Last Days to Build a Survivor Nerdly

Alright, end-of-the-world enthusiasts and BrickNerd doomsday preppers, the end is near! Time’s running out faster than water in a post-apocalyptic desert. We’re counting down the final days of Nerdvember 2023, so channel your inner Mad Max, grab your bricks, and build a Nerdly that would make the Four Horsemen proud!


Your Mission: Create a Survivor Nerdly

Nerdly is a survivor, for whatever survival means to you. Think of Nerdly outsmarting zombies, or maybe they’re the last brick-bender in a world without the Avatar. Maybe Nerdly is the sole survivor of Y2K? Or perhaps they’re navigating a dystopian wasteland with nothing but a spork and a positive attitude.

Maybe Nerdly survived a boring entry-level job? Or Thanksgiving with that one crazy aunt or uncle? Perhaps Nerdly survived a comically hanging piano on a street front while waltzing under a ladder when a black cat crossed in front of a broken mirror? Nedrly’s survival is up to you!

Check out some of these entries so far for our Nerdvember: Survivor Edition contest:

Because concept is key, how about some apocalyptic inspirations for Nerdly?

  • Alien Invasion Nerdly: How does Nerdly blend in when all the circular green Nerdlies show up?

  • Ice Age Nerdly: Can Nerdly survive a frosty future with nothing but a flame thrower and a hot cup of coffee?

  • Bunker Nerdly: What would Nerdly stock up in their doomsday bunkers?

  • Zombie Apocalypse Nerdly: Can Nerdly survive the other zombie Nerdlies? Zombies do love brains, and we have a ton of that at BrickNerd!

  • Mad Max Nerdly: What would Nerdly look like all decked out in spikes riding through the desert wasteland on a LEGO war rig? More importantly, what instrument would they be playing as fire bursts from the speakers?


Instructions To Build Nerdly

Here, take this! You don’t have to face the apocalypse alone. Here are Nerdly’s instructions as a downloadable PDF and included in a gallery below. Remember, scale and color are at the builder’s discretion as long as Nerdly is recognizable.


Survival of the Fittest

We here at BrickNerd 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.)?

Simply put, does your creation scream, “I survived Nerdvember 2023!”? You’ve got until the clock strikes midnight on the last day of November to build and share your epic survivor Nerdly 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 because time is ticking!


What Doesn’t Kill You…

And now for a quick gratuitous Survivor-themed music video to pump you up for your last-minute building marathon race against time.


Survivor’s Swag

The winners of Nerdvember 2023 can expect some pretty epic prizes—ones that are only available from LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. (Or if you don’t want those, a LEGO shopping spree!)

  • First Place: The choice between LEGO House 40504 A Minifigure Tribute signed by designers Stuart Harris and Markus Rollbühler OR a $200 LEGO spending spree! Plus the super rare Golden Nerdly Trophy and a BrickNerd swag box!

  • Second Place: Choice between LEGO House 40501 Wooden Duck OR a $150 LEGO spending spree.

  • Third Place: Choice between Architecture 21037 LEGO House OR a $100 LEGO spending spree.


Rules? Where We're Going, We Don’t Need Rules

Well, on second thought, yeah, we do because the end is nigh! So for the last time, here are the full rules if you want to know all the details. Let’s make this a Nerdvember to remember!

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.


Who here is building last minute? There is still time! Leave your thoughts or confessions in the comments below.

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