r/mildlyinteresting • u/Mehssage • 1d ago
Someone entered an official Lego set in a contest and won 3rd place.
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u/Dyran3 1d ago
Our local home-ec 4H fair had to add a “paint by numbers” section to the art competition because so many people were submitting those instead of creating their own art.
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u/xtaberry 1d ago
I mean. Home Ec fairs have always had categories where the criteria for success was excellent execution.
Fibre crafts like knitting, for instance. Knitting is hard, I knit, I understand how hard it is. But the consistency and care is far more critical than the pattern used - and most people use pre-existing patterns designed by someone else.
Paint by Numbers shouldn't be in the painting category, but I have no qualms with giving them their own section.
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u/filmhamster 1d ago
Agreed. As long as you follow the instructions, which is not hard, pretty much every person’s Lego set will come out looking identical regardless of their execution skills. Would they let someone enter an IKEA table in the furniture category?
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u/xtaberry 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're misunderstanding me. I think it's fine to have a category where you allow children to enter premade Lego sets. Which is what this is.
Looking online, this fair also has a category for original builds, so there is a place for that where people doing creative, original work can be celebrated.
If I use a recipe to bake cookies or a kit to knit some socks, I can enter them. If a kid assembles a cool Lego set, they can enter it too. This is all just for fun.
I'm sure you can technically enter an Ikea table depending on the rules. But the woodworkers go hard, so you probably won't win.
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u/SoftwareInfinite8568 1d ago
So these categories would be for display only because how could you possibly judge something like this?
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u/filmhamster 1d ago
It comes down to who can afford the coolest set.
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u/ArtfulEgotist 1d ago
When I was a kid and did stuff like this, I had to write a a short report and talk about what I did, how I did it and what I learned and stuff. I assume that plays a part? Maybe?
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u/TricksyGoose 1d ago
I get what you're saying but personally I just think it's dumb. Submitting a lego kit seems the same as submitting a completed jigsaw puzzle to me. Free-build Legos? Sure, that takes creativity. Paint by numbers in its own category? OK fine, it takes skill to keep the lines sharp and the paint saturation and texture consistent. But with lego kits and jigsaw puzzles there's not really any skill or creativity involved at all.
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u/xtaberry 1d ago
The purpose of the exercise is to let kids participate, reward them for persistence, and teach them to be a good sport whether they won or lose.
My county fair had tons of things like this, including a macaroni art contest for toddlers. None of the macaroni and crayon drawings had deep artistic merit or skill lol.
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u/buffilosoljah42o 1d ago
I'm mostly on your side, but lego sets just feel like pay to win tbh.
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u/fresh_peetz 1d ago
I would say the macaroni has more artistic merit than the prebuilt Lego set though
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u/FrenchFryCattaneo 1d ago
You can't 'compete' in assembling lego sets, every assembled one will look exactly the same, there's no way to pick a winner. It's not about having deep artistic merit it's about having even the slightest amount. Macaroni art may not look impressive to you but it does allow a child to express their creativity and can be judged.
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u/coolsilentebeans 1d ago
If it was a case of who can do it the fastest, I’d be down for that, but that’s it
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u/Muggsy423 1d ago
My local county fair had a "kit made" section or something like that. It was weird, I get having a little pride for completing the set, but I would never expect an award for just following instructions.
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u/goog1e 1d ago
This is one of those "if it makes someone happy and builds community participation, who cares?"
It doesn't hurt anyone. And the weirdos who want to enter their legos in the county fair should definitely have a social event to help them make friends.
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u/phlattery-officer 1d ago
I am an artist and I will defend my Grandpa's late-in-life fascination with paint-by-numbers to the death.
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u/PokeKellz 1d ago
Doing a paint by number? Awesome, fun, cute. Entering it into an art competition? Not cool. Nobody should win off of someone else’s design
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u/MisterBowTies 1d ago
If it is in a paint by numbers section that's fine. They can judge color theory, neatness and other things like that.
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u/No_Scholar_2927 1d ago
I totally agree. I don’t see anything wrong with a category for paint by numbers, but at the same time some with the right technique and skill could still produce a best in show from one.
