don't know if there are enough LDD users here to make it worthwhile, but maybe it's something to think about, too.
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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by zmw92 » Thu Oct 16, 2014 3:49 pm

After reading some of the recent posts in this thread, I was hoping to chime in. First, this SuperHeroes contest was my first that I entered in. Ive been a member for 10 months & only been getting back into Lego not much longer than that. I loved Lego as a kid, had 2 huge bins. Then I didnt for probably 15 years(Dark Ages I believe you call it). Im about to be 22 now & I started back up when I bought my first $19.99 set a little over a year ago. Astounded at the price/brick ratio I immidiately searched online for methods of Lego sale shopping, deals, what to look for & when. Lego DC SuperHeroes is my JAM. I like Castle, Creator... etc as well. Thats when I found ToysnBricks. The Holy Grail, or at least to me anyways. I found sales for threads for Amazon, big box stores, ymmv stories from Lego sales hunters on the East coast. People just like me. I found the latest news on Licensed sets, info on what sets are collectible, Iearned what the Ideas program is.. building techniques, storage & organization. Im very meticulous about my pieces and dont normally take sets apart for MOCing. Absolutely 0 MOCs for over a year, until this contest came & struck a chord. It opened up that world for me again & I just want to say thank you. If new people come because of these contests, Id chalk it up as a win. This Lego community has become a part of my daily routine. I try to post as much as I can & be helpful. I know theres other Lego forums but I choose ToysnBricks because of all the awesome devotion I know it takes to run a site like this. I only have 27 posts but I read a good portion of the forums daily. My rambling has led to this: if a new comer discovers this community for any reason, contest included, I think its awesome.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by scotth510 » Sun Oct 19, 2014 8:21 pm

I am really enjoying this topic. I wanted to say that I love the idea of monthly theme builds. As you can see I don't post too often but I have learned a ton from everyone. So much inspiration here. Looking forward to see where this thread goes.

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by davedude » Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:05 pm

Will there be a marvel lego contest for the upcoming avengers movie!?!?! That would be sweet to see!!

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Re: LEGO Contest Discussion Topic

Post by Ice » Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:46 pm

davedude wrote:Will there be a marvel lego contest for the upcoming avengers movie!?!?! That would be sweet to see!!
Yup! We're working on a Super Heroes contest and we'll have awesome prizes as usual. (:

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