Krazy Kat secured 1st place with her super adorable Santa Claus. Perhaps this entry was more popular due to the season, but most likely it’s the perfect use of colored magnets and Kat’s Christmas Spirit. Certainly a jolly ol elf. 1st prize earns Krazy Kat $100.

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2nd Place: “The Last Magnet Bender” by Ra Tascon

“There has never been a magnet bender before.” declared Ra Tascon with this entry, and I have to agree. Like Krazy Kat, the use of color is totally spot on. My only complaint would be the white eyeballs, but the boots and clothes are so good it doesn’t really matter. 2nd place awards Ra Tascon $85.

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3rd Place: Flying Kick Action !” by tend2it

Tend2it flying kicked his way into 3rd with these battle droids. I’ve honestly not seen magnet peeps with such accurate human proportions before. Tend2it said, “The challenge was to get the body proportions and joint bends accurate with the limitations of the magnetic fields.” Well, you totally nailed it. 3rd place earns tend2it $55.

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4th Place: “Plumber’s Enemy” by Luisin

Luisin took 4th with his rendition of Bowser. A magneteer after our own hearts, Luisin’s inspiration came from the cover of his Smash Bros game. “I didn’t think I would be able to create a Bowser, but with some imagination everything is possible.” said Luisin. We couldn’t agree more. Luisin gets $35 for 4th place.

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5th Place: “Juggernaut900” by JLW

In 5th place is JLW’s Juggernaut900. I love that I’ve not seen a magnet build like this before, and totally thought it was Pyramid head from Silent Hill. This whole contest was great for fresh takes on human-ish figures. JLW’s creativity earned him $25 for 5th.

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6th Place: “Help Is Arriving” by Roberta Kern

Roberta’s submission demonstrated how easily figures can be created from very simple shapes, if not all the same shape. This hexagonal buddy earned Roberta $15.

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7th Place: “Hip, Hip, Hooray!” by Magneto Man

Magneto Man took 7th with this very crisp, clear shot of a magnet man with insanely few magnets. This happy lil dude earned Magneto Man $15.

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8th Place: “Magneto” by Nick Schaefers

Tying for 8th place is Nick’s Magneto. Nick was the only participant that utilized molding in his construction process. 8th place earns Nick $15.

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8th Place: “Magnet Man Says Hi!” by RazapMagnets

Last but not least, our other 8th place winner is RazapMagnet’s Magnet Man. Gotta love the nice round body, perhaps the first instance of a plus sized magnet man? He’s definitely fatter than Kat’s Santa. Razap gets $15 as well.

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If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size. 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 next month may be the last. Contest Winners, we’ll email you your prizes soon.

All submissions are in for the November 2020 contest. We have 9 total entries, which you can view full size from the grid below.

We have $300 in prizes to be distributed amongst the winners, but we need help selecting them first. Once you’ve decided on some favorites, follow the button below to cast your vote. 1 vote per person. Voting deadline is Dec 7, 2020

[button link=”https://forms.gle/EpheSEYRTyxDxNFaA” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”]Vote Here[/button]

“There are three kinds of forms in the human figure: Ovoid forms – egg, ball and barrel masses; Column forms – cylinder, cone; Spatulate forms – box, slab and wedge blocks.”

The November 2020 contest is reviving a classic. Create a humanoid figure with magnets. We’re looking for a figure with a head, torso, 2 arms, 2 legs. Plenty of room for imagination.

Last time we held this contest was 6 years and almost 50 contests ago. We’ll shake this one up a bit. Any brand of 5mm magnet spheres allowed, limit yourself to a max of 1728 magnets.

Here’s some inspiration from Homunculus I and Homunculus II.

Summary of Requirements:

• Must have head + torso + 2 legs + 2 arms
• Maximum of 1728 magnets may be used
• Any brand 5mm magnet spheres acceptable
• No props may be a part of your construction
• 1 submission per person
• No collages/grids
• No photo manipulation beyond basic color correction and exposure.
• Deadline Nov 30, 2020

Of course the main requirement is that you have fun. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. As usual, the judges will be your peers. Pay attention to resolution, focus, lighting and framing. Sharp, high resolution pictures are preferred. There will be at least FIVE winners, possibly more depending on participation. There will be $300 in prizes to be distributed among the winners – prizes can be redeemed at zenmagnets.com or neoballs.com.

When you’re ready to submit, follow the button below:

[button link=”https://forms.gle/feBvHGc6UFkzMBAJA” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”]Submit Here[/button]

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:

[button link=”https://forms.gle/yB6wUECTgMLMVggx5″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote![/button]

There are not many original shapes or silhouettes – only a million variations.

