"All About Helicopters" LEGO Contest

The Canada Aviation and Space Museum invites you to take part in its 23rd annual LEGO Contest.

Contests will be held on Friday, March 7 at 10:30 a.m., and Friday, March 14 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

This year's theme is "All about Helicopters", as the Museum explores the whirling world of these amazing flying machines. The children will create Lego designs based on these rotary-wing aircraft, with final products varying from true-to-life helicopter replicas to fantasy VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) machines. Helicopters have many different uses, from Search and Rescue operations to sightseeing tours. The children will have an opportunity to tell the story behind their Lego design and explain to the judges all of the ups and downs of building their unique aircraft.

General Guidelines and Instructions

  1. Entries must be built ahead of time: the Museum does not provide building blocks.
  2. Participants must pre-register for the contest. Please call 613-991-3053.
  3. Participants will be entered in the appropriate category for their age: Preschool/JK, SK–Grade 1, Grade 2–3, Grade 4–6 and, new this year, an Open category for entrants in Grades 7 and up. Each category requires a minimum of five participants in order for that category to proceed and for prizes to be awarded. If a category does not have enough participants, people registered in that category will still be welcome to participate and exhibit their creation, and will receive a participation prize.
  4. First-, Second- and Third-place winners will be selected within each age group — with the exception of our non-competitive Lego Finch class, where everyone's a winner!
  5. All entries must be built by the participant(s) indicated on the entry form. The use of schematics or building instructions is permitted; however, in the interest of fairness, please do not enter an off-the-shelf piece, unless it has been modified to add functionality, or has been significantly changed to form part of an original design.
  6. Entries are limited to one per participant, although an "entry" may be made up of several pieces within a setting or single piece.
  7. Participants may use any brand of age-appropriate building blocks.
  8. Participants must be present during the contest.
  9. Participants should arrive a minimum of 30 minutes before the contest begins.
  10. All participants will receive a personalized certificate and a small prize for taking part in the contest.

Please note that Museum admission does apply for family and friends of the Lego Contest participant.

Age Classes

Lego Finch

When you see the small yellow Fleet 16B Finch II trainer aircraft in the Museum, you'll know where we got our inspiration for this class. Designed for those in Preschool and Junior Kindergarten, this non-competitive class invites children to fire up their imaginations — without risk of disappointment, since everyone who takes part is a winner!

Lego Beaver

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a sturdy little airplane that does a lot. If Thomas the Tank Engine is a "really useful engine", then the Beaver is the airplane version! Children in Senior Kindergarten and Grade 1 are invited to participate in this competitive class.

Lego Seagull

We're certain that children in Grades 2 and 3 will put as much care and attention into their entries as the Museum devoted to restoring its Curtiss Seagull flying boat.

Lego Labrador

The Boeing Vertol CH-113 Labrador proved itself "up to the challenge" on thousands of rescue missions. We're confident that participants in Grades 4, 5 and 6 will prove equally capable when competing as part of this age class.

Lego Mustang

The North American P-51D Mustang IV was one of the finest fighters of its day. We think it's the perfect inspiration for entrants in our new "Open" category. We welcome individual entrants in Grade 7 or higher to enter this fun category.

Preparing Your Child

Sometimes a contest may seem like a good idea, but as the day draws nearer, your child may start to get a little nervous. Maybe it is their first time entering a contest; maybe they are a little shy talking to unfamiliar grownups. Here is an idea of how the contest unfolds, along with some suggestions for preparing younger contestants.

Sign-in

When you arrive at the Museum, you will be directed to the contest area. Museum staff and volunteers will be on hand to sign you in and direct you to the appropriate tables (we seat the children from each age group at their own set of tables).

Set-up

Children should choose a seat at the appropriate table and arrange their project they way they wish it to be displayed. There will also be a place card and name tag at each seat. The place card should be filled out with the child's name and placed alongside the project. The name tag is worn by the contestant to help our judges match projects to people.

Getting Under Way

When the contest is about to begin, you will be asked to come and sit together in a central area for a brief welcoming message and instructions. We try to keep this part short and sweet, so that we can get to the real fun as quickly as possible!

Judging

Once we get started, the judges (all Museum staff and volunteers) will come around and ask the participants questions about their projects. Judges typically spend 3–5 minutes with each child, but this can vary, depending on the judge, the child, etc. All judges complete a standard criteria sheet after each conversation. When the judge is finished, he or she will sign the back of the participant's place card. Each participant will be judged by two judges. The second judge will lay the place card flat in order to help other judges recognize who still needs to be judged. Participants should remain with their project until they have been judged by two judges! Once a participant has been judged twice, they may wander around the Museum and take a look at the other projects, until we are ready to announce the winners.

Judging Criteria

For all competitive categories, judges will make their assessments using a standardized form, with expectations adjusted to make them appropriate to each age category. The four main categories the judges consider are: "General Appearance and Design", "Use of Colour", "Degree of Difficulty" and "Neatness and Care in Construction".

Closing Ceremonies

Once we are ready to announce the winners, everyone will be asked to come back to the central area one more time. Although this is a contest, and there are winners, we are very insistent that there are no losers! Everyone who took the time to participate deserves a moment to shine! All participants will get to come to the front and receive a certificate and participation prize. And, of course, we'll announce our lucky winners. There will be lots of applause for everyone, so come ready to make lots of happy noise!

Certificate Errors

We try really, really hard to make sure everyone's name is spelled correctly on his or her certificate. If, by some chance, we accidentally spell your name wrong, please forgive us! Come and see us after the awards ceremony, and we will make you a fresh, correctly-spelled certificate on the spot!

Suggestions for Preparing Younger Children

During the contest, our judges may ask a few questions to help the conversation along. To help prepare your young competitor for the day, you might wish to act out "Lego Contest Day". Clear off a coffee table and cover it with an old sheet or tablecloth. Make a place card and name tag, and let your child practice writing his or her name. Put on some dress-up clothes (old hats, necklaces, etc.) to help you act out the parts of different judges or contestants. Be sure to take turns, and let your child pretend to be a judge, too!

Here are some questions you might like to try:

  • "Can you tell me a bit about your creation?"
  • "What does it do?"
  • "Why did you choose that colour?"
  • "What makes it go?"
  • "How does the pilot control it?"
  • "Is there anything special you want to tell me about your creation?"

Good Luck!

Opening hours of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Regular schedule: Wednesday to Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays except statutory and school holidays.
Closed Christmas Day. Open New Year’s Day.
Aviation and Rockcliffe Parkways.