The inaugural Ivy+ Alumpics have come to a close. These two weeks of competition showcased incredible school spirit among the seven participating schools’ alumni populations.

Dartmouth claimed the inaugural Alumpics grand championship, winning an impressive 8 gold medals and 2 silver medals. Princeton battled Dartmouth throughout the Alumpics, earning 2 golds and 8 silvers, and taking second place overall. Cornell remained consistently strong throughout, winning 10 straight bronze medals, and landing a third-place finish. The four other competitors – Stanford, MIT, Penn, and Columbia – did not earn medals, but they had quite a showing in the Alumpics.

While the top three alumni associations can bask in the glory of their Alumpics spoils, there was much more won during this competition. Alumni from the seven institutions were treated to 70 captivating images. Alumni strategized ways for their schools to win. They plotted ways for their foes to lose. They reveled in the friendly banter among the Ivy+ schools. And they really, really “liked” our photos.

In total, the 70 photos received 32,532 Facebook “likes.”

While the alumni were clearly the MVPs of these Alumpics, some of the images really shined as stars, too. Below are a few favorites, including MIT’s Tetris tower,  Columbia’ commencement, Stanford’s terrifying Tree mascot, Penn’s Hey Day, Cornell’s campus architecture, Princeton’s new graduates, and Dartmouth’s Dr. Seuss snow sculpture.

Training is already under way for the 2016 Alumpics.

Dartmouth finished the 2012 Alumpics “on fire,” not only capturing its sixth-straight gold medal, but doing so with an Alumni Spirit picture of the annual Dartmouth Night and Homecoming bonfire (383 Likes, 16% of Dartmouth’s fan base). Not far behind was Princeton celebrating the spirit of reunions (722 Likes, 14.5%), while Cornell locked up its tenth bronze medal with a screencap of its NYC Tech Campus petition (323 Likes, 2.9%). Stanford showcased the Fiesta Bowl and missed out on its first medal by a tenth of a percentage point, while MIT made a strong final day showing with 196 alums Liking a picture of Bobak Ferdowsi’s “Captain America Mohawk.” It was most certainly a spirited last day of competition! Big thank you to all who participated. Please stay tuned for the “Closing Ceremonies” post.

In the penultimate competition, Dartmouth again won the gold in the category of campus nature, though I have to say that all of the competitors had gorgeous photos. With 492 likes on their Facebook picture (20.6%), Dartmouth again has illustrated that they have the stamina and commitment to continue earning the gold with their high level of alumni engagement.

Princeton follows closely behind for a silver with 960 likes (19.3%) on their photograph of the fall Princeton campus, bright with the yellow and orange leaves of fall.

And finally, once again, Cornell garners the bronze medal with 973 likes (8.7%) on their photo of the fantastic gorges waterfalls. Many of us got to tour these at Ivy+ 2011, and I can attest to their stunning beauty.

It’s not over yet! We still have one more day left in the voting process, and regardless of where your university might rank in the competition, you can still illustrate your pride and commitment by voting in today’s last category: alumni spirit. Show yours today by liking your favorite photo on its related Facebook page.

The Big Green fended off a late surge by the Tigers to claim their sixth Alumpics gold medal. Consistent Cornell earned their eighth straight bronze medal of the games.

With an impressive 23.1% (547 “likes”) of their fans liking their rugby national championship photo, Dartmouth claimed another Alumpics victory. But there was a scrum for that gold medal. Hundreds of Princeton photo likes flooded Facebook within a few hours of the contest’s deadline, bringing the Tigers just 3% short of landing the gold, with 20.1% (990 likes) of members liking a golden shot of an alumna Olympian.

Cornell  landed on the medal stand with an action ice hockey shot and 426 likes (3.8%). But the Big Red were nearly held in check this round by Stanford (380 likes, 3.2%). Unfortunately for Stanford, luck was not on their side. Their photo of #1 NFL draft pick Andrew Luck only landed them a #4 honorable mention in this round of the Alumpics.

Today’s contest showcases campus nature for our seven Ivy+ competitors. Follow the action on the schools’ Facebook pages and on Twitter at #Alumpics.

For the third consecutive day of the Ivy+ Alumpics, Dartmouth takes the gold home to New Hampshire. Their Alumpic of 2011 graduation ceremonies with Conan O’Brien was a crowd-pleaser, then and now… and how could it not be, with the late-night favorite imparting wisdom and wisecracks. Over 500 people liked the Alumpic, and fans even weighed in with YouTube links of Conan rehearsing.  Dartmouth’s like-to-page ratio was a whopping 21.6%.

As we’ve come to expect, team Princeton gave them a run for their funny but no less of a smile-factor, with their Alumpic of a beaming grad garnering more likes (675!) but a smaller percentage of their overall Facebook fan base (13.8%).

Cornell holds steady with bronze and has the second-most likes overall (527) and third highest overall percentage (4.7%), the bronze glow of their e-medal surely looking burnished in the light of the Big Red grad ceremonies depicted in their Alumpic.

Stanford wasn’t far behind with their own version of red differing from Cornell’s… the rosy-tinted hue of the ‘casually clad’ grad after he surely got some sun by basking through commencement in his Speedo. Columbia blue robes were in abundance in their graduation Alumpic showing the class of 2012, and Penn pride was in evidence as alumni weighed in with comments about their favorite graduations moments.

Don’t forget to log on, like, and lobby for your school’s Alumpic before 11 a.m. tomorrow. Today’s theme: Athletics. Only 3 more days of the Alumpics, folks!

The spirit of service was on display for the seven schools competing in the most recent 24 hour installment of the Alumpics.

Stanford featured its annual Beyond the Farm day of service with a photo of a youngster in a misty garden, while on the other side of the nation MIT shared their professor’s involvement in the increasingly popular FIRST robotics competition.

