Twenty hours and 2,500 LEGO bricks culminated in New Hyde Park’s Elijah Estevez being crowned the 2023 North American Mini Master Model Builder for his creation of Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk. 

The 10-year-old was presented with a LEGO trophy and showered with confetti at Westchester’s Legoland Discovery Center July 12. 

Elijah said he was inspired to create the Brooklyn beachscape since he and his family travel to Coney Island every year. 

“There’s a bunch of people doing funny things like a puppy riding a surfboard and a guy on the swing in the beach,” Elijah said of his creation.

Elijah’s creation won it all after hundreds of submissions throughout the country were submitted. In late June, an online vote was held to decide between 14 finalists, each representing their local LEGO Discovery Center. 

The Coney Island boardwalk, beach, rollercoasters and famous Wonder Wheel, fully automized, are included in Elijah’s work.

The mini master competition included submissions from kids aged 5 to 12, but LEGO competitions have long been around, showing off the creative capabilities of children and adults alike. 

LEGO was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter who first produced wooden toys. The earliest competitions can be traced back to the 1960s when they were held at schools, community centers and toy stores. 

In 1998, the FIRST LEGO League was founded with the non-profit FIRST, an international robotics competition for children ages 9 to 14 that aimed to solve real-world problems through creative engineering. Over 290,000 children from 88 countries have participated in the league since its inception, according to LEGO’s website. 

Cynthia Estevez, Elijah’s mom, said since he got his first LEGO set at 2 years old his passion was hard to miss. 

“He was building all day,” Estevez said. “He’s been building ever since…here we are today as the winners of this national competition.”