Article Summary

Where LEGO building contests actually run, from LEGO Ideas challenges and the BrickLink Designer Program to fan contests on forums and social media, which are open in October 2026, and how to read the rules, build and photograph an entry that judges can score.

A LEGO MOC contest asks fans to build to a theme by a deadline and judges the results. The contests open at any moment change every month, so the most useful single source is a monthly list: BrickNerd publishes a round-up of open fan contests, and its October 2026 edition is the basis for the list below. LEGO's own routes, LEGO Ideas challenges and the BrickLink Designer Program, run alongside the fan contests.

Quick answer: for something open right now, check BrickNerd's monthly contest round-up. For a chance at an official product, watch LEGO Ideas challenges and the BrickLink Designer Program submission windows. Read every contest's rules before you build.

Open and upcoming in October and November 2026

From BrickNerd's round-up dated October 6, 2026:

  • Haunted Halloween on LEGO Ideas, closing October 14.
  • Halloween Habitats 2026 on Instagram, October 23 to 25.
  • MOCtober 2026 on Instagram, closing October 31.
  • Creations for Charity 2026 on its own website, closing November 30.
  • Colossal Castle Contest XIV on classic-castle.com, opening November 1.
  • Nerdvember 2026 on Flickr or Instagram, opening November 1.

Each listing links to its own rules; dates and categories are set by the hosts.

LEGO's own routes

LEGO Ideas challenges

LEGO Ideas runs themed challenges with set prizes, separate from its main product submissions. A regular LEGO Ideas project is different: it has to gather support from other fans, and LEGO reviews projects that reach 10,000 supporters for possible production.

BrickLink Designer Program

The BrickLink Designer Program turns fan designs into limited sets. Builders design in BrickLink Studio and submit during a window; after a public vote and BrickLink's own review, five designs go to crowdfunding, and each one that reaches at least 3,000 backers is made. Series 11 submissions ran from April 20 to May 4, 2026, with crowdfunding planned for June 2027, so the next chance to enter is a later series.

Fan forum contests

Fan forums run contests every year. Eurobricks, for example, ran a May the 4th contest from May 1 to July 1, 2026 that required new builds using only official LEGO elements, and its medieval Summer Joust runs each summer with several categories. Our guide to LEGO forums and communities lists where these are announced, and local user groups often run their own.

Building an entry that scores

  1. Read the rules first. Check the theme, size limits, the deadline and time zone, whether non-LEGO parts are allowed (usually not), and whether the build must be new.
  2. Answer the theme clearly. Judges score against the brief, so a viewer should understand the idea in one look.
  3. Plan the parts. Sketch or build digitally first, then gather what you are missing; our guide to sourcing parts for a MOC covers where to buy them.
  4. Finish every side the judges will see. Clean edges and a deliberate base make a model read as finished.
  5. Photograph it well. Use a plain background, soft even light from more than one side, and a sharp, straight-on main shot with the whole model in frame, then add detail shots if the rules allow several images.
  6. Submit early. Upload problems and time zones catch people out at the deadline.

Related guides

Contest dates from BrickNerd's October 2026 round-up and the hosts' announcements. This guide is research based.