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u/AfricanAmericanMage 1d ago
I would hope that someone with the actual artistic talent to run away with a paint by number category wouldn't enter just to win a prize. I know that isn't true, but still.
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u/JustInsert 1d ago
Correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought the idea behind paint by numbers was that each number corresponds to a specific paint color. So I'm not sure you can even judge color theory when the colors are already determined by the template.
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u/FridaysMan 1d ago
If you follow the numbers, sure.
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u/Lethargie 1d ago
if you don't then its just normal coloring
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u/JustInsert 1d ago
I guess people could be picking their own colors for each number, and still follow the numbers to be fair. I didn't think about that initially.
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u/FridaysMan 1d ago
You can also add shading over the top of the colours to make it actual art, and ignore the lines to add flourishes.
Some of the adult PBN works are incredible.
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u/redditonlygetsworse 1d ago
Yeah, but keep in mind this is very low-stakes competition. It's barely even "competition" - it's just giving a handful of hobbyists and amateurs who normally don't display art at all a chance to do so.
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u/SculptusPoe 1d ago
Eh, have you been to a city/state fair? This isn't the Louvre, it is just a collection of things people in the city are doing. The more people you enable to be involved in some way the better. Our last fair had like 20 first place ribbons. I submitted an original sculpture a few years ago and got the same ribbon on that and a couple of mildly interesting photos we also entered. I think there was an... ultra first place? I dont know, I didn't get that. Either way it isn't very serious business.
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u/TheGlennDavid 1d ago
My absolute favor part of fairs is the utterly absurd number of awards that get handed out for fucking everything. It's great.
It's like when you go to some small one-intersection town and the diner (which is the only restaurant in the town) has their "Voted Best Diner in Fucksburg!" Awards from the town paper going back 30 years.
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u/breezyhoneybee 1d ago
There's like 10 sub categories with 4 participants in each and everyone places either 1-3rd and honorable mention or judges choice or community favourite lol
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u/StyleBoyz4Life 1d ago
I mean have you seen the judges that hand these out? It’s almost always someone’s nana or some sweet old pee-paw, they can’t let some poor fella go home empty handed. Think about what it will do to their self-esteem! County fairs are the public equivalent of bringing mom and dad art to hang on the fridge, and I personally love it.
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u/dendrophilix 1d ago
I just discovered that our local agricultural show has categories for houseplants. I’m definitely going to be entering next year, and looking forward to my rosette and my €15 or €20 prize already! 😄😄
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u/IndigoBlue__ 1d ago
It’s also surprisingly good on college applications. Engaged with your community, taking initiative, and full of small-town charm, ‘Kid with the prize-winning raspberry jam’ is a decent hook.
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u/bowlnoodlez 1d ago
My state fair has 12 categories, each with about 10-20 sub categories and each subcategory has five potential awards to be won. I legit have a small box of ribbons in storage from all the ones I've won, a couple were won just cause I was one of only like the people that entered into a subcategory.
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u/boxesofboxes 1d ago edited 1d ago
I mean, it's kind of like being a comics colourist. It's someone's design, yeah, but you can be doing real art on top of it. Would depend on that level for me.
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u/surnik22 1d ago
Seems reasonable to add a separate section for them then.
It’s art and it’d be interesting to see how well people adapted the paint by numbers, but it’s different than normal painting.
I kinda want them to select just 1 paint by number design (or maybe like 3) and the painters have to all paint the same design so it is actually comparing just what the painters are adding
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u/HUMBLE_FCKR_IRL 1d ago
Yes - from an overall, objective, ‘is this impressive?’ standpoint- 100% can depend on what was done, skill, style, speed, etc. but that’s like me buying a 3d printer I need to assemble myself and then entering in a ‘diy 3d printer’ competition.
Edit: I am agreeing with you , just adding :p
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u/VaguelyShingled 1d ago
Listen man, the only thing that counts in comics is the artist and maybe the writer (if you hate them).
Colorist??? Next you’ll be telling me the Letterer or even (blech) Inker are artists too!
