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22 Nov 2005
14-year old LEGO pro wins building challenge
Nathaniel Macmillan, 14, from Novato, California, built his way to the championship title and a $5,000 Grand Prize scholarship November 12 in the "LEGO Brick to the Future: 2055" Building Challenge. Additionally, he received two complete collections of 2005 LEGO products – one to keep, and one to serve as a holiday donation to a children's charity in his community.
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Held at LEGOLAND California, the live, timed championship build-off was co-sponsored by LEGO Systems and The National Trust for Historic Preservation to culminate the year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the System of Play.
An awesome experience
Macmillan, an avid LEGO collector and builder since the age of 2 years old, was one of five finalists selected from nearly 1,000 entries from all over the United States and Canada to compete for the grand prize.
"What I like about building with LEGO bricks is that you can express your creativity and it's something you can touch, not just do on paper. I don't know what to say. This has been one of the best experiences of my life, it's awesome," he said.
The four other finalists that competed in the championship build-off challenge were Ryan Cordwell from Cave Creek, Arizona, Joseph Lewis from Houston, Texas, Marshall Lu from Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and Imagine Rigney from Waianae, Hawaii. Cordwell created a futuristic research lab with architectural inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright. Lewis and Rigney both built their vision of what LEGO Town Plan would look like in 50 years, and Lu created a super high-tech vehicle with convertible wheels and legs that could tackle any attack or rescue scenario.
A place for people to meet
Each finalist was given his own building tent and identical stack of 15 LEGO sets, representing the entire LEGO System of Play, and two base plates, which was covered from view until the signal was given and the build-off began. The competitors had two hours to uncover and rip open their sets to demonstrate their extraordinary LEGO building ability.
Macmillan's futuristic “Town 100 Community Center” earned him the prize. About his creation, he said: “I built a community center – a place where people will hang out and connect with each other. Fifty years from now, it will be really important for people to talk to one another instead of just stare at computer screens all day. Of course, I added a computer station in the center, but I think people will still need a place to meet up and be together.”
Judging the competition were LEGOLAND master builder Tim Petsche, senior brand relations manager Michael McNally of LEGO Systems, Miriam Lenett, preservation specialist from the National Trust, and Thomas and David Michon, brothers who, combined, hold five championship titles from previous LEGO building challenges.
“It is always exciting for us to see the creativity, imagination and skill of our best LEGO builders in action,” said McNally. “It's only appropriate that, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the System of Play, we challenge our five finalists to build their vision of what LEGO sets will look like 50 years from now. Competition was fierce, but in the end our judges recognized Nathaniel's model as the most original and well-constructed creation in the field.”
Macmillan’s father, Bill, emailed at the end of the weekend, saying: “Thank you for making this past weekend such a wonderful and memorable experience for us. My wife and I want to especially thank you for the gift of joy that Nathaniel received and for the lasting beautiful affect it will have on his life, throughout his life. We are so grateful for the kindness and humbleness that everyone in the LEGO team expressed. All of it just affirms what we have suspected since Nathaniel began playing with LEGO when he was 2. That is, anyone and everyone who can create a toy system like LEGO has magic in them.”
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