Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2025-26 Building Brick Challenge Series. General information on the event and winners are listed below. Check back in the new 4-H year for info on the 2026-27 series!

Contest Details

Youth ages 8 to 18: Compete in our virtual building brick challenge series to show off your original builds with plastic building bricks like LEGO and MEGABLOKS! Each month, from October to December, we’ll offer a new build challenge to celebrate the launch of our new Creating with Building Bricks 4-H project. For our challenges youth create their own original builds following the month’s theme and size limits, then submit info on their build, along with photos of the build electronically. Each month, our favorite build (based on creativity, technical skills demonstrated, and alignment to theme) will be selected as the winner in 3 different age divisions:

• 8-10 year olds
• 11-13 year olds
• 14-18 year olds

Winners will receive prizes via mail. We’ll also select one random participant submission per month to receive some swag. There is no cost to enter, but youth MUST be currently enrolled Illinois 4-H club members to participate. 

Youth can only submit one build per month! All builds must be original (from the imagination of the youth who submits) and not built from a kit or inspired by the builds of others (including ones they see on the internet). Virtual builds are not permitted for this contest. Builds must be entirely from plastic building brick elements. Builds should also follow the copyright guidelines outlined in the Creating with Building Bricks project resource guide (pages 17 & 18). Youth who win their category one month will not be eligible for prizes any other month in the series. Age divisions go by 4-H age.

2025 Contest Winners

October 2025 Challenge Winners

Theme: Monster Mash

8–10-year-old age division

• Builder: Skylar Naff, 10, Fulton County, Pleasant Spacemakers 4-H Club
• Creature Name: Orville's Payback (photo above left)
• Creature Description: Orville has worked as a custodian at the local movie theater all his life. All those years of cleaning up after movie goers has drove him crazy. He decided to become a mad scientist and create a popcorn monster to scare the mess makers.

11–13-year-old age division

• Builder: Aaliyah Naff, 11, Fulton County, Pleasant Spacemakers 4-H Club
• Creature Name: Woody's Woodland Revenge (photo above center)
• Creature Description: My build is the story of a lumberjack who went through the woods, chopping down all the trees. He then reaches the biggest tree in the forest, a giant oak. As he raises his axe to swing, he feels himself being grabbed and lifted off the ground. Woody has his "Woodland Revenge" for all the creatures of the forest.

14–18-year-old age division

• Builder: Daniel McComb, 16, St. Clair County, Creative Critters 4-H Club
• Creature Name: Creeping Canopy (photo above right)
• Creature Description: On Halloween night, the Creeping Canopy — a tree that grew through an old house — tore free from the earth and began to walk. Its creaking limbs and glowing windows now wander the forest, searching for the next home to consume.

November 2025 Challenge Winners

Theme: Hometown Pride

8–10-year-old age division

• Builder: Elizabeth Fuller, 9, Logan County, Four Corner Clovers 4-H Club
• Build Location: Mount Pulaski Courthouse (photo above left)
• Build Description: This is the Mount Pulaski Courthouse. It is on the square in the middle of town. Abraham Lincoln practiced law here before he became president.

11–13-year-old age division

• Builder: Ezekiel Anderson, 13, Shelby County, Strasburg Tailtwisters 4-H Club
• Build Location: Strausburg Area Farming (photo above center)
• Build Description: Our county is a rural area, and we have a large agricultural industry. There is a feud between red and green tractors. Red is better.

14–18-year-old age division

• Builder: George Kapasouris, 15, DuPage County, Whirlybirds 4-H Club
• Build Location: Morton Arboretum  (photo above right)
• Build Description: Beauty of the Morton Arboretum-one of our favorite places with mazes, picnicking, and endless adventures!

December 2025 Challenge Winners

Theme: Habitats

8–10-year-old age division

• Builder: Lauren Oslawski, 10, Coles County, Coles County All-Stars 4-H Club
• Build Description: My build (photo above left) is a tiny garden with a little girl watering the plants. There is a cherry tree in the front, by the fence are two purple flower plants, an orchid growing off the wall in the back, and other mosses and vines with flowers growing off the wall too.

11–13-year-old age division

• Builder: Isabella Roth, 13, DuPage County, Lego Club of DuPage
• Build Description: My build (photo above center) depicts a half and half scene of a man in the ocean with a seagull floating above on the waves.

14–18-year-old age division

• Builder: Anna Rutherford, 14, Madison County, Pin Oak Progressors 4-H Club
• Build Description: My build (photo above right) is a castle kitchen with lots of food and cooking supplies. My minifigure is making vegetable soup

2025-26 Winter Break Family Build Challenge Winners

Theme: Winter Wonderland

First Place

• Builders: Naff Family - Skylar Naff (10), Aaliyah Naff (11), and Trista Naff (adult)
• Club: Pleasant Spacemakers Club in Fulton County
• Build Description: The snow is here. It is time to get out and play! Winter fun is for everyone whether you like to shop, build a snowman, or perhaps do something more adventurous like skiing the slopes. Within our build there are 4 four leaf clovers hidden. Each clover represents one H in 4-H: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. Can you find them all?

Second Place

• Builders: Taylor-Hart Family – Chiara Taylor-Hart (10) and Amanda Taylor-Hart (adult)
• Club: Northshore Explorers 4-H Club in Lake County
• Build Description: We built a snow-capped mountain with a frozen waterfall cascading down into a frozen lake. We added a cozy cabin with festive decorations surrounded by magical creatures.

Third Place

• Builders: Schreiner Family – Raylon Schreiner (10) and Layla Schreiner (7)
• Club: Hollanders 4-H Club and The Whiz Kids Cloverbuds Club in Logan County
• Build Description: Our build is called The Cozy Cafe Inn. It is a place where people can come to dine and stay in a cabin over their winter break. There are endless adventures such as going on winter hikes, spotting animals, walking on the bridge over the frozen river and meeting new friends over a cup of hot cocoa.