LEGO BrickLink Designer Program Series 1 submissions open next week

The first series of the revamped BrickLink Designer Program opens for submissions next week, offering the chance to get your LEGO models out to the masses.

A total of 15 different fan-designed sets were produced through the pilot BrickLink Designer Program in 2021 and 2022, and the process was deemed successful enough that the LEGO Group has now launched the program permanently. Series 1 will kick off on February 1, with submissions for brand new LEGO set concepts accepted through February 28.

Things are a little different this time round, though: instead of rejected LEGO Ideas models, the permanent BrickLink Designer Program will be anchored around original concepts. And rather than racing for financial support – the first 15 sets to secure enough backers entered production in the pilot program – the LEGO Group will decide the five designs teed up for Series 1.

The community will have some say, as a crowd vote will take place in March to allow BrickLink users to boost their favourite submissions, and apparently influence the designs selected for crowdfunding. Those final five sets will still need to reach 3,000 pre-orders to enter production, but they won’t be competing against other models at the same time.

The crowd vote will take place from March 7 to 31, and the LEGO Group will announce the five chosen submissions in late May. Crowdfunding will then begin in February 2024, with a maximum of 20,000 copies of each set available to pre-order (but a limit of two copies of each set per household). The final products should begin arriving with backers by the second half of 2024.

All submissions for Series 1 of the BrickLink Designer Program must be designed in Studio, the platform’s virtual building software. You can’t use IPs – whether external or internal, so no Star Wars, but also no NINJAGO – and sets must be appropriate for a ‘family-friendly audience’. BrickLink also advises against designing a set that’s an extension of or companion to an existing LEGO model.

Your design must be between 400 and 4,000 pieces, with a maximum of one minifigure per 325 parts. You can find the full submission guidelines – including rules on stickers and available pieces, and guidance around the wider building experience – over at BrickLink.

Submissions for Series 1 of the BrickLink Designer Program will be accepted from February 1 to 28, but you can start designing your model right now.

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