After Bricklink released a teaser on their upcoming partnership with LEGO, many within the LEGO community were curious about what the commotion was all about. Dubbed the Bricklink AFOL Designer Program, this Bricklink-LEGO partnership aims to “celebrate creativity by realizing AFOL designs with truly original themes.” A lot has been said about what this program may all be about, and as promised, Bricklink announces the details of what to expect from this collaboration and how exactly the AFOL Designer Program will work.
As it turns out, AFOLs are now given the opportunity of having their original set designs turned into an exclusive, limited edition LEGO 60th anniversary set to be released in April 2019. The Bricklink AFOL Designer Program has three phases: Accepting Entries (September 18 to November 18), Crowdfunding (beginning February 2019), and eventual Release (April 2019).
During the first phase of accepting entries, LEGO will only take digital designs made using Studio 2.0. Plans should also be non-IP based, meaning that it has not been released by LEGO before. The submitted design should also consist of not less than 200 LEGO elements and not more than 2,000 elements. For more information, check the Bricklink AFOL Designer Program Selection Criteria Guidelines.
A total of 20 finalists will be selected, which will be officially announced in February next year. During this, these 20 selected final entries will be open for pre-order crowdfunding. Suppose a particular threshold can meet its financial goal. In that case, it’s on its way to becoming a limited edition LEGO 60th Anniversary set, which will be exclusively available via Bricklink starting April next year.
Remember: all entries must be submitted in digital format using Studio 2.0, which you can download here. Check the fine print and other important details mentioned on the rules page. May the best build win!
