Contests

We were excited to host our 7th Summer Joust this year, and once again the community response was astonishing!
If you haven't already seen the winners, check out the announcement post here.

Now let's take a look at some of the specific details and statistics from the biggest Joust so far!

We received 217 entries from 111 competitors, meaning there was an average of just under two builds per competitor (1.95 to be exact).
For the first time we had seven categories and 12x12 Vignette regained its title as the most entered category after a surprise twist saw it dethroned last year.
12x12 Vignette: 59 entries
Gradients: 36 entries
Going Big: 30 entries
An Exotic Feast: 7 teams, 22 participants, 25 entries
Subterranean: 23 entries
African Setting: 22 entries
Bridging the Gap: 22 entries


Not surprisingly, the category with highest average score was An Exotic Feast where competition was incredibly fierce.
An Exotic Feast: average score of 18.23
African Setting: average score of 16.81
Going Big: average score of 16.24
Gradients: average score of 16.12
Bridging the Gap: average score of 15.70
12x12 Vignette: average score of 15.67
Subterranean: average score of 15.31
The overall average score across the entire contest was 16.30

There was a staggering 22 participants who entered three or more categories and qualified for the Conquering Hero award.

And once again the vast majority of entries came in the last two weeks.
In the first month and a half we received 64 entries across the following categories:4 from Subterranean, 3 from Bridging the Gap, 10 from Going Big, 23 from 12x12 Vignette, 10 from African Setting, and 14 from Gradients.
Which meant 153 came in from July 17th - August 1st: 25 from An Exotic Feast, 19 from Subterranean, 19 from Bridging the Gap, 26 from 12x12 Vignette, 20 from Going Big, 12 from African Setting, and 12 from Gradients.

Flickr remains the dominant platform with 91% of entries (198) being submitted there , and only 9% from Instagram (19).

Which wraps up our statistics for this year alone, but let's take a look at it in context of all 7 Summer Jousts.
As previously mentioned, this year was the biggest ever with 217 entries. How does that compare with previous installments?
Here's the breakdown:
2022: 217 Entries
2021: 211 Entries
2020: 163 Entries
2019: 157 Entries
2018: 147 Entries
2017: 117 Entries
2016: 130 Entries
Meaning this year had 100 entries more than the 2017 Summer Joust!

And if we add all those entries together, we get a total of 1,142 models created for the Joust. That's a lot of castle MOCs!

Vignette is the only category to have featured in some form in every single Joust, and there have been 323 Vignettes submitted over the 7 years.
After this year it holds the record for most ever entries in a single category with 59.

On the other hand, what was the least popular category ever?
Historian with a measly 6 entries back in 2016.
That's a record I prefer remain unbroken...

That's it for this year, well done to everyone who participated and encouraged the competitors!
We're anticipating great things again in 2023!

The 2021 Summer Joust has come to a close, and now let's take a look back at some of the details and statistics.
Though if you haven't already, be sure to check out the results first!

For the 6th Summer Joust, 100 participants submitted 210 entries. The average number of entries per competitor was 2.1.
Significant increase compared to last year's 79 participants and 163 entries.


In 2020, only one category reached more than 40 entries, but this year three did! And even more astonishing, the Vignette category didn't have most entries!
Categories by Entry Count:
High Fantasy: 48
12x12 Vignette: 45
Creating an Atmosphere: 41
Through the Seasons: 32
Asian Setting: 25
Monastery: 19

Category Average Entry Score:
Through the Seasons: 19.34
Asian Setting: 17.56
Monastery: 17.43
Creating an Atmosphere: 16.77
12x12 Vignette: 15.70
High Fantasy: 15.13

Approximately 110 builds were submitted in the last week, which is over half of the total entries. In fact, in just the last two days around 75 builds came in! The team category always plays a large role in that, as almost every team posts in the last few days.
Still, there was a consistent flow of entries throughout the contest, with the first ones being posted after just a few days.

All in all it was our most successful Joust yet and we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

Thanks for reading, and we're looking forward to next year's Summer Joust!

Our 5th Summer Joust is over, the results are out, and now let's take a look at some of the most interesting statistics from our most successful Joust so far!

79 different builders put out 163 entries giving an average of 2.063 entries per builder.
Despite being a two month contest, we received over 100 submissions in the final week - mind blowing!
Clearly indicating that most competitors are either procrastinators or prefer dramatic last minute reveals.

It should be no surprise that the most popular category was Vignette, this year bringing in a whopping 47 submissions.
A bit more surprising, is that the second most popular was the team category, with 34 entries, followed by The Frozen North with 29, Tri-Color with 26, Every Set could be a Castle set with 15, and lastly Puristic Parts with 12.

Next let's take a look at the average scores per category:
Puristic Parts: 17.68
Just Another 'Normal' Day: 17.14
Every Set Could be a Castle Set: 16.60
Tri-color: 16.18
Frozen North: 15.74
12x12 Vignette: 15.66

It's usually a very close battle to win a category, but which were closest in points spread between the top 3 entries?
Puristic Parts: 0.143 points
Every Set Could be a Castle Set: 0.285
12x12 Vignette: 0.643 points
Just Another 'Normal' Day: 2.643 points
Tri-Color: 3.714 points
Frozen North: 4.5 points

Thanks for reading, and it's never too soon to start preparing for next year's Summer Joust!

This is our fifth Summer Joust, and as such we're adding some extra fun!
The contest will officially launch June 1st, but in the meantime there's a bonus challenge to keep you occupied!

Summer Joust Poster
Create a new scene that will serve as the cover image and poster for the next 5 Summer Jousts! Subject matter is up to you, it should be aimed at capturing the spirit of the contest, and the winner will be selected by John and myself.
Prize is bragging rights, and of course seeing your model used for Summer Joust promotions (you will be credited naturally).
Digital entries are accepted for this bonus challenge.
Timeframe: May 22nd - August 10th.

Check out more details in the dedicated Summer Joust group, and get ready for two months of castle building fun!

The second week of the Style It Up contest has come to a close and the results have been announced! As with week one, week two brought us a slew of unique, high-quality entries.

Week two's challenge was to create a completely symmetrical build.

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