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***Our painting competition features prizing including medals, trophies and hobby products provided by our sponsors***
Competition Submission Overview
Once you have paid for a Full Event Entry Ticket, you will have a 4-Character confirmation/auth code on your receipt. Hold onto this information if possible.
Competition submissions must be made online. Submission is available with purchase of a Full Event Entry Ticket, which includes access to the event, and access to enter the competition. Submissions will close once judging starts at 12:00 Noon on April 25th, 2026.
Competition Entry forms must be filled out once