Nerdvember 2023: Survivor Edition

/

November has arrived which means BrickNerd is celebrating Nerdvember! It is a month where we get EXCEPTIONALLY nerdy (well… nerdier than normal) and dive even deeper into LEGO topics, techniques, themes, history, lore, MOCs and more. But it also means we host our annual contest where you can reimagine our mascot Nerdly to win some amazing prizes!

So what’s the contest theme this year? Our last Nerdvember contest was High Fantasy-themed. This year we are feeling a bit more… apocalyptic. Welcome to Nerdvember 2023: Survivor Edition!

Last Nerdly Standing

Because our very own Mega-Nerdly met its spectacular demise (though an update on that is coming later this month), we were inspired to theme this Nerdvember on survival (or Nerd-vival!?). We want you to get creative with our mascot Nerdly (here are basic instructions as a PDF download) and customize it to a survival character or scene of your choosing. We’re looking for Nerd-vivers!

Is Nerdly in Mad Max? Did Nerdly survive the robo-apocalypse? Maybe Nerdly is stranded on a deserted island. Or maybe Nerdly is participating in physical challenges to win an immunity idol. Maybe Nerdly didn’t survive and is a zombie or is lost at sea. Maybe Nerdly is growing potatoes on Mars! Maybe Nerdly just survived high school or a Ph.D. program. Maybe they just got through a rough time or survived being sorted. Or perhaps Nerdly survived an alien invasion, has a mech suit, or is floating in space. Make a deconstructed Nerdly or one being stretched out by a black hole. Maybe Nerdly had a towel so everything is ok. It is up to you.

Take a look at the past Nerdvember contests and the survival-ish Nerdly builds above from previous contests for more inspiration. Remember, we are looking for several key things in your survivor builds:

  1. Concept: Is the idea clever, tell a story, and could be classified as survival in any way?

  2. Quality & Presentation: Is the creation built well, feature any NPU, and composed/photographed in a way that enhances the overall creation?

  3. Nerdiness: Does the creation have a balance of Nerdly features that clearly convey the BrickNerd mascot (color, shape, studs, glasses, etc.)?

You have until the end of November to build your survival Nerdly and post it on Flickr in our Nerdvember 2023 group or on Instagram using the hashtags #Nerdvember2023 #BrickNerd and #Nerdly. Make sure to show and tell us why your Nerdly is a survivor!

Survivor Prizes

What is a contest without some prizes? The winners of Nerdvember 2023 can expect some pretty epic prizes, especially ones that are survivors in their own sense… and exclusively available from LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.

First Place

The first place winner can choose between receiving a mailed set, the LEGO House 40504 A Minifigure Tribute signed by designers Stuart Harris and Markus Rollbühler, OR a $200 LEGO spending spree!

 

Second Place

The second place winner can choose between receiving a mailed set, LEGO House 40501 Wooden Duck, OR a $150 LEGO spending spree.

 

Third Place

The third place winner can choose between receiving a mailed set, Architecture 21037 LEGO House, OR a $100 LEGO spending spree.

 

The top winner will also receive our rare and shiny Golden Nerdly trophy and a BrickNerd swag box too! So get building and all this loot could be yours. Nerdly’s survival depends on it!

Nerdvember 2023: Survivor Edition Official Rules

  • Entries must be inspired by Nerdly and themed on survival, apocalypse or something related and witty.

  • The contest will be judged by BrickNerd contributors who will evaluate entries based on concept (is the idea clever and related to survival), quality (is the creation built well and feature any NPU), and presentation (is the scene composed and photographed in a way that enhances the creation). Make sure to show and tell us why your Nerdly is a survivor.

  • Entries can be posted either on Flickr or Instagram. A link to your entry should be posted in the Nerdvember 2023 Flickr group linking to the contest and using the hashtags #Nerdvember2023 #BrickNerd and #Nerdly. If you do not have a Flickr account, you can use the hashtags and tag us on Instagram.

  • The contest ends on Thursday, November 30th, 2023 at 11:59 pm PST (7:59 am GMT on Dec. 1st for the Europeans). Winners will be announced a few weeks later.

  • Please only add one photo/submission of each entry to the Flickr group (extras will be removed). If you upload an Instagram gallery, please make the first image the one you want to be judged. If you don’t have either Flicker or Instagram, please email your submission to dave@bricknerd.com.

  • You may enter as many times as you want with unique creations. A single builder can win multiple prizes.

  • All entries must be new creations. Entries may be updated as long as the contest is still open.

  • Digital renders are allowed, though the creation must be structurally sound and all the pieces must be available physically. Custom, modified and unavailable recolored bricks are not allowed this time around.

  • These rules and the prizes may be modified at any point, and prizes may be substituted for comparable items depending on the winner’s location.

Are you excited for Nerdvember? Let the extreme nerdiness begin! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Lukas Kurth from StoneWars, Wayne Tyler, LeAnna Taylor, Monica Innis, Dan Church, and Roxanne Baxter to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.