Elegoo Is Giving Away $1,000,000 (Eventually)

Printables, Makerworld, Thangs, Thingiverse… There are a lot of places to look when you need a 3D model. Now Elegoo is adding one more with Nexprint.

Of course one doesn’t simply launch a new platform and expect success. They need to fill it with quality models first. And to do that, they’ve launched a $1,000,000 fund to help jumpstart the repository. Here’s how it works:

“Each month, we will invest in a reward pool to grant $5 to each approved Submission. Exceptional designs will be rewarded with an extra $5 each and featured for priority exposure in Nexprint.”

It’s not retirement money, but I’ll wager five bucks is more than most models earn on these platforms. Plus there are other bonuses on top of that. And since they aren’t forcing models to be exclusive to Nexprint, there will probably be a rush of old models each month to get in.

What do you think, is there room for another 3D print repository? Will Nexprint be a refuge for designers looking for new ground, or a dumpster of 3D AI-generated slop? Since the program is designed to “reward originality,” it looks like Elegoo is putting energy on quality and not just trying to boost their numbers. If they wanted that, they could’ve done it for less than $1,000,000.

I’m curious to see if a new subculture of designs comes from having a new space for 3D models to print. Elegoo has had good taste in collaborators before, so maybe we’ll see something that dethrones those articulated rainbow dragons.