The Summer Joust: Medieval Warfare in 2021
/Every year, the Summer Joust inspires dozens of medieval-themed LEGO creations. The competition runs for two months and challenges builders in six categories. And the resulting MOCs are often breathtaking!
In order to get to know the Summer Joust from the inside, I talked to Isaac Snyder, one of the brothers who started the Joust and has kept it running smoothly for—well, when was the first Summer Joust, Isaac?
Isaac: Way back in 2016! John [Little John] and I were inspired by the Colossal Castle Contest and wanted something of a similar nature to be offered during the summer, but with a bit of our own twist on things. One of those being some sort of team-based category, as we really enjoyed that aspect of the MOCathalon when it was running. Plus 1st and 2nd place prizes in each category and some fun extra individual awards for outstanding competitors.
Fortunately, we had lots of like-minded friends willing to help with organizing and running the contest.
Geneva: The Summer Joust has continued going strong with competitions in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and in 2021! What’s changed about the SJ over the years? What’s stayed the same?
Isaac: The general contest format has stayed nearly identical since the start. Every year has had six categories, one of which is a team-based challenge; a two-month timeframe; concrete results announcement date; and been hosted primarily on Flickr.
Initially, the Joust took place in May and June, but for several years now it’s been June and July which seems to work better for most people’s schedules and better corresponds with the Summer Joust name.
We now accept entries through Instagram in addition to Flickr and added a Discord hangout channel this year.
Geneva: Tell us about some of the behind-the-scenes before the Summer Joust starts each year—how do you pick categories and prizes? What else is involved?
Isaac: And give away all our secrets?! Well, since you asked nicely…
John and I start by reaching out to builders we think would be a good fit as judges. We always emphasize that if they would have time to compete, they should do that instead. Generally, we’re able to get a group of 6-8 others willing to help with the planning and judging. Then we go over category ideas trying to ensure a diverse selection of build prompts, and things different from the previous Joust (except for the Vignette category which always returns in some fashion). We also discuss the prize lineup – there are always plenty of generous folks willing to donate sets or custom creations which is a huge help.
Geneva: The category that jumped out at me most this year was the Creating an Atmosphere category. I instantly expected a host of gorgeous atmospheric builds. What were you hoping for from Creating an Atmosphere? Did the category fulfill your expectations?
Isaac: I did expect some super impressive all-LEGO scenes and was not disappointed. What surprised me was just how popular of a category it was! I thought it might be an intimidating category that didn’t receive a huge number of entries but was happily proven wrong. The importance of presentation is really highlighted with a category like this, and it was easy to see people were putting a lot of extra effort into that aspect of their entries.
The following entries are only a few of the impressive atmospheres builders created for this category!
Geneva: One impressive thing about the Summer Joust is how many entries there are. Can you give us some stats on the quantity of entries this year compared to previous years? What does it feel like to run a contest with so many participants?
Isaac: This year 210 models were submitted. Our previous record was 163 in the 2020 installment, and I couldn’t believe how big of a leap there was this year. Breaking 200 entries is absolutely mind-blowing! It’s a bit difficult to take in, but we’re extremely grateful so many builders have been inspired by the event.
The following entries are some of my favorites among the honorable mentions!
Geneva: Of course, the other amazing thing is the quality of the entries! I know a lot of people have commented on the high quality this year. Do you agree? What do you think explains the high quality this year?
Isaac: I think the bar is raised every single year. The competitive aspect certainly contributes to that. It’s a given that there will be some breathtaking models entered, so people know they will have to make their own builds extra special. The general attitude of participants is to try and develop their building skills, and that group mentality can push people to take on new challenges and be more ambitious than they normally would be. And when amazing builds keep being posted, it’s super inspiring and motivating.
This next slideshow features the first and second-place winners in each category.
Geneva: What’s the best thing about the Summer Joust to you?
Isaac: After answering that last question, what comes to mind is the welcoming atmosphere of the event. Despite the very best builders competing year after year, many brand-new builders feel comfortable participating in the Joust as their first contest, or even with their first ever MOCs. That’s something we’ll always try to maintain, and it’s super rewarding to see those new competitors get linked in with the online LEGO community.
And because picking just one thing is too hard, I have to add that it’s delightful seeing how teams approach the collaborative category each year. So many astounding series of models have come from that!
Geneva: Several of our own BrickNerd contributors (including yours truly) participated in the Summer Joust this year too, so I asked them the same question—what’s the best thing about the Summer Joust to you?
Andreas Lenander: The best thing is probably the awesome builds that the contest produces each year. It really pushes people (at least me) to become better builders and there is always something new to learn. Also, it’s a great way to interact with other builders and be part of the community!
Andreas brought his unique style to several different categories!
Ted Andes: As a builder, one of the things that I really enjoy is “world-creation”, whether it is on my own or for collaboration projects with others. The Summer Joust contest provides a great format for world-creation within the realm of medieval history and fantasy. In this year’s contest, I explored what might cause a medieval battle in the ant world, the travels of a paranormal investigator in feudal Japan, and a village that relocated itself high upon the face of a cliff wall to avoid being pillaged time and again.
I think all people should give contests a shot, especially in areas that they don’t usually build in. Since I am not a “castle builder” myself, I feel I have nothing to lose by entering and have the freedom to try something new and different with my entries. I strive to always bring a fresh perspective, use different techniques than are typically seen in castle builds, and to take those creative and calculated risks.
Ted went all out with seven entries!
Markus Rollbühler: I think I love most that it seemingly turns the whole AFOL community into a community of Castle builders every summer – it’s an institution of a contest that everyone talks about and wants to participate in. Cool categories – both fan-favorite staples as well as new ones to keep it fresh – challenge both newcomers and established builders, and an expert jury turns around the results in no time. What isn’t there to like? Oh, and did I mention superb custom-built trophies? Scratch that, that might be what I like the most!
Markus brought his A-game to the table and walked away with the Conquering Hero award this year!
Simon Liu: Summer Joust is always one of those contests that I've always looked up to, and the CCC precursor, but as a Sci-Fi builder it's always very outside my comfort zone. As cliche as it sounds, I like doing the Summer Joust and the real prize is the friends I make along the way. From my fellow questers, to Hadden who randomly had a idea to collab in a non collab category 3 days before contest end - and had a fantastic time working with him for the first time and making some great friends. #QuestingTheRealPrize
Not only has Simon made friends questing (chatting on Discord), he’s actually in first place!
Isaiah Durand: The best thing about the Summer Joust is that it’s a castle contest! There may be other themes out there, but nothing beats castle and it’s definitely hard to beat the great castle builds that come from the Summer Joust.
Isaiah’s entries are both large and immersive.
Me (Geneva Durand): I enjoy being inspired by great categories, drooling over impressive prizes, and getting competitive with other builders—but the best thing about the Summer Joust to me is the mind-blowing, jaw-dropping entries it never fails to produce.
I participated with four builds this year and had a blast with each one!
Did you participate in the Summer Joust? Are you inspired by the amazing medieval-themed builds it produced? Let us know what you think in the comment section!
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