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The first ever LEGO photography competition at Brick News has just wrapped up! As the judge for the competition, I had the challenging job of sifting through all of the photos submitted, picking out the grand prize winner and the three runner-up winners. With so many awesome entries, it has taken me a few days to finalise my decision. Below I'll reveal the winners, as well as commenting on my favourite photos submitted from each entrant.
Runner-Up Winner: Jaboinga
The Phantom Menace may not be the most popular Star Wars movie, but it does have its memorable moments. Jaboinga perfectly captured the eerie and mysterious feel of lesser-known side of Naboo in one of his photos. The photo is simple, featuring just three minifigures, but just by looking at it I can tell exactly when the scene takes place. Well done Jaboinga!
Runner-Up Winner: GonzoStudiosYT
GonzoStudiosYT uploaded mostly Star Wars images, in addition to a Minecraft one and an photo of an orc minifigure. While the variety certainly helped him in becoming a finalist, the lightsaber effects combined with excellent lighting conditions really made his photos pop and set him apart from the competition.
Runner-Up Winner: Beardley
I was honestly shocked to see an entry featuring a LEGO Bricklink set - not just because I wasn't expecting it, but because Beardley's three top photos featuring natural, grassy backgrounds look magical! While I didn't buy this set, his photos now tempt me to buy it secondhand just so I can try to display it as good as it looks below.
Grand Prize Winner: Wicket_Bricks
Wicket_Bricks submitted some phenomenal photos into this competition, but my personal favourite is the photo of different imperial troopers all staring at a shoretrooper surrounded by sand. The hilarity of the scene, contrasted by the seriousness of imperial troopers carrying lethal weapons, made this both a funny and awesome photo to feature on our website. The variety in his submission as well as the high quality of each photo is what ultimately got him the win. Congratulations Wicket_Bricks!
I should note that the winners above were all narrowly contesting for first place, in addition to two other talented entrants who just barely missed the cut. When picking the winners, all of the following factors were taken into account:
Markings on the camera lens.
Variety of themes in submissions.
The stories told within each photo submitted.
Relevancy to upcoming competitions on the Brick News website.
Whether the photos submitted were taken in landscape mode or portrait mode - as mentioned in the submission thread, landscape photos were prioritised as portrait photos are difficult to implement on the desktop version of the Brick News wbesite.
Lighting quality.
Number of photos submitted (entrants who submitted the maximum number of photos had a higher chance of winning).
Visual appeal.
Whether or not the photos integrate well into the Brick News website or if they are too bright/contrast too greatly.
At Brick News we intend to host photography competitions again in the future, and most of the above criteria will apply again. If you're interested in participating in the future, I'd strongly recommend viewing submissions from the above four entrants. There were also several other strong candidates who just narrowly missed winning this competition.
If you participated in this competition and would like feedback or just want to know how you placed, email info@bricknews.com.au and we'll privately get back to you.
Top Picks from Our Entrants
Steven Jordan - this shot of Indiana Jones in front of a sparkling crystal was our top pick among his photos.
Hicksy - this photo of a LEGO modular building ws our top pick among his photos.
Chris Teefeem - this photo is an awesome recreation of a crashed snowspeeder on Hoth and our top pick from his photos.
Darth Ambiguous - this iconic scene from Star Wars: The Clone Wars was our top pick from his submission!
benbennyhiggins - this photo bears an eerie resemblance to one of the opening scenes from Rogue One, and was very cool to see.
DayzZr - this photo stood out because of its simplicity and the awesome scenery in the background!
Steve Mitchell - this photo of War Machine features scenery that reminds us of Avengers: Infinity War during the Battle of Wakanda.
Jessbee - this recreation of the iconic scene from the first Jurassic Park movie gives off great nostalgia!
Richard Henry - the legendary @tongwars from Instagram submitted some of his amazing shots into our competition. While it was difficult to pick out what photo we'd consider as his best among the ones he submitted, this one featuring Anakin and Ahsoka takes the cake!
Austyn Gerritsen - something tells me that lioness is not interested in whatever vegetable that guy is offering... Austyn submitted some very high-quality photos in his submission, but this one was my personal favourite.
Daniel Leonard - Daniel had the awesome idea of taking underwater LEGO photos. This was unique to his entry!
Nathan Mitchell - this shot of Captain Rex with blue lightning would make for an epic profile picture...
Sir W - it was awesome to see a Terminator-themed submission to our photography competiion! The smoke and lighting really build up the atmosphere, and the dilapidated setting is just perfect.
ALL entrants who participated in this photography competition (excluding the winners) are eligible for a free 1-month Brick News subscription. Email info@bricknews.com.au if you participated and we'll arrange this for you.
Good work everybody!! Some awesome photos there and was a very fun competition.