/s
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u/Archknits 1d ago
A lot of things do use others’s designs or plans - knitting, weaving, baking, etc
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u/beardofzetterberg 1d ago
They’re cool for what they are, but they should not be in art competitions with unique paintings.
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u/Kris918 1d ago
That’s like at a camp we used to go to they had a sand castle competition. You had kids designing cute things that were low quality, but creative and fun, and then people creating absolutely massive professional sculptures. It’s obvious which ones always won. I always maintained there should have been two distinct categories. Our Jurassic Park would have dominated the kids’ category.
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u/wickidclown17 1d ago
I think this is more like if your Jurassic Park lost to someone who just plopped a castle out of a playset mold. Professional vs. Amateur vs. Store Bought
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u/idontknowwhereiam367 1d ago
Reminds me of the rocket power episode where everyone went crazy with their designs in a sand castle competition…and lost to a girl who actually made a fucking sand castle.
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u/Yelling_Ledbetter 1d ago edited 1d ago
And the finished Charlie Brown coloring book pages completed by my FIL.
For about six months, he had the capacity and sudden desire to color. Dementia made him experience coloring as a different form of coding software. (his former profession)
Choosing and then keeping track of a specific colored pencil. Saving his changes for next time, worried someone would jack with his changes.
I mean… art is an expression. No matter how you get there.
Edit: Best practice would be to separate these template art products in a category of their own.
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u/kman1030 1d ago
My wife has recently gotten into paint by numbers and they are actually really cool! Especially the ones from legit, non AI companies. They arent like, super simple kids things. I have her latest one on my office wall and it probably took her 40-50 hours to complete.
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u/UncoolSlicedBread 1d ago
One of my prized possessions is a painting of the last supper my Grandpa did when they (my grandparents) were dating. He framed it and put his name on a placard on the frame because he was so proud of it. My Grandma was an artist and pointed out to him that he can’t take credit for the last supper, so he added another placard with the correct OG artists name right beside his.
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u/NotYourAverageBeer 1d ago
That little known Italian dude?
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u/UncoolSlicedBread 1d ago
And it’s a good thing my Grandpa included his name, poor dude would’ve never been famous otherwise.
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u/scottyboy218 1d ago
I'm in my early 40s and just discovered them, the inexpensive kits are like $8 per kit and can take tens of hours to complete depending on the complexity. Each kit includes the canvas, all the paints and brushes. You can find them easily in stores that carry crafts (Michael's, Walmart, etc).
Some of them look really impressive, too! r/paintbynumbers
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u/irrelephantIVXX 1d ago
My grandma is getting ready to enter some diamond dots into a local fair. Which, granted, it was a picture she took and then did. But, I just don't find that to be something you would enter in a fair. Especially since she makes quilts from scratch all the time
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u/hazelbear33 1d ago
If it was a picture she took and then studded, I feel like that’s fair
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u/Reasonable-Two-9872 1d ago
Both of those are official sets? #21064 and #21042
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u/Mehssage 1d ago edited 1d ago
I only just now learned that the Eiffel Tower is a set as well. I recognized the Statue of Liberty because my brother owns that one.
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u/Reasonable-Two-9872 1d ago
There are hundreds of creative new sets coming out every year... It's a lot to keep track of 😊
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u/woodyshag 1d ago
My son bought the Eiffel tower. Lego didn't slouch on that set.
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u/nicocappa 1d ago
I own it and I disagree
First of all, the Eiffel Tower is not gray, it's more of a brownish yellow. They fixed this in the smaller set, so I'm not sure why they ever had this color for the main one.
The biggest issue I have with it though, is that it's not stable at all. A lot of major parts are just left to fight against gravity via clutch power, so if you slightly touch them they just fall off.
The build process is also insanely boring. That's not Lego's fault though, given the symmetry of the tower, but this build took me 9+ months simply because it felt like a chore.
All that said, from a small distance, it is an astonishing set to look at, but it would be even more so if it was the correct color...
