October Challenge Winners!
A great big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the October challenge! You are ALL very creative. And we can’t forget Bricks & Minifigs–Memphis who sponsored this Antarctic theme contest.
Thank you Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis!
And now… drumroll, please… we would like to congratulate our winners!
We’re going to save the ‘Big’ winner for last. That means we’ll start with the Honorable Mentions first.
Follow along with Bruce Bulkbrick and Molly Minifig.
Keep an eye out for both of them, as they explore Antarctica with me.
Ella Boyd
Honorable Mention goes to Ella Boyd. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
It looks like Ella created one of the huts we see near McMurdo Station. Bruce Bulkbrick is outside with his penguin friend. Wait! What’s that I see? Is Molly Minifig inside getting her gear prepared to search for more Weddell seals?
Clark Thomas
Honorable Mention goes to Clark Thomas. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
Congratulations goes to Clark Thomas with his ‘Oops, I forgot my parka ice fisherman!’ I think that fisherman is going to get pretty cold without his jacket! Don’t worry, even with powerful wind gusts and temperatures below 0°, our ‘Big Red’ parkas should really keep us warm.
Bo Orcholski
Honorable Mention goes to Bo Orcholski. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
It looks like Bo’s created a dynamic version of McMurdo Station! The actual McMurdo Station includes a ‘downtown’ area, science and support facilities and an outlying airport, plus a blue ice runway and a summer runway on the sea ice. It seems like Bo has incorporated all these areas within his design. Hmmm, I wonder if Bo has visited McMurdo!
Mosi Clayton
Honorable Mention goes to Mosi Clayton. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
Looks like Bruce Bulkbrick is headed back on the ice to catch up with Molly Minifig. He appears to be leaving the science lab that supports all the scientific research. There’s a lot going on in that research center.
Laura Simons
Honorable Mention goes to Laura Simons. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
Ahhh! Laura captured the essence of some of the penguins we see! Tuxedos provide more than a great look. The penguin’s ‘tuxedo’ provides camouflage from predators. The bird’s dark back blends into the dark ocean when viewed from above, while its lighter belly helps it blend into the surface when viewed from below. This protective coloring is called countershading. In addition to a penguin’s speed and agility in the water, its sharp beak (nicely portrayed in Laura’s version) snares fish with ease, and its backward-pointing tongue spines keep a good grip on the fish, so it can be swallowed whole. Laura’s penguin looks like he’s about to have ‘Happy Feet!’
The WINNERS
We had a tough time selecting the top designs and were very excited to see some unique story lines. Our judges focused on three criteria:
- Theme of the contest
- Creativity
- Statement the piece demonstrated
And the winners are…
Third place winner – Alli Metler!
Third Place goes to Alli Metler. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
Another view. Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
Alli had a wonderful creative story that accompanied her design. Look closely, you can see the dragon-like creature breathing on the Eskimo and encasing him in ice! ’One day, the Eskimo and the Yeti were wandering throughout Antarctica, equally confused and lost. Penguins…ice…giant ice snakes. Wait, giant ice snakes?!? Yep, the Eskimo and the Yeti were going to look at a shiny crystal that apparently the giant ice snake was rather attached to. The creature slithered up and looked them in the eyes, finding out whether or not it would be sensible to send a cone of cold their way. The Eskimo scoffed. ‘It’s a robot, or some kind of prank!’ he said. He was wrong. With one breath of the creature, the dragon-like thing encased the doubting Eskimo in ice. Can the Yeti escape and at the same time save his friend?’
Second place winner – Timothy Slater!
Second Place goes to Timothy Slater from Germantown, TN.
A closer look at the second place winner. Photo courtesy of Julie Slater
Timothy had a clever diorama that reminded me of all the different components interacting at McMurdo Station. There are numerous departments and facilities which support the scientist. Timothy’s design had the feel of our Equipment Center. This department maintains snowmobiles, generators and other equipment used by the science community.
Grand prize winner – Avery Walker!
Pic- First Place goes to Avery Walker, as he plants his flag in Antarctica! Photo courtesy of Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis.
I wonder if Avery was thinking about the first person to plant a flag on the ice at the South Pole when creating this design. If so, then that’s Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer. He became the first person to successfully reach the South Pole on December 14th, 1911.
Be sure and follow my journal for additional photos of flags from around the world planted on the ‘Ice’ in Antarctica, many from here in the Mid-South.
Thanks to everyone who participated and keep an eye out for Bruce and Molly!
Prizes
- First Place – $15 store credit
- Second Place – $10 store credit
- Third Place – $5 store credit
Store credit are available only at Bricks and MiniFigs–Memphis, 9755 Hwy. 64 Arlington, TN 38002