May 7, 2021

Pick Your Own Monument Results

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For the final week of the 2021 Build Your Own Monument competition, the AIA invited the world to pick their own monuments to recreate.  Creativity abounded with this “Pick Your Own Monument” challenge and we were treated to an archaeological adventure in miniature.  Submissions in this year’s Youth and Adult categories replicated some of the world’s most iconic monuments, showed some truly awesome dedication to experimental archaeology in the form of Neil Redfern’s triad of henge submissions (wood, fire, and stone), and hinted at the impact of the recent Netflix film The Dig in the form of a submission by Caleb Robertson of the burial ship at Sutton Hoo.

Winning entries for the BYOM contest were selected in each category both by a celebrity judge and by an online popular vote.  Competition was fierce this round with 27 youth submissions and 13 adult submissions. 2,664 votes were cast this week.

Judge’s Picks

This week’s judge was none other than AIA president Laetitia La Follette.  Her selections were:

Youth—a tie!

Taleah, Age 12
Pensacola, Florida, USA
Materials used; Barbies, cardboard, spray paint, clay
Monument: The Erechtheion

La Follette writes: “Unique choice, super creative approach, and sophisticated execution: bravo Taleah!”

Ellie, Age 12
Singapore
Materials used: Linguini pasta and glue
Monument: Eiffel Tower

Our celebrity judge shared: “”Ellie’s meticulous (and undoubtably patient) execution and apt choice of material really conveys the delicacy of the original monument. Well done, Ellie!”

Adults

Reagan Bullock
USA
Materials used: clay and acrylic paint
Monument: Tarxien Temples

La Follette declares “I loved the way this projects the warm color and irregular shape of the megaliths of the South Temple complex. Well done, Reagan!”

Popular Vote

Youth

Taleah, Age 12
Pensacola, Florida, USA
Materials used; Barbies, cardboard, spray paint, clay
Monument: The Erechtheion

Adults

Tara Gadoury
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Materials Used: Sims 4
Monument: Villa of the Papyri

Congratulations to all our winners, they will each receive an AIA prize pack!