Celebrate Japanese Culture
Winner Announcement
The winners have been chosen! Thank you for participating and making this challenge great.
Japan has a fascinating and multifaceted culture. With age-old traditions, futuristic technology, and tranquility.
To celebrate the launch of the Tranquil Garden and Himeji Castle sets, we’re asking you to build things that celebrate Japanese culture and the feeling of tranquility.
We’re talking about showing us tranquil scenes, technology, tradition, art, nature, and more.
There is no minimum or maximum model size, shape, or restrictions. Other than it has to celebrate Japanese culture.
If you are the Grand Prize Winner of this challenge, you’ll receive the following:
- 10315 – Tranquil Garden
- 21060 - Himeji Castle
- 10311 – Orchid
- 10313 - Wildflower Bouquet
- 31208 - Hokusai – The Great Wave
- 10281 – Bonsai Tree
- 76917 - 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
- 76901 - Toyota GR Supra
ENTRY DEADLINE: Submit your entry no later than September 19th, 2023 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 challenge will consist of 3 phases:
- Submission Phase - Create and submit your entry before September 19th, 2023 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. If your entry is submitted before the intake closing date but is sent back to you for changes, you will have until September 20th, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EST. to resubmit. Resubmissions after this will not be accepted.
- Judging Phase - Our judges review the entries and choose the winning entries by October 3rd, 2023.
- Winners Announcement - We will share the Grand Prize winner and two Runner-Up winners here on LEGO Ideas no later than October 10th, 2023!
How to Enter
- Submissions may be in either physical bricks or by using a digital building tool such as Bricklink’s Studio. You’re welcome to use image editing tools, such as Photoshop, to create your images.
- Take up to five photos of your creation and submit them to the challenge. 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.
- Add a title and short description.
- Upload your entry to the challenge using the blue Submit Your Entry button on this page.
Challenge Rules
- 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 Challenge. You may not submit a model or any other content made by, or on behalf of, someone else.
- Entries must be new creations for this challenge and not previously posted online or submitted to any other challenge.
- You are allowed to use any official LEGO® element (LEGO System, LEGO DUPLO, LEGO TECHNIC/Construction) 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. For example, NASA.
- You may use Minifigures in your entry. Please only use generic Minifigures that do not use any third-party intellectual property, for example: NASA.
- Challenge 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 Bricklink’s Studio, which is free of charge to download. You are also welcome to create digital entries using third-party LEGO CAD software.
- 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.
- Please do not include people or limbs in pictures you submit. Also, please don’t include any copy or logos in your photos. Photos containing such will be removed.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
In order to get your submission approved, your submission must include the following:
- A title*.
- Photos of your build
- A description*.
- Entries may have tags, if you wish*.
* - Submissions should have correct capitalization and not have any spelling mistakes.
House Rules
- Entries containing defamatory or degrading elements will not be eligible for the challenge.
- Any cheating or harassment of other participants will result in disqualification from the challenge.
- Your challenge entries and comments on challenge entries must follow the complete LEGO Ideas House Rules.
Judging
A panel of judges consisting of members of the LEGO Icons team will choose the winners based on:
- Overall coolness and originality: 25%
- Most inspired details: 25%
- Relevance to challenge theme: 25%
- Best use of LEGO elements: 25%
The Fine Print
- You must be at least 13 years of age to participate and enter.
- You may submit multiple entries to the challenge.
- Winners will be contacted on the email address associated with their LEGO ID account after September 19th, 2023. 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.
- Active participation by way of submissions of any kind to this challenge is not open to residents of Iran, North Korea, Myanmar/Burma, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Syria, Russia or any other country which is subjected to sanctions and where prohibited or restricted by law, for as long as such sanctions remain in place. Submissions in active challenges by residents of Russia will unfortunately not be eligible for prizes as long as sanctions remain in place.
- If you are a resident of Ukraine or Belarus and are selected as a challenge winner, your prizes will be shipped at a later date once shipping resumes normal operation.
- By entering the challenge, you agree to follow the rules on this Challenge Brief page and you agree to the LEGO Ideas Terms of Service.
- This challenge is offered, organized and run solely by the LEGO Group. Participants should direct all queries and matters relating to the challenge to LEGO Ideas.
Prizes
If you are the Grand Prize Winner of this challenge, you’ll receive the following:
- 10315 – Tranquil Garden
- 21060 - Himeji Castle
- 10311 – Orchid
- 10313 - Wildflower Bouquet
- 31208 - Hokusai – The Great Wave
- 10281 – Bonsai Tree
- 76917 - 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
- 76901 - Toyota GR Supra
Two Runner Up winners of this challenge, will win the following:
- 10315 – Tranquil Garden
- 21060 - Himeji Castle
- 10281 – Bonsai Tree
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information, see the Challenges FAQ.