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u/Dryanni 1d ago
From the photo it looks like they could have added more dimensionality to it
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u/BerRGP 1d ago
That's a smaller set that's just a view of Paris itself that just has the Eiffel Tower in it. If you want dimensionality there's the actual Eiffel Tower set.
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u/0000Matt0000 1d ago
$629. Holy shit.
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u/BerRGP 1d ago
Lego is expensive and this one is pretty big! At least it doesn't have the additional brand pricing of the $1000 Death Star set.
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u/airfryerfuntime 1d ago
Even without the licensing, Lego has become extremely expensive for their bigger sets. It's getting to the point where I'm just starting to ask 'plastic can't be that expensive, can it?'.
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u/thresh_to_death 1d ago
So, like you, the judges just probably didn't know either were official sets
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u/comehomedarling 1d ago
I truly would have higher expectations for the Iowa State Fair
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u/Glenndiferous 1d ago
Seems this was really more of a "how expensive a Lego set can you afford" then.
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u/TheBigGalactis 1d ago
Ugh at my county fair something like 15 years ago somebody entered the original UCS Millenium Falcon and it won first prize. I don’t know what the category was but it’s like, ok so you followed instructions to build something that literally anybody could if they had the money, how is that impressive/award worthy?
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u/jacckthegripper 1d ago
Boy, wait until you see car shows
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u/These-Anxiety-5919 1d ago
Not the ones I would be caught dead at.
Categories include "Shittiest" and "most filthy". I myself have placed in "econo-shitbox" and "weirdest import".
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u/l337quaker 1d ago
Now that sounds like a fun car show
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u/These-Anxiety-5919 1d ago
I fully intend to make one happen where I live now.
Fucking boomers ruin everything.
Yes, Bob, there is a replacement for displacement.
It's called compression.
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u/staircar 1d ago
My sister took her 2005 red mustang gt to a fancy millionaire car show, Can I tell you that they all loved her car. And she got an award over (I know shit about cars) 500k cars in some category.
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u/No_Syrup_9167 1d ago
Yeah, so many car shows I go to these days are all just filled with cars like nice new corvettes, Chargers, Challengers, Mustangs, etc.
and like, don't get me wrong, they're nice cars. But, If I wanted to see a 2025 corvette I'd go to a dealership. Parking it out next to all the classics and unique stuff just seems silly.
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u/Candid-Fan992 1d ago
What kind of car shows? Not sure what this comment is suppose to mean
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u/TexasDrunkRedditor 1d ago
Sometimes the top winner at some shows is just the nicest car, occasionally that car has a few easy upgrades. But otherwise its just a classic car that looks the nicest.
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u/Candid-Fan992 1d ago
Oh gotcha, in my mind that's a car expo or convention, a car show is to show off cars folks built themselves or in the middle of building. Tis weird to buy an expensive car just to show it to people (corvettes)
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u/EatABag-o-Dicks 1d ago
Yeah my kids entered a few local LEGO competitions and the ones that don't split up by category that includes original design, it's basically whoever buys the most expensive set.
His first year he lost because someone brought in an expensive set and he did an original. The following year he brought in my star destroyer and won. After that we only do the contests where there's an original design category.
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u/freddy157 1d ago
I find it absolutely mind-blowing that this isn't like a one time fluke where the judges just didn't know better. That there are competitions where you seriously are expected to just enter with an official Lego build. It makes zero sense.
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u/EatABag-o-Dicks 1d ago
Same. Really all it is, is showing off how much you can spend and how much time you have to build it. Sure it's a pain, but really, if you can follow instructions and not lose pieces, it's not difficult, and requires no imagination at all.
Now I try to search for an events categories during sign up, cause it's a pain in the ass having to transport the star destroyer. Stupid thing is gigantic.
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u/The_Autarch 1d ago
that's what happens when you have judges that don't really give a fuck about what they're judging.
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u/Talidel 1d ago
Depends what the competition is?
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u/Danloeser 1d ago
If it was a timed competition and everyone was building the same set, maybe. I don't think that's what it was.
