Today’s the day! The Nerdvember 2025 Vacation contest officially closes tonight, and this is your final reminder to get those entries in before the January 4th deadline passes.

Whether you’ve been building between holiday travel, sneaking in a quick photo during a staycation, or putting the finishing touches on a MOC you’ve been tinkering with all week, now’s the moment to hit submit. Once the clock runs out, Nerdly’s suitcase snaps shut.

We extended the deadline to help everyone survive the end-of-year scramble, and the entries we’ve received so far have made it clear that the extra time paid off. Vacation Nerdly has been everywhere, from big trips to clever close-to-home adventures, and we can’t wait to see what comes in at the wire.

Pack Your Bags (One Last Time)

Nerdvember is all about stepping away, having fun, and telling a great story—and there are two ways to enter, even at the last minute:

1 - Take A Photo of Nerdly on Vacation

Take a photograph of our unaltered red mascot Nerdly out in the real world. (Here are basic instructions as a PDF download.) Mountains, beaches, airports, bowling alleys, museums, theme parks, backyards—if it feels like a break from the everyday, it counts. Clever ideas and strong storytelling go a long way, whether Nerdly is crossing oceans or just braving whatever lives under your bed.

Nerdly exploring the Model Shop at Legoland NY.

First place photo will receive a LEGO set of their choosing up to $100 USD (or local equivalent), a shiny Golden Nerdly trophy and a BrickNerd swag box! Second and third places will receive a LEGO set of their choosing up to $50 and $25, respectively.

2 - Build a MOC of Vacation Nerdly

Prefer to build? Customize Nerdly for the ultimate getaway. Safari guide, cruise ship, ski trip, Vegas spectacle—it’s all fair game as long as Nerdly is clearly vacation-ready. You can build just the character or an entire scene, as long as Nerdly is part of the story.

First place MOC will receive a LEGO set of their choosing up to $200 USD (or local equivalent), a shiny Golden Nerdly trophy and a BrickNerd swag box! Second and third places will receive a LEGO set of their choosing up to $100 and $50, respectively.

How Do I Build A Nerdly?

The square part is pretty obvious, but the bit with the glasses is a little tricky. Here are the downloadable PDF instructions (and included below).

Judging Criteria and How to Enter

Take a look at the past Nerdvember contests for more inspiration. Remember, we are looking for several key things in your photos/builds:

Concept: Is the idea clever, tells a story, and could it be classified as vacation-themed in any way?
Quality & Presentation: Is the creation built/photographed well and composed in a way that enhances the overall creation?
Nerdiness: Does the creation have a balance of Nerdly features that clearly convey the BrickNerd mascot (color, shape, studs, glasses, etc.)?

You have until the end of November January 4th, 2026 to post your photo of Nerdly on vacation and/or build your vacation Nerdly. Entries should be submitted via Google form and posted in the Nerdvember 2025 Flickr group or on Instagram tagging @bricknerdofficial using the hashtags #Nerdvember2025 #BrickNerd and #Nerdly. The form will help us track entries and give proper credit for linking.

Time Left in Nerdvember 2025

This is it—the final boarding call. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s the time to jump in.

Nerdvember 2025: Vacation Edition Official Rules

Entries must be inspired by Nerdly and themed on a vacation 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 a vacation), quality (is the creation built/photographed well), presentation (is the scene composed and photographed in a way that enhances the creation), and nerdiness (does the creation have a balance of Nerdly features that clearly convey the BrickNerd mascot).
Entries should be submitted via Google form and posted in the Nerdvember 2025 Flickr group or on Instagram tagging @bricknerdofficial using the hashtags #Nerdvember2025 #BrickNerd and #Nerdly. If you don’t have a Google account or either Flickr or Instagram, please email your submission to dave@bricknerd.com.
The contest ends on Sunday, November 30th, 2025 January 4th, 2026 at 11:59 pm PST (7:59 am GMT on Jan. 5th for the Europeans). Winners will be announced a few weeks later.
Please only submit one file for each entry (extras will be removed). If you upload an Instagram gallery, please make the first image the one you want to be judged.
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.

Where are you going on vacation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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