Strength in numbers was on display for Columbia and Penn. Columbia featured a picture of altruistic alumni in the New York City subway, while Penn T-shirts were everywhere in a picture of Penn alumni working on Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Project (below).

But once again, the top three finishers were gold medalist Dartmouth, which drew 445 likes (19 percent) for a photo of an alumnus who founded a hospital in Kenya; silver medalist Princeton, which received 724 likes (15 percent) for a shot of a Tiger at the start of a Reunions charity run; and bronze medalist Cornell, which received 505 likes (5 percent) for their photo of a volunteer representing alumni service around the world.

Today’s Alumpics category—commencement. Follow the Alumpics hashtag—#Alumpics—and join the pomp and circumstance.

Dartmouth towered over the competition Friday with its picture of Baker Library, while Princeton took home architectural silver and Cornell locked up its fifth-straight bronze. Baker Library Tower garnered 680 Likes (reaching an impressive 30.3% of Dartmouth’s fan base); Alexander Hall captured 1,029 Likes (21.2% of Princeton’s following); and Cornell’s aerial campus shot attracted 1,013 Likes (9.1% of its total page likes). After one week of Alumpics competition, Dartmouth leads the way with three golds and two silvers, Princeton lurks with two golds and three silvers, Cornell keeps it steady with five bronzes, and Stanford, Columbia, MIT, and Penn remain happy to have qualified.

The second (and final) week of Alumpics competition kicks off with “Community Service.” Keep an eye on your newsfeed and follow the #Alumpics hashtag to see the Ivy+ institutions flex their altruistic muscles. Will Dartmouth extend its lead? Will the Tigers roar back? Will Cornell win its sixth-straight bronze? Only time will tell.

There officially is a see-saw battle for the top spot on the podium. Princeton’s picture of McCosh 50 lecture hall garnered yet another four-figure total (1,038 photo “likes,” or 21.5%) that catapulted the Tigers to “Academic” gold, their second of the Alumpics. Just like their previous gold, the Jersey gang edged out their New England rival, Dartmouth, who brought home the silver with an impressive 16.4% of their following responding to their image of Environmental Studies Professor, Ross Virginia. After four days of competition, Princeton and Dartmouth have owned the top two spots of the medal stand and enter Day 5 locked in a tie at the top of the medal standings.

Cornell made if four for four in earning bronze medals as the Big Red tallied up over 800 likes for their photo of a 3-D printer that has the ability to manufacture human body parts. After four days of competition, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Princeton are the only institutions to medal. MIT deserves an honorable mention for their nearly 5% bump in engagement between Day 3 and Day 4. Can the Engineers ride this momentum and break-up the squatting seen thus far on the medal stand? Only time will tell.

Today’s theme is “Campus Architecture” and promises to be a heated battle considering the age and beauty associated with these campuses. Be sure to follow all the action via the official #Alumpics hashtag!

Green is Dartmouth’s signature color. If you’re a graphic designer, this translates into Pantone Matching System 34 (forest green). If you’re a student, green might signify the popular Green, a five acre public space nestled in the heart of Hanover, New Hampshire. If you’re a Dartmouth alumnus interested in sustainably, green might remind you of the Dartmouth Green Alumni (DGA) group. If you’re me, and you learn that Dartmouth has taken the gold for the second day in a row in the Alumpics competition, green reminds you of envy.  Still, it’s clear why this moment of high spirits during Homecoming 2010 captured the greatest percentage of likes (571, or 27%) on Dartmouth’s Alumni Facebook page in the mascot category.

Princeton followed with a close second place in this mascot-themed competition, earning the silver medal with 1,111 likes (23.2%) on their photo featuring my personal favorite mascot, the Tiger (what can I say, I like cats) lounging leisurely in front of a sea of Princeton fans wearing the school colors of orange and black.

The bronze medal was swooped up by Cornell, who had 669 likes (6.1%) on their mascot-centric photo showing the Big Red Bear leading the Chimemasters during a concert.

Quick quiz: can you name the remaining mascots for the rest of the competitors? Hint for Penn: He’s a bit of a pacifist.

Today’s competition centers around academics. See the sidebar on the blog to find your favorite photo and vote on it. You can also help to promote the contest by using the hash tag #Alumpics.

Dartmouth takes home the gold medal for History & Tradition as the Day 2 winner amongst the Ivy+ schools at a whopping 1,283 “likes” – well over half (62.6%) of their total Facebook page likes. With the Cat in the Hat leading their Alumpics team for the day in the form of a giant ice sculpture (yes, we know it’s the Summer Alumpics, but Dr. Seuss is evergreen or, should we say, Dartmouth green), it’s easy to see why Dartmouth alumni rallied around their favorite piece of History & Tradition.

After the competition, Dartmouth alumnus Theodor Seuss Geisel was rumored to have posted the following update to his Facebook profile:

When the pic likes went bump
The daily numbers did jump!
I do so like the Alumpics game
Best when Dartmouth holds the flame.

Shiny silver goes to Princeton, who had taken the first Alumpics gold on Monday with an overnight surge in likes. The legendary P-rade offense that Princeton Alumpians are known for was used once again to great success on the e-playing field, as the second day P-rade photo focused on seniors, madly dashing onto Poe Field as they become alumni for life and scoring 1,246 likes (with 4,707 Facebook page likes, or 26.5%).

Team Cornell wins the bronze by recalling founder Ezra Cornell in words and in – is that a BRONZE?! – statue. Ever popular Ezra got 775 likes against 11,028 page likes.

As to the rest of the schools, they might not have the might of the “like” for the Alumpics this time, but the games go on! The Day 3 Alumpics photos should now be up on the Facebook page of your school. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not do anything else before you go in and like today’s Alumpic: your school mascot.