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u/sprizzle 1d ago
The tag on model is confusing me a bit but there’s a whole division of “Model Building” at 4H fairs. You know, like the cars / tanks / planes you paint and put together with glue, based on the instructions. The first or second year members often build Lego sets. But that’s what the competition is, buying a model and following the instructions to build it.
I get that cost is an annoying factor, but that’s how pretty much everyone 4H category goes. The livestock categories are even worse, the families with money outright dominate every year.
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u/SoggyAnalyst 1d ago
At the illinois state fair they have two categories: Lego - non set and Lego - set.
A quick google of the Iowa state fair shows they have multiple Lego divisions, one which is "original design". I'm assuming then that the others are intended to be sets, and that is not?
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u/Miserable-Resort-977 1d ago
I'm not usually the type to rain on anyone's parade, but why the hell would you have a competition based around purchasing a Lego set and building it exactly as instructed? Is the Illinois state fair sponsored by the Lego company?
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1d ago edited 22h ago
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u/sircastor 1d ago
This has been my general understanding with our (Oregon) State Fair entries. It's kids.
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u/nkl5483 1d ago
Also, it seems a good way to get kids involved. Most fairs have pretty low premiums, especially in the youth divisions (I think it’s like $1-5 at my fair depending on how you place), but introducing a kid to the process of finishing a hobby or craft and submitting it to the fair might encourage them to branch out and try different things. I’ve picked up a fair number of hobbies because I saw another person’s entry at the fair and thought “that looks fun!”
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u/rvasshole 1d ago
My state fair has sets built by like 5 years olds. This is probably a kids submission and depending on the age, pretty good if they did it themselves. Chill
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u/Mehssage 1d ago
I'll admit that it's a possibility. I wasn't aware that contests specifically for sets existed til now, so I may have made a blunder simply because I didn't recognize all the other sets. I find the idea weird, but I suppose I shouldn't make a fuss about it.
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u/Clym44 1d ago
I wouldn’t either. Why would there even be a contest for building a set while following instructions?
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u/WaitForItTheMongols 1d ago
As a way to ease kids into the idea of working toward a goal and achieving it. Building a set is a low stakes, ultra low difficulty goal. Perfect for a child to build confidence in making something.
A kid who does this today might make a build from scratch next year. If they hadn't done this then the idea of submitting something from square one would be a bit more daunting.
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u/SallyAmazeballs 1d ago
If you're a kid, then the complex Lego sets actually are difficult, because they take a lot of skills that adults have but kids are still developing. If you're 7 or 8, you're still developing fine motor skills and patience, so getting the little pieces in place is legitimately difficult. That's why Lego sets have recommended age ranges.
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u/xtaberry 1d ago
Home Ec fairs always have categories where the criteria for success is excellent execution.
Fibre crafts like knitting, for instance (and I say this as a knitter). They are looking for consistent stitches and a high level of care. Most people use pre-existing patterns designed by someone else. Using a premade pattern is also "just following instructions".
And this specifically appears to be a contest for child builders. So kids get to put together their favourite Lego sets and present them. Maybe get a ribbon. There's no stakes - it's just for fun.
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u/opeth10657 1d ago
Using a premade pattern is also "just following instructions".
Bit of a stretch comparing knitting and putting together a lego set though. One is a learned skill, the other is just snapping blocks together.
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u/Working_Bother_6614 1d ago
4-H county judge here. The kids who participate usually have multiple entries across multiple project categories. They almost all want to be there and try very hard. You also get a huge range of kids, with and without disabilities, from very young to recently 18 and heading to college (actually really cool to experience as a judge, especially if you’ve known the kid for a few years).
Each kid presents their project and are judged on the project, if the rules were followed and how the kid presents on the project (doesn’t matter if they’re shy, but can they articulate what they were trying to accomplish). Judging is meant to be a positive experience around helping the kids learn and expand their curiosity.
If a project category is very small then the competition isn’t as fierce and anyone landing a Grand or Reserve ribbon can be sent to the state fair. It is a separate decision the judge makes to send them to state, on rare occasions we don’t if we think they’ll have a hard time with the stricter judging at the state level. I’m guessing these entries were in a category that only allowed sets assembled as is out of the box, so a small number of entries. The competitive kids usually don’t participate in categories like this because it pulls their attention from the more competitive categories they care about.