The March 2020 contest is to create a build with 1728 magnets or less, and photograph it’s silhouette. Ergo, the magnets must be lit from behind, so they are shadowed in the photograph. You may construct whatever you please. Remember the judges will be your peers, so aim for visual appeal.

You must also submit a 2nd photo, with your build fully lit, so we can see your setup and magnet count.

List of Requirements:

• 1728 magnets or less
• Magnet build must be silhouetted
• Submit 2 photos- 1 silhouetted for judging, 1 fully lit
• Submission deadline March 31, 2020
• 1 submission per person
• No photo manipulation/collages aside from basic levels and contrast

$300 in prizes is up for grabs, to be distributed among the winners. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Of course, the first and foremost requirement, is that you have fun!

1st Place: Mathnetism “Double Helix Attraction”

Mathnetism takes the gold with a stunning symmetrical piece. He had this to say about his creation, “The center of my design is the double helix, which also provides the strong magnetic field needed to attract the magnets chains attached to the cross shape in the middle.” His masterful creation and photography execution awards him $100.

2nd Place: DBOI “When the Rope Broke”

DBOI was a real crowd pleaser, using the levitation as a storytelling device and creating the illusion that this snapshot captured the exact moment the rope snapped. Hopefully that magnet man was still rescued from the quicksand. 2nd place earns DBOI $70.

3rd Place: Cody “Pillar of Infinity”

Cody constructed a tower with symmetrical, spiraling levitation features. He had this to say about his process, “I enjoy building different variations of pentakis dodecahedrons. So I took the sides of some and made them gradually decreased in size from bottom to top with an entire dodecahedron at the top. I then attached the strands to the corners on both pillars that “levitate” around the outside.” For 3rd place, Cody is awarded $50.

4th Place: wifikiller3 “Mutual Suspension”

Coming in 4th place, wifikiller3 started from the bottom before arriving at this winner. “I began by building the structure on the cover of this contest to make sure i knew what the magnetic levitation felt like. Then I played with my zen magnets for hours.” Playing with Zen Magnets for hours pays off, wifikiller3 gets $40.

5th Place: Dan Condon-Jones “Flame”

Dan’s submission was one of the only where the levitation feature was more than just a single strand of magnets. He said he wanted the levitating piece to be completely separate from the other build. He settled on the flame shape and earned himself $35 for 5th place.

6th Place: Mike T. “Almost”

Mike T. created 2 builds that mirrored each other. The shot itself is interesting as the depth of field hints at the size of the structure, but we still get an “X” shape from the overlapping parts. Check out his linked tiktok for a cool video of the whole build. 6th place earns Mike $30.

7th Place: Chupacabra “The Best Workout”

Chupacabra made an adorable little Zen man working out, and it worked out for him too, because he got 7th place. Chupacabra is awarded $25.

8th Place: Tacky Tim “Peace Ring”

Tacky Tim constructed a peace sign with the inner bars levitating. Nice execution, nice depth of field on a sunny day. Tim gets $22.50 for 8th place.

9th Place: Bastkan0 “Long Way Magnetic Levitation”

Finally, we’ve got Bastkan0’s build reaching across a table gap. 9th place earns him $20.

If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size. 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.

Submissions are closed for the Levitation Feature contest and voting is now open. We had a whopping 23 valid submissions (must be 1728 or less genuine Zen Magnets) and there’s a really good mix of new and old contestants.

$300 in prizes is up for grabs, with at least 6 winners. We’ll see how this voting shakes out for prize distribution. You’ve got plenty of pretty pictures to ogle, click the link below to pick your 1st/2nd/3rd faves. Voting deadline is June 5th, 2019.

“See! Levitation is easy if we all just keep our heads on the ground.”

-Anthony T. Hincks

The May 2019 contest is to create a sculpture with a levitating feature out of a maximum of 1728 Zen Magnets. Props to DanCJ for spawning the idea for this contest.

Technically, this is a partial levitation contest. We obviously don’t expect magnets to be hovering in the air without any physical support or contact. The “partial levitation” feature is achieved if a part of the structure is held in place by magnetic tension at a distance, without dependence on gravitational balance. Here are some examples of what does and doesn’t count:

This structure is hanging off the ground, but all of the magnets that affect it’s shape are in contact.

The edges of this magnet tulip are being held up by magnetism, but it’s not a tension (pulling force) that’s holding it up.

The wrecking ball is supported at only one end and being pushed outwards slightly. This is borderline, but it doesn’t quite seem like levitation

The magnets in the center are not making contact, and are pulling towards each other to stay up. Partial Levitation Success!

