On 17 November 2017, the LEGOxChallenge culminated in the exciting Final Day Presentations! Out of six incredible teams ranging from Grade 6 to Grade 11 students, it was now time to give the Singapore LEGO Headquarters one last visit and determine their position in the LEGOxChallenge which they all worked so passionately towards.
The entire event lasted for a solid three hours, from 5-8pm, where all participating team members and their parents were invited to watch the final presentation round. In this round, each team was given five minutes to pitch their idea to eminent LEGO figures – Giorgio Giussani (Creative Director of LEGO Singapore), Lucia Cioffi, Head of LEGO Consumer Goods and UWCSEA Director of IT, Ben Morgan – and convince them that their idea would be the best idea to be implemented in LEGO stores. After the pitching session, there was short Q&A session for each presenting team, which lasted another five minutes. Finally, there was a short 20 minute break (with free snacks and drinks!) during which the judges decided the top prizes, which were announced later at the very end of the Challenge.
Presenting teams:
(1) Legosoft
(2) The E-lemonators
(3) The Good Guys
(3) Block Heads
(4) GG
(6) LEGO Masters
All the ideas proposed were immensely unique, creative, and very well-presented. Examples of the innovative creative solutions proposed by the various teams were: creating an online ‘Set Selector’ app to easily pick a LEGO set suitable to one’s preferences based on difficulty, budget, theme, pieces and more (Legosoft); taking a picture of one’s remaining LEGO pieces and getting them scanned so as to see what the remaining parts could be used to build (The E-lemonators); using a scanning system to create LEGO designs of one’s own choosing (The Good Guys); scanning one’s body and creating personalised LEGO minifigures which can then be customised or created simply by a photograph (Block Heads); an interactive 3D catalogue of LEGO sets in stores with digital versions of the ‘Pick A Brick’ and ‘Build Your Minifigure’ stations (GG); and finally, having an ability to create LEGO sets from mobile devices based on three difficulty levels (LEGO Masters).
Each team was asked several questions, ranging from its practical applications and possible effects on the market, to more details on how specific parts of the idea would carry out, to simply what inspired them to come up with the idea in the first place. All participants managed the questions incredibly well, and came up with well-crafted, sophisticated answers to each judge.
After the 20-30 minute break, the anticipation had come to a peak: the results were going to be announced. Each of the teams got some prize or another for being able to make it into the top six, but only the top three participants got prizes worth of extra cash. After much decision and discussion, the final awards are listed out as follows:
Certificate Winners (those that did not come in the top three – in no particular order);
- The Good Guys
- GG
- Block Heads
Each member of the team won various brand new LEGO sets – examples include LEGO ninjago sets, star wars sets, and LEGO chess sets!
Award Winners (In order, from 1st to 3rd):
- LEGO Masters
- The E-lemonators
- Legosoft
These winners got more elaborate LEGO sets – for example, the Millenium Falcon LEGO set (which went to the second and third place members).
All the participants seemed pleased with their results – it was truly a considerable amount of hard work and effort to reach the finals! Overall, the atmosphere was one not of sheer rivalry but healthy competitiveness and light-heartedness. The competition itself ensured to incorporate the LEGO values – original, creative, but most of all, FUN.