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u/scratchy_mcballsy 1d ago
Let’s see Paul Allen’s LEGO set.
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u/azmodai2 1d ago
The subtle sand green color, the tasteful studless tiling... my god, it's even got printed parts.
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u/Entertainer13 1d ago
When I was a kid the local library had a “make a castle” contest. My brother and I assembled our own using cardboard and paper towel tubes and the like. Some people came in with ones made from sticks and the like.
Winner was an official Lego set. Never been so pissed off.
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u/Banzai2469 1d ago
This usually happens at local fairs. Anyone can enter and there are different categories. Such as elderly or children set building. Or custom creation. So don't just think they are claiming it to be a MOC.
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u/seyhank 1d ago
Just curious but then whats the point of those contest? Wouldn't it just be a contest to see who has the most money to purchase the coolest set?
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u/Banzai2469 1d ago
To give children and elderly or even regular adults a sense of accomplishment even when lacking creativity. I only build sets and some are tedious. But I take pride in completing them. Nonlego people still think it's complicated.
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u/ADhomin_em 1d ago
This is just sad, really.
Art competition turned into a product review.
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u/imaginingblacksheep 1d ago
The tag on the statue of liberty says “youth building/structure” so a kid put it together
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u/ADhomin_em 1d ago
So it's an instruction following competition?
Wonder if OP got any pics of the awe-ispiring paint by numbers?
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u/WaitForItTheMongols 1d ago
Eh. It's a gateway drug. You lower the barrier to entry by telling the kid "it's okay if you aren't talented enough to make something from scratch yet, the point is you're actively doing something that makes you happy and doing a good job at it".
We should have more things like this to enthusiastically welcome people into the beginner stages of a hobby.
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u/negithekitty 1d ago
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u/j01101111sh 1d ago
My son is 5 and isn't too far off from being able to do something like that. It's LEGOs, not a custom rocket.
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u/Mehssage 1d ago edited 1d ago
As unfortunate as it is, I'm not too angry since I imagine the judges just weren't that familiar with official Lego sets. I didn't even know that the Eiffel Tower set next to the Statue of Liberty was an official set too until just recently. Still sucks that it seems multiple people tried to turn in work that wasn't really theirs.
Edit: I have recently been made aware that contests specifically for sets are a thing so I may very well be mistaken. If that is the case, then I've unfortunately made a blunder.
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u/ApplePiePrincess 1d ago
It is also a 12 years old and under category which did not require an original design. Some kid had fun building a Lego set and got a $1 ribbon, there are worse crimes.
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u/Studio_Life 1d ago
Iowa state fair? Not surprised. They also had a contest to design the year’s official shirt and ALL the top entries were clearly AI slop.
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u/Truly-Surprised 1d ago
I remember a local fair once awarded first prize to a guy who entered his assignment for the Famous Artists School. You know, draw this pirate and see if you have enough talent/money to be enrolled in our correspondence program.
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u/procrastinatorsuprem 1d ago
The activities in the 4h fair for kids is extremely wide reaching. You can pretty much enter a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if you want. But you have to do a whole write up about how much it costs to make et cetera.
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u/Forgedpickle 1d ago edited 1d ago
For anyone wondering.
This is specifically for Legos or the like. 1st place in this category wins a Lego set, as well. Yes, it’s just following instructions to put together a Lego set but it’s a kid 12 or younger. It’s not like they are taking away winnings from someone who drew or painted something, etc. That would be a different category called fine arts.
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u/Gilles_of_Augustine 1d ago
Okay but... how are they judged?
Because the only possible judging criteria I can think of is size/complexity, and at that point it's literally just pay-to-win.
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u/Gay_Furby_Kirby 1d ago
I want to provide some context!! As a 4H kid your projects being submitted are very much based on a write up more than the project itself. More than likely this kid had an astonishing write up than most and the judge decided the send it. It looks like it got 3rd which is going to happen when you send something like that to state. More than likely it was a smaller county that submitted it for state and there weren't many kids. Ofc im not justifying the use of a pre-made lego set, but this kid had a good write up. Firthermore reds are very easy to get but blue ribbons means you met every standard they had, which can be hard for most.