Hopefully that doesn’t make it more complicated than it has to be! The scope of this contest is relatively wide. You can build nearly anything you wish as long as it has at least one partially levitating feature.

Summary of Requirements:

1. Maximum of 1728 Zen Magnets may be used. Only Zen Magnets for this contest.
2. No other props, magnets, or objects may be used.
3. A part of the sculpture must be visibly held stationary with magnetic pulling force from a distance.
4. No photo manipulation besides basic contrast/brightness levels.

As usual, the judges will be your peers. Pay attention to resolution, focus, lighting as framing. Use not your bright reflective flash, but instead a self timer and a tripod (or stand.) Sharp, high resolution pictures are preferred. $300 in prizes is up for grabs and distribution will depend on participation. There will be at least six winners. (Or less if we get less than 4 entries like contest 66!) Prizes will be announced with judging. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Submission deadline is May 31st, 2019.

Of course, the first and foremost requirement, is that you have fun! 

[button link=”https://forms.gle/LhPNhYhkHoKdEoAf8″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Submit[/button]

With about 30 entries, KLAW managed to take 1st place with this photo of a Zen pyramid. Nice warm, dramatic lighting from the golden hour helped achieve “an Egyptian atmosphere.” Plus a low angle and short depth of field gives this build the illusion of being enormous. Congratulations, KLAW, first place lands you $100 in Zen credits.

2nd place – Acanthaster

This entry displays the versatility of the 9 ball triangle. “I was playing around with the subunit, and suddenly I had something that looked like a dog’s head! I was able to attach a neck, so worked out the body and legs and assembled the pieces.” Acanthaster, your creativity has earned you $60 in Zen credits.

3rd place – tend2it

Tend2it utilized 1260 Zen Magnets to assemble “Space Cruiser Alterra.” The backdrop, use of glass and blue lighting effectively give this image the aura of an alien spacecraft. To see a ton of alternates, and how to build, follow the link to his flickr. For securing 3rd place, tend2it walks away with $45 in Zen credits.

4th place – Teradonis

Teradonis brings the minimalist vibes with this flower image. After beginning with a classic flower shape, “…I tried to make a stem that could carry the flower without falling.” Clean, white lighting and central focus has earned Teradonis $35 in Zen credits.

5th place – LaniQ

Perhaps our most stylistic entry, LaniQ started with a pyramid-inspired shape, and then inverted it on a sea of 9 ball triangles. The blue lighting, sharp focus, and magnet ball reflections caught the eyes of our voters, securing 5th place. LaniQ is awarded $30 in Zen credits.

6th place – A.K.C.E.L.

A.K.C.E.L. used all 1728 magnets in this crystal-inspired build. Here’s what they had to say, “My end goal was to replicate a crystal cluster using the sub units formed into diamond structures. From this initial thought process I slowly added and mirrored my diamond structures to create what I proudly call: little big cluster.” Little big cluster is awarded $26 in Zen credits.

7th place – MeowAwo

This is MeowAwo’s first contest submission, though he’s no stranger to the gallery. Perhaps not his intent, but this image screams 3D triforce to me. Utilizing the Golden Power has earned MeowAwo $23 in Zen credits.

8th place – DBOI

After checking the last contest and attempting something more complex, DBOI was hooked on the potato chip shape he stumbled on and went all in. This junk food mimicry solidified 8th place for DBOI, he is awarded $20 in Zen credits.

9th place – Nicolas Rocha

This large build is constructed of tetrahedron subunits connected antiparallel to each other. If you look closely you can see the connections forming straight lines running through the whole construction. Well done. Nicolas is awarded $17.50 for 9th place.

10th place – Aaron

Last but not least, Aaron constructed a Stellated Icosahedron with his 9 ball triangles. The slight texture of the snow is a nice contrast to the smooth mirror finish of the magnets. Aaron is awarded $15 in Zen credits.

Great job everyone. If you haven’t already, click on the images to check them at the original size. 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.

Bringing back the 9-Tri Subunit contest proved to be fruitful, we had 28 submissions for this contest. Looks like everyone had a good time, there’s some fun mimicry in there. A quick review of the contest requirements: Must be Zen Magnets, no more than 1728 magnets used, all magnets in the sculpture must be identifiable as 9-Triangles.

$300 in prizes will be distributed among the winners.

Judges, remember that this contest is a photography contest just as much as it is a magnet sculpture contest, overall aesthetic does matter. Voting deadline is 2/13.

