January 18, 2024, marked two years since we kicked off the Designer Flash Contests on Printables.com! Time flies when you’re having fun—and creating amazing things! From the very first theme to the latest challenges, you all have transformed great ideas into practical tools, pieces of art, fashion wearables, playful gadgets, and more. But most importantly, all of you have helped make Printables into a great place for everyone, and for that, we are incredibly grateful!
Let’s take a look back at the highlights of our contests, including the most popular themes, top models, and the most successful contributors. We’re also changing things up a bit to keep the contests fresh, more about that later in this article!
Statistics derived from Printables.com data as of January 18, 2024.
In two years, our Flash Contests have completed a marathon of 104 rounds, bringing together contestants who’ve submitted an impressive 38,489 models on Printables! We’ve announced 745 unique winners of main and secondary prizes and rewarded them with 93,890 Prusameters. This amount of Prusameters is equivalent to 268 spools of Prusament, weighing mor
e than a quarter of a ton! By the way, this is approximately the weight of an adult male lion. Coincidence? We don’t think so!
Highest Participation Themes
The most popular contest topics according to participation could be sorted into 3 main categories:
-
Practical Solutions and Home Improvements
-
Seasonal and Festive Designs
-
Gadgets and Accessories
Statistics derived from Printables.com data as of January 18, 2024.
The top 3 themes were “Repairs,” “Office Accessories,” and “Halloween“. The record-breaking number of 1,104 models submitted for the “Repairs” theme alone speaks for itself— our contestants are not just creators but problem solvers at heart! On the other hand, playful and festive themes like “Halloween,” with 967 submitted models, show that every maker also has a fun side and loves celebrating the spirit of the season.
Crowd Favorite Models
While the spotlight often shines on the winners, it’s the ‘Top 10 Most Downloaded Models‘ that truly stole the show! These most downloaded models, each a crowd favorite from its respective theme, might not always have clinched the top prize, but they’ve certainly captured the hearts and print beds of the community!
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
5. |
6. |
7. |
8. |
9. |
10. |
The Hall of Fame
Throughout the 104 rounds of our Flash Contests over the past two years, certain names have popped up more than just once. These top 10 contributors are our regulars, makers who consistently impress with their 3D printing powers. Their skill in bringing ideas to life, contest after contest, has earned them multiple wins of main or secondary prizes and cemented their place in our hall of fame! 🙂
To show our gratitude for their great contributions, we’re sending a special gift package to these top performers. They’ll be receiving:
- An iFixit Mako Driver Kit for all their crafting needs,
- 3 spools of 1 kg Prusament to fuel their next projects,
- Original PrusaSlicer Mug for their workbench,
- And Prusament Dragon T-Shirt to wear their maker spirit.
Congratulation!
1. LoboCNC
137 unique submissions
23 wins🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
5x first place 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
18x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
2. squinn
67 unique submissions
16 wins 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
2x first place 🥇🥇
14x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
3. 3D Printy
38 unique submissions
9 wins 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
2x first place 🥇🥇
7x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
4. JamesThePrinter
40 unique submissions
9 wins 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
1x first place 🥇
8x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
5. chiz
31 unique submissions
8 wins 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
1x first place 🥇
7x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
6. Wim V
83 unique submissions
7 wins
2x first place 🥇🥇
5x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
7. Makkuro
53 unique submissions
6 wins
1x first place 🥇
5x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
8. Sevro
67 unique submissions
6 wins
1x first place 🥇
5x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
9. Thorin Oakenshield
116 unique submissions
6 wins
6x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
10. Wilko_SLO
144 unique submissions
6 wins
6x secondary prize 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈🥈
But let’s not overlook all the dedicated participants! While not everyone may clinch the top spot, every contribution is welcome. Remember, you never know what model will be exactly what someone else is looking for! We really appreciate everyone who participates, thank you!🧡
Our tips
For those looking to sharpen their competitive edge, we’ve got some tips that could help turn the tide in your favor:
- Be spot on with the theme; make sure your entry is a perfect match with the current theme.
- Show off your model with actual photos – photos are not mandatory, yet they speak louder than renders.
- Invest effort into how you present your entry; a good presentation can make all the difference.
- Write clear and engaging descriptions and instructions; they help your model stand out.
- Remember you can promote your contest entry on social media – it’s a great way to drum up support!
What´s new?
Switching to Biweekly Schedule
We’re tweaking the rhythm. Until now, we’ve been launching a new Flash contest every week, starting on Friday and closing the following Sunday. But it’s time for a change! Moving forward, we’re switching to a biweekly schedule. Contests will now start every other Friday and run for 16 days, giving you more time to brainstorm, design, and perfect your submissions. And with more time, we might occasionally go into slightly more complex themes! Of course, we are still running a couple of large contests a year, that typically last around a month.
Collaborations
We will also do more contests with companies from Printables Brands! Accessories for specific tools, speakers or even cars, co-sponsored by the brand behind the product.
New reward
We’re introducing a little something special even for those who don’t participate directly in our contests. When we choose your creation as a great example for a competition round, illustrating just what we’re looking for, we think that deserves a little reward. So from now on, we’ll be sending 50 Prusameters to anyone whose model will be featured as a hero model for any round of Flash Contests.
Update to Terms and Conditions
We’ve been listening to your feedback, and it’s time for a little tweak to our contest terms and conditions. Previously, the rule stated that models submitted to the contest must be created during the contest window. Realistically, we have no way to verify this and it caused confusion in some edge cases. And honestly, if someone happens to have a model that fits the theme perfectly, created from before just by pure luck, we don’t feel like punishing them for that.
From now on, it’s not about when you created your model, but when you first published it on Printables.
This change ensures that everyone has a fair chance to share their work, whether it’s your latest creation or a piece you’ve been hiding in your drawer for a while. We’re confident this update will streamline the rules and create an even more welcoming space for all.
So, keep those amazing ideas coming, and happy printing!
Oh I had some ideas. You guys ignored and then deleted them.
Happy Anniversary! Some good changes to T&C…the hero model reward sounds interesting, would like to hear more about that. I still don't understand why the publish date requirement is obligatory. I feel a per-model single lifetime entry encourages more engagement in the site overall and limits erroneous submissions.
Happy Anniversary! So many contest entries are amazing and wouldnt be available without your work.
I am humbled to be among the top 10, thank you for sending the gift package! The driver kit is super, I wear the T-Shirt, drink from the cup and will try the filament soon!
Keep up the good work for the community, thanks to all @Prusa