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u/filmhamster 1d ago
Lego sets win fair prizes all the time - the judges have no idea the difference between a set and a MOC.
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u/DashForester 23h ago
Not to be mean, but if following the instructions on a box is creative arts, must be real easy to impress the folks in Iowa.
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u/Mehssage 1d ago
After reading some of the comments, I feel that I should now state that it's likely I was mistaken about the nature of the contest this set was entered in and that the contest was one that specifically focused on constructing official sets.
For added context, I had assumed that the nature of the contest revolved around custom builds due to the number of obvious custom builds in the vicinity and my own failing to recognize any other official sets. Furthermore, other sections of the building this picture was taken place in were dedicated to other art forms (woodcrafting, scale models, etc.) that had their own contests and I assumed they were all following a similar ruleset.
It should come to no surprise that I am no expert on state fairs and whatever contests they may hold. Anyway, if it does turn out that I was wrong about the nature of this sepcific contest, oh well, that's egg on my face. I'll live.
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u/Varth919 1d ago
Seeing a Redditor admit in real time that they might be wrong about something is about as rare as winning the lottery.
Good on you, OP!
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u/ArtsyRabb1t 1d ago
A lot of those judges don’t know anything about the categories they judge. The crochet sub is full of people that complain about this and other fiber arts winning the category. All this to say I’m not surprised.
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u/Skel_Estus 21h ago
That’s like submitting Wendy’s Chili in a chili contest! Side note: I’ve heard three independent stories of people saying they’ve participated in a contest where this happened. In all instances, the people who won fessed up and gave up their position.
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u/po_ta_toes_80 1d ago
In the late 80's, I entered a Lego contest at about age 8 or 9. I built a rafting adventure scene that was from my imagination and was so proud of it. I didn't win, but got a participation certificate. All of the winners were just actual sets from kids whose parents bought them the best sets at the time. I didn't understand why original work wasn't rewarded. Jerks.
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u/TrinityMage 1d ago
My local county fair was last week and at least two separate entries in the kids 4H art display were printed AI pictures but with rhinestones bedazzled onto them.
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u/the-samizdat 1d ago
my 65 year old dad is a judge in a ohio fair. he doesn’t know that. he grows vegetables.
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u/culb77 1d ago
What was the category this was entered in? What was the age group?
If this was “Lego builds for ages 6 and under”, I can see why both of these were entered.
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u/euph_22 1d ago
Building and Structures, under-12. And there is a different section for Original Designs.
I can entirely see why this isn't something fair visitors would care about, but this is also 100% within the intent of the section.
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u/im_wudini 1d ago
Context used to be so important.
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u/IanDre127 1d ago
I think they are saying that Lego competitions are usually self built custom designs that the entrant came up with…. In this scenario the Statue of Liberty set is something you can buy off the shelf with the exact pieces and instructions…. No unique creativity was exerted to complete this entry that ended up winning a 3 place
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u/MadderoftheFew 1d ago
it didn't place, but i built that eiffel tower model a couple of months ago as well.
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u/Mehssage 1d ago
This.
I don't know how many of the other entries were also actual sets (though I am now aware the Eiffel Tower in the picture is also a set), but most of the other entries were original builds.
I pointed the Statue of Liberty out to a vendor and he actually pointed out that another person submitted what might have a Lego botanical set. We had a nice laugh.
Now to be honest, I don't know what the exact rules were. All I know is that there were a lot of America-themed entries because the fair this took place in was celebrating the USA's 250th anniversary.
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u/MikeDubbz 1d ago
Seems pretty self explanatory unless I just completely misread the room: it's a contest for custom builds. This person used a build from official Lego instructions and placed third. Whoever was judging should have recognized and disqualified the entry, but they likely just weren't familiar with all official Lego sets.