Vote in this google form for your top 3:

[button link=”https://goo.gl/forms/bVdL33YwVslcG54d2″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote[/button]

The January 2019 contest is to create a sculpture using only 9-Triangle subunits. A maximum of 192 of these subunits can be used, in other words 1728 Zen Magnets maximum. Photos due at the end of January.

Building with subunits is great because they’re easy to take apart from each other, making sculpture modification and experimentation especially easy. Some subunits are a bit more stable than others. The 9-Triangle is relatively delicate compared to hexagon sheets, as the triangular corners shift back into a loop if you drop it, or connect them out of compatibility, or look at them too sternly. You might just be surprised how many objects can be fashioned by focusing on the surface curvature of triangle sheet quilts. This is a sequel to Contest 21 which took place in 2012.

Summary of Requirements:

• Maximum 1728 Zen Magnets. No minimum.
• 9-Triangle subunits only. All magnets in the sculpture must be identifiable as 9-Triangles.
• Deadline 1/31/2019
• Zen Magnets only, no Neoballs, Micromagnets, or other support structures.
• 1 submission per person

As usual, the judges will be your peers. Pay attention to resolution, focus, lighting as framing. Use not your bright reflective flash, but instead a self timer and a tripod (or stand.) Sharp, high resolution pictures are preferred. $300 in prizes is up for grabs. Distribution will depend on participation, but based on past participation we’re expecting to award an average of about $30 per contest entry assuming approximately 10 participants. First prize will get $100 or more. Everything you submit goes into the public domain.

Of course, the first and foremost requirement, is that you have fun!

To enter, upload your photo to this Google form:

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNwtUAfqexd3E0zY2iU1AIuVWh0EAq0YvJFGb1uWDO0ZfkPw/viewform?usp=sf_link” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Submit[/button]

1st Place: Ffrangconator – $100

A colorful Link, formed to recognizable shape, with a few wonderful backgrounds. This scene was originally going to be in a stop motion animation, but was difficult to animate. Perfect match for this contest, however  The post processed background is great for the thumbnail view, though it’s a bit distracting at full resolution.  $100 in Zen Credits awarded, usable at Zenmagnets.com or Neoballs.com

2nd Place: Poolshark – $85

An impressive color rendition of Yoshi’s head, amazing proportioning and great detail. Even the nostrils are marked with different colored magnets. A somewhat dark shot, but very sharp at full resolution. Click to view. $85 Zen won, also exchangeable for 50% in Bitcoin.

3rd Place: DanCJ – $70

An incredible case of curvature control shown in this full body version of Yoshi. Those with experience working with magnets, will know how difficult this sculpture was to create. $70 worth of magnets won.

4th Place Tie: Tend2it – $65.96

One hungry hungry Kirby! Exactly 438 Zen Magnets were used to capture Kirby in the middle of his Inhale Attack. Neoballs were used for the colored eye, mouth and feet detailing. Each entry in this contest is quite impressive, so we’ve stepped up the lower tier prizes: $65.96 awarded for the 4th place ties.

4th Place Tie: Teradonis – $65.96

This is one of our favorites. A tall free-standing Link, visibly holding his shield and grappling hook. The shape of his hat is as distinct as his boots. Wish we could see it in 3D… $65.96 in Zen earned.

4th Place Tie: Jrcpalmetto – $65.96

A cute Pikachu, standing next to his pokeball. This was created with only 216 yellow neoballs, along with other colors. Jrcpalmetto says, “I ended up stacking irregular hexagons and rings on top of each other until I got the shape I wanted, and then went back and added exactly 216 yellow neoballs and a face and tail (also made of irregular hexagons a.k.a. 12 triangles).” $65.96 Zen won.

If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size. 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.

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=54455″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

6 Incredible Entries for the July 2014 Super Smash Bros Character sculpting contest.

Click for original size.

1st Place: $100 Zen Credit, usable on ZenMagnets.com or Neoballs.com

The rest of the prize scale will be announced with the winners.

Judges, remember that this contest is a photography contest just as much as it is a magnet sculpture contest, overall aesthetic does matter. Voting deadline is 9/30.

Decide your favorite TWO entries, and

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=54455″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

Everything not saved will be lost.  – Nintendo “Quit Screen” message

The July 2014 contest is to create a 3D Sculpture of a character from Super Smash Bros Melee using a maximum of 1728 magnet spheres of any brand. It’s a pretty wide selection of characters from the Nintendo universe, and you can have a shot at any one of them. This is a relatively high skill contest, since none of the characters are represented by simple geometry, so we’re increasing the prizes a bit.

