Phoenix boy gets third place in North American Lego contest

PHOENIX — Most artists who want to celebrate the unique Arizona landscape use mediums like paints, mosaics or spray-painted murals.

However, for 8-year-old Tobias Camen, Legos are the perfect way to recreate the Sonoran Desert.

Tobias, who is from Phoenix, won national recognition for his creativity with Lego sets in early July when he finished third place in a North American Lego contest.

He wowed the judges of the 2024 Mini Master Model Builder Competition with a build called “Camping in the Arizona Desert.”

The design contains various details, such as a saguaro cactus, a ring-tailed lemur and a red cardinal. He also arranged orange trees next to beehives to represent orange blossom honey.

Additionally, Tobias represented the state by adding a dinosaur fossil, a vulture with a nest and — of course — the Arizona state flag. He even represented the iconic Colorado River, complete with a Lego character in a kayak.

Before taking third place in the national competition, Tobias earned his spot among the national finalists by winning the title of 2024 Mini Master Model Builder of Arizona.

Although he didn’t win the national competition, he still came home with prizes. He and his family won annual passes to the Legoland Discovery Center in Tempe.

The No. 1 spot went to 9-year-old Texan William Hicks, whose build represented the Fort Worth Stockyards. The project took him over 45 hours and 6,000 Lego bricks.