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77.5: Silhouette – Winners Announced

Posted on Apr 1, 2020 by in 1728, Magnet Limit, Results Posted

1st place: Electron Orbital by YoyoBandalore

YoyoBandalore took first place with his bridged cuboctahedron. In order to achieve this photograph, “Figure was placed on a translucent cutting board with white wrapping tissue on top. The cutting board was supported by two champagne flutes with a LED light shining from below.” Precision framing and the tease of how reflective and mirrored the magnets are made this a crowd favorite. 1st place awards Yoyo with $100.

2nd Place: Two Faces Illusion by DBOI

I must admit, I was completely unaware of the illusion in this photo before reading the title. That said, it is well executed and photographed. DBOI had this to say, “The hardest part was getting the overall shape and curves of the faces right. And making it balance. (It fell over a couple of times)” Thus is the bane of the magnet sphere photographer. 2nd place awards DBOI $70.

3rd Place: Illuminati by Krazy Kat

Krazy Kat committed to the triangular route, though the pattern created also exhibits radiating circles and hexagons. Illuminati hypnosis conspiracy! Kat had this to say of her process, “A small triangle led to a bigger triangle, and that bigger triangle led to an even bigger triangle.” Indeed it did. This massive triangle helped Kat klaim 3rd place, awarding $55.

4th Place: Infinite star by Ra

Ra’s Infinite star evokes an object in motion. The backlighting intensifies in the center, similar to YoyoBandalore’s, drawing our eyes inward. Beginning with the same subunit as Krazy Kat, they apparently were both drawn by unseen forces, “The triangle lead to the first star and the first star led to the full construction.” 4th place awards Ra with $40.

5th Place: Stegosaurus silhouette by tend2it

The stegosaurus returns to the Zen contests to grace us with his dainty silhouette. The harsh, direct light unfortunately directs the eye downward and out of frame, and highlights the reflective surface more than the construction. If the light had been directed at the backdrop, instead of towards the dino, we’d have more desirable contrast. Check tend2it’s flickr for more Stegosaurus angles, it’s a fun challenge to build. 5th place awards him $25.

6th Place: Perching palm by ryanpetey

Finally, we’ve got ryanpetey’s palm tree. His photographic process was the most effective in creating a dark, crisp, silhouette. “I used a high power light and placed it underneath my palm tree creation. I directed my light source to shine away from my Zen Magnets to create the silhouette effect.” Unfortunately, the palm tree shape wasn’t distinctive enough to sway the voters. 6th place awards ryanpetey $10.

Thanks to all our participants and voters. Hopefully you’re all staying home, safe, and virus free. If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size. See if you can spot the builds that used colored magnets. And keep in mind that contests held here are independent of the Zen Gallery. Magnet sculptors can always submit photos to gallery.zenmagnets.com to win magnets as well. Spectators, keep your eyes peeled for the next contest, because you choose the winners. Contest Winners, we’ll email you your prizes soon.


The March 2020 contest has come to a close. Time for everyone to stretch their voting finger and pick their favorites. There were 6 entries in total, vying for $300 in prizes. Check out the entries below, then follow the button at the bottom of the page to cast your votes.

1 vote allowed per person, pick your top 3. Voting deadline is April 9, 2020. Vote here:

Vote!