Although the limit is 1728, don’t feel obligated to use more than is necessary to represent the shape of the character. Nor should you feel required to use colorful magnets, as judges will be asked to primarily judge shape. No flat 2D builds allowed.

Use not your bright reflective flash, but instead a self timer and a tripod (or stand.)

As usual, the judges will be your peers. Pay attention to resolution, focus, lighting, background and framing. Sharp, high resolution pictures are preferred, but remember that your thumbnail will be hexagon shaped crop when presented among others. There will be at least FIVE winners, possibly more depending on participation. The prize for first place in this contest will be $100 Zen Credits, usable on zenmagnets.com or neoballs.com. All Zen Credits are also exchangeable for half their value in Bitcoin. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Of course, the first and foremost requirement, is that you have fun!

Submission deadline is the end of  July

To enter, load your full resolution photo on to imgur.com, and fill out this submission form:

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YFSvPkYPsv2PG8LSxvBLrRyttb-r_aslOenbM80_AVM/viewform” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Submit Here[/button]

Simply titled Tree by Magnetism, and referred to by us as Tree of Reflective Wavy Foliage. “The main subunit for this design is a dodecagon [sheet] wrapped around a core. These wrapped dodecagons form the branches and leaves of the tree and are joined by a 6-ring stack trunk.”  The reflections on the inner trunk between the 10 side sheets are especially unique. The 10 second full resolution impression greater than the 1 second thumbnail impression. $65 in Zen Credits awarded.

2nd Place: Tend2it

This sculpture, titled Palm Tree v3 Colored, was created with 654 Green Neoballs and 246 Copper Neoballs. More shots can be found here. The shadow of a sunny beach day. Also one of the best presented as a thumbnail. If you’re wondering where Tend2it got copper neoballs, they were available over a year ago but were discontinued for being such an easily tarnished coating, but we may have them back soon. Tend2it wins $55 in Zen Credits, good at zenmagnets.com or neoballs.com.

3rd Place: VPavlov1953

A magnet sphere Christmas tree, adorned in Gold. A crisp high resolution shot, framed nicely, though slightly dark. $45 in magnets awarded, also redeemable for half of face value in Bitcoin.

4th Place: KylarF

Reminiscent of some of the trees (and mushrooms) in Super Mario World. This tree was made with 216 Green Neoballs, and 1013 Zen Magnets. “The hardest part was the crown but  after several tries I ended up with this based on double rings of 6 magnets.” A bright and exciting background, and well chosen plane of focus. $35 won.

5th Place: Dan Condon-Jones

The Bare Tree was once designed to be much bigger, but couldn’t support it’s own weight. A true creation of abstraction. The branches spurt out in a organic directions. Would be very difficult to recreate based on this picture alone. $25 Zen awarded.

6th Place: Jrcpalmetto

The Majestic Mandala Tree is quite a mesmerizing design connected hexagons, connected in a matter that represents branches, yet overall is shaped like a tree. However, arguably not a sculpture. $15 Zen won.

If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size. 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.

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=52195″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

13 Entries for the June 2014 Tree Sculpture Contest

Click for original size.

1st Place: $65 Zen Credit, usable on ZenMagnets.com or Neoballs.com

2nd Place: $55 Zen Credit

3rd Place: $45 Zen Credit

4th Place: $45 Zen Credit

5th Place: $25 Zen Credit

Judges, remember that this contest is a photography contest just as much as it is a magnet sculpture contest, overall aesthetic does matter. Voting deadline is the end of July!

Decide your favorite 4 entries, and

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=52195″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.”
― Chad Sugg

The June 2014 contest (#40) is the second tree sculpting contest, our first was contest 10. Again, much lateral liberty on what you make. Of all possible sculptures that could be considered a tree, most of them are going to be fictional, rather than modeled after an actual tree. Even if you’re the only one that can identify it as a tree, that’s ok.

Use up to a total of 1728 magnet spheres of any brand, to hand grow your tree. Keep the background clean and simple, to minimally distract from your actual tree.

Any brand of magnet sphere is acceptable, including neoballs. As usual, the judges will be your peers. Pay attention to resolution, focus, lighting and framing. Use not your bright reflective flash, but instead of a self timer and a tripod (or stand.) Sharp, high resolution pictures are preferred, and remember that your thumbnail will be hexagon shaped crop when shown among others. There will be at least FIVE winners, possibly more depending on participation. The prize for first place in this contest will be $65 Zen Credits, usable on zenmagnets.com or neoballs.com. All Zen Credits are also exchangeable for half their value in Bitcoin. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Of course, the first and foremost requirement, is that you have fun!

Submission deadline is the end of June.