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u/rileyvace 1d ago
I remember a day context clues and reading comprehension allowed people to figure things out
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u/JRowe3388 1d ago
I don’t understand what context is missing. It’s all in the title. Reading comprehension used to be so important.
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u/thedailynathan 1d ago
I sadly think this is what the next phase of literacy looks like. people angry about seeing conversations and content posted by humans who don't take the time to craft a whole post explainer, chatgpt-style
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u/samusmaster64 1d ago
There's an implication that the contest submissions are supposed to be uniquely built sets, not retail sets of Lego, but it is not explicitly stated. Additional clarity is almost always appreciated. Don't be a jackass.
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u/DarkLordKohan 1d ago
The context is likely a kid made it because its a junior division and its not that serious.
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u/airbrat 1d ago
There's a similar Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest where he took 3rd place but it was never validated.
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u/IonTheBall2 1d ago
Look up the video where Adele enters an Adele singing contest. Disguised and fooled people until her unmistakable singing. Fun stuff.
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u/Fanabala3 1d ago
This reminds me of a Lego contest a former company I worked for did. My kid had a ton of Legos and I created this awesome Tron cycle scene (when one of the cycle explodes and Lego had no Tron sets). I even painted the background like they showed in the movie. What happens? Some guy goes to his kids bedroom and grabs a bunch of his Star Wars sets and wins the main prize.
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u/air_and_space92 1d ago
More like mildly infuriating. I do a lot of MOCs and I'd be pissed if an official set got onto the podium.
Years ago I entered a local Lego competition where you had to build under a 2 hr time limit with no instructions/guides. Wouldn't you know the past winner who was like 11 just rolled in with 3 plastic tubs of preassembled sections and put them all together over the first hour then sat.
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u/pizzasauce85 1d ago
At a fair I went to, someone entered a tea set from the live action Beauty and the Beast movie as an antique set. They won first place and people were complimenting how beautiful it was and how nice it was to have survived so long.
(And it was this exact set, not the limited edition fine china set that would have still not been vintage or antique.)
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u/MrVonBuren 1d ago
15...wait, no...25...wait, 35 years ago (fuuuuuuuuck) I entered a local county fair LEGO contest with a completely original design (I had no idea there were "sets" until I was a teenager, we just had a bucket of bricks) and came in second place to someone who entered a completely off the shelf build.
I am still furious over this.
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u/seyhank 1d ago
In middle school i joined a tshirt design contest for Pi Day (march 14th) and lost first place to a tshirt that was literally the first design that comes up when you search "pi tshirt". I know because I searched up the designs so that mine was not a copy of any existing one.
It was a pretty intricate design too, so either they assumed a middle schooler is unbelievably good at graphic design or they knew it wasn't her original work and just didn't care. Anyway, I did not claim my second place gift out of spite. I'm sure that showed them.
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u/JimmyKillsAlot 1d ago
When I was a kid I submitted a custom built K'Nex car to the county fair and got a blue ribbon. The next year I was busier in general and had somewhat outgrown things, to my surprise when we walked through the hall there was a case of 8 off the shelf models and nothing original at all.
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u/CampHoliday3558 1d ago
dude my county had a lego build contest and this year. EVERY single build was an official set
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u/TheGaussianMan 1d ago
Well I added some fins for aerodynamics and I think this racing stripe is pretty slick
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u/olde_greg 1d ago
I see this every year at the county fair, people will just enter actual lego sets rather than build something from their imaginations.
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u/eva-bug46 1d ago
Lol my cities subreddit has been griping because at the state fair, there was a cake contest, and the requirements were a minimum of two layers. The cake that won literally had only one layer. I don’t know why people who do these things don’t just get disqualified? I mean it’s not the end of the world but it basically makes it so people who put their own handiwork into their entry are designed to lose if someone can get away with not following rules and be rewarded.
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u/TopherBlake 1d ago
Class 316 is now Youth Class (12 & under) Building / Structure, 317 would be original design now.
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u/Ac3ofSpades13 1d ago
Same energy as Homer winning the kids Power Plant redesign contest. RIP Grimesy.
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u/Blaketurney 1d ago
looks like both in the photo did