To enter, load your full resolution photo on to imgur.com, and fill out this submission form:

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12qvm9-FdIrKzLG3vP05Y040jAVgMS5BDwM6HYQhOL2c/viewform?usp=send_form” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Submit Here[/button]

“I started with an enormous, elaborate design but in the end switched to a smaller 2 set (+10 balls) man standing on his head with pretty basic design techniques.” It’s a novel and inspiring clean design. As an icon among eight others, it’s simplicity stands out strong. One of the most fun poses a two set magnet man could hold! Poolshark wins $65 in Zen Credits, usable at ZenMagnets.com or Neoballs.com.

2nd Place: KylarF

Titled: Sit down and enjoy the view! This magnet man is taking a rest after what must have been a difficult climb up to the kitchen table. Wiping sweat off the brow perhaps? A very crisp high resolution shot with a well captured plane of focus. $55 Zen Credits won, also redeemable for half of the face value in Bitcoin.

3rd Place: Tend2it

1633 Zen Magnets used in Tend2it’s third iteration of his Mecha Warrior. Now upgraded with blaster systems in both arms below the shoulder plates. One laser canon firing. The headpiece is quite articulately expressed. See all angles in this video. $45 Zen Awarded.

4th Place: Anschi

Created during the Sochi Olympic games, this is a ski jumber right after landing a Telemark. The pose reflects the typical struggle seen after landing. Created from 819 Zen Magnets in forms exclusively of rings and triangles. $35 Prize awarded.

If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size. 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 eye out for the conclusion of contest 39 as well! Submissions close on the last day of April, and the turnout is incredible.

Contest Winners, we’ll email you your prizes soon.

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=24747″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

9 Entries for the February 2014 Humanoid contest.

Click for original size.

1st Place: $65 Zen Credit, usable on ZenMagnets.com or Neoballs.com

2nd Place: $55 Zen Credit

3rd Place: $45 Zen Credit

4th Place: $35 Zen Credit

Judges, remember that this contest is a photography contest just as much as it is a magnet sculpture contest, overall aesthetic does matter. Voting deadline is the end of March.

Decide your favorite 4 entries, and

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=24747″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

It’s true that the human body is more vulnerable than the products of the human mind. – Salman Rushdie

The February 2014 contest is to create a humanoid sculpture, using a miminum of 432 Zen magnets, and a maximum of 1728.

Over thirty contests ago we had the very first homunculus contest. This month is the long awaited sequel. What is considered a humaoid? Any standing figure with a body, head, two arms and two legs, really. There’s plenty room for imagination even if your aim is to imitate an actual human figure.

Read the rules below.

Zen Magnets Only for this contest. As usual, the judges will be your peers. Pay attention to resolution, focus, lighting and framing. Use not your bright reflective flash, but instead of a self timer and a tripod (or stand.) Sharp, high resolution pictures are preferred, and remember that your thumbnail will be hexagon shaped crop when shown among others. There will be at least FIVE winners, possibly more depending on participation. The prize for first place in this contest will be $65 Zen Credits, usable on zenmagnets.com or neoballs.com. All Zen Credits are also exchangeable for half their value in Bitcoin. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Of course, the first and foremost requirement, is that you have fun!

Submission deadline is the end of February.

To enter, load your full resolution photo on to imgur.com, and fill out this submission form:

 [button link=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1izquZUAOT14QTn80KIjV8hOdJog_cQrrQ8dw3HeRAG8/viewform” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Submit Here[/button]

1st Place: Mathnetism

We can only imagine how nice that penthouse view on the top floor must be on this grand tower. Mesmerizing background and crisp shot. This simple and repeating tower of crisscrossing swirls brings to mind the Gherkin building in London, as shown below. Mathnetism wins $100 in Zen Credits, usable on ZenMagnets.com or Neoballs.com.

 2nd Place: Csharg

It’s difficult to imagine the scale of this structure, standing in an urban skyline.  Perhaps it’s similar in scale to Seattle’s Space Needle (below), but with multiple disc platforms instead of just the one near the top.  Maybe it’s just an epic fountain, with waterfalls down every level.  You’ll have to ask Csharg, who just won $50 in Zen Credits.

3rd Place: YoYoBandalore

A thin tower, with a glowing crown and noodly appendages along it’s base. Maybe a lighthouse. That transforms into an underwater submersible vehicle.

4th Place: GalaxyTraveler

One of the more structurally sound superstructures, with a satisfyingly clean shot. Warm colorful lighting for a dark night.

5th Place: Tend2it

Another repeating  subunit tower, seemingly lit from within. Great work.

6th Place: Tomdonut14

We would venture to say, that this is the finest sculpture of an Eiffel Tower yet made out of magnet spheres.

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If you haven’t already, click on the images to check out the original size.

Prizes are show below. If you entered and didn’t win, remember that you can still submit your photo to gallery.zenmagnets.com to win magnets too!

Spectators, keep your eyes peeled for the next contest, because you decide the winners.

Contest Winners, contact us from your email to receive your prize credits.

12 Entries for the November Shadow Projection contest. The Polls are open!

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=84827″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

Turnout was medium, but we won’t be lowering the stakes.

1st Place: $100 Zen Credit, usable on ZenMagnets.com or Neoballs.com

2nd Place: $50 Zen Credit

3rd Place: $25 Zen Credit

4th Place: $15 Zen Credit

5th Place: $10 Zen Credit

6th Place: $7 Zen Credit

Click on images to see full size.

Contestants, feel free to show this contest to family, friends, and others!

Judges, remember that this contest is a photography contest just as much as it is a magnet sculpture contest, overall aesthetic does matter. Voting deadline is 12/31

Decide your favorite 5 entries, and

[button link=”http://zenmagnets.com/lime/index.php?sid=84827″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Vote Here[/button]

The November contest, is to make a tall architectural masterpiece with a maximum of 1728 Zen Magnets. The building must be at least three times higher than it is wide at the base. No additional structural objects besides magnets may be used, however building on a magnetic surface is allowed (and actually recommended for stability.) The structure does not need to be solid. And the base of the building is measured at the widest points touching the ground. You’ll need to submit two photos: One of your actual submission, and one to show your building is higher than the 3:1 proportion.

Zen Magnets only for this contest. If you don’t have Zen Magnets, hold tight, more contests will soon be held at Neoballs.com. A limit of 1728 magnets to be used. If you don’t have thousands of magnets, you’ll have to especially focus on the lighting, framing, and photographic integrity.

As usual, the judges will be your peers. So don’t aim simply to make the most amazing sculpture, try to take the most beautiful photo. There will be at least six winners, and possibly more depending on participation. The prize for first place will be $100 Zen Credit. Zen Magnets only in this contest. Again, this is a photography contest as much as a magnet sphere contest. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Having fun is the most important requirement. Submission deadline is the end of November.

To enter, load your two full resolution photos on to imgur.com, and fill out this submission form:

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE1QVV9xVmk3LTdfMTVXZVMteHFURFE6MA” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Submit Here![/button]

Contest Weblog Update:

Sorry for the week and a half contest outage. We sorta had to start all over, but the rebuilding resulted in an upgrade. For those who are interested in technical details: We have recently activated ZenMagnets.com on Cloudflare, a cloud caching network which would allow ZenMagnets.com to respond faster, and be more enduring under extremely high traffic. However, the DNS forwarding implemented by Cloudflare seemed to have unhinged the SQL database of our contest wordpress site. And when we tried to recover the database, we ended up overwriting it and breaking the old contest site entirely.

Fortunately, google had old copies of our contest site that we were able to refer to when building the new contest site. The contest.zenmagnets.com weblog is now much cleaner, more visually compelling, and is also optimized for viewing on tablets and phones via zenmagnets.com/blog. When the full frame site is viewed on a desktop, search and other navigational options are also available.

Enjoy!

First Place Winner: Tend2it

The winner of the April headgear contest, and of two free glimmering sets of Zen Magnets, is Tend2it. Using the montage method, four different angles of this helm are shown. The gold and black contrast really emphasizes the layering and depth of the build, and the four colorful neoballs are modestly placed to ornament without extravagance. The photography is sharp, clear, and extremely high resolution. The white balance setting gives the silver neoballs and the wall behind it a greenish yellow tint. Also, being the first submission received always has the benefit of being one of the first entries scanned by voting eyes.

Tend2it elaborates, “This is a light armor helmet that was inspired by the classic RPG games of Diablo, Skyrim, Hellgate London, etc… It is made out of gold, silver, and black NeoBalls along with some Zen Magnets.” A total of 1005 magnet spheres were used, and a build guide can be found here.

Jeweled Fox Helm of Magnetic Magica

Tied for 2nd Place: YoYoBandalore

At this point, is anybody surprised that YoYoBandalore was a contest winner? YoYo tied with EraZorX for second place, each winning one set of Zen Magnets. This time YoYo built a crown fit for a royal afterlife. The crown features pentagonal symmetry, and just enough gold to make a pirate envious. This was actually a resurrection of his previous Zen Magnet sculpture, remastered with black and gold magnets. As usual, the photo is sharp, the contrast is strong, and the upload was high res. This is YoYoBandalore’s eighth time in a row winning prizes here at contest.zenmagnets.com.

The Hades Headdress

Tied for 2nd Place: EraZorX

Our favorite Zen Magnet object impressionist, EraZorX, is responsible for this reflective samurai headgear. We’re always quite impressed when we have no idea how to recreate a magnet sphere sculpture, and this is certainly one of those pieces. Made of exactly eight sets of pure Zen Magnets, with a stand cleverly built into the design. The dark background of this sculpture shows off it’s reflective colorless nature. And along with the others – almost to be expected – the photography is strong, sharp, clean and high resolution. So make sure to click on the image to see the original size. You can see a video of this Samurai helmet here.

Kabuto

A special mention is deserved by LeftCoastGal and PunkRock09, who also received a significant amount of votes. And clearly both deserved them, take a look for yourself.

Winners, since you’re all Zen Gallery members, we’ll credit the prizes to your gallery account shortly

13 Entries for the April Headgear Contest. The polls are open! Find the link below to vote for the winners.

1st place: 2 Zen Sets 2nd Place: 1 Zen Set

Click images to see full size image.

Judges, remember that this contest is a photography contest just as much as it is a magnet sculpture contest, overall aesthetic does matter. Voting deadline is 5/15

Decide your favorite 3 entries, and

VOTE HERE

As usual, the judges will be your peers. So don’t aim simply to make the most amazing sculpture, try to take the most beautiful photo. First place gets two free zen sets, second place one free set. Neoballs and other brands of magnet spheres are allowed. Again, this is a photography contest as much as a magnet sphere contest. Everything you submit goes into the public domain. Having fun is the most important requirement. Submission deadline is the end of April.

To enter, load your photo to imgur.com, and fill out the submission form:

Submissions Closed

First Place: Nujabez

Quite a mesmerizing fractal-esque snowflake of perfect six fold symmetry. It’s hard to capture with words the impression that such epic snowflake leaves. But such detail and flawless symmetric contrast was constructed slowly with very small subunits, if any at all. The background takes no attention from the snowflake itself. To Nujabez are two sets of Zen awarded.

An incredibly intricate specimen. Click for full size.

Second Place: YoYoBandalore

Finally, YoYoBandalore, the Lance Armstrong of Zen Magnet contests, did not win first place. Instead, a close running for second place. Similar to Nujabez’ snowflake, a well photographed, single large and detailed snowflake dominates the entire frame, at a skewed angle, with a near birds-eye perspective. As usual, YoYoBandalore’s combination of photographic fidelity, composure cropping, and build ingenuity, caught many spectator eyes. One set of Zen won.

The trademark YoYo post processed pitch black background

If you haven’t already, check out the many other great submissions below. There’s quite a variety of styles, approaches, and even one inside of a mirror box.

Winners, contact us for your prizes.

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16 total entries submitted for December’s snowflake contest!

Click to see full size, and then scroll down to find the voting link.

We’ve put together a new poll system for voting, built on the limesurvey framework. It’s a bit smarter and well suited for our contest polls, and it’s certainly a big upgrade from using google doc forms

First place gets two zens, and second place one!

Decide your favorite 3 entries, and Click Here to Vote for the winners

Winners to be announced soon. Also contest 14 will be a video contest like last January, and will begin on Jan 24, and last for 1 week.

I cannot see her, since the mist’s white scarf
Obscures the dark wood and the dull orange sky;
But she’s waiting, I know, impatient and cold, half
Sobs struggling into her frosty sigh.

Why does she come so promptly, when she must know
That she’s only the nearer to the inevitable farewell;
The hill is steep, on the snow my steps are slow-
Why does she come, when she knows what I have to tell?

Yesterday the fields were only grey with scattered snow – D.H. Lawrence

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The December 2011 contest is to photograph 2D snowflake(s) made of Zen Magnets. Use up to 1728 and no less than 72 Zen magnets. Create flat snowflake(s), dressed with an original background and garnished with good lighting. Your snowflake should be have six fold symmetry, just like real snow flakes. Here’s some inspiration.

Mirror box snowflake

As usual, the judges will be your peers. First place gets two free zen sets, second place one free set. Zen Magnets Only for this contest, no neoballs or others allowed. Another thing to remember is that this is a photography contest as much as a magneteering contest. Everything you submit goes to the public domain. Having fun is the most important requirement. Submission deadline is the end of December.

To enter, load your photo to imgur.com, and fill out the form:

Submissions closed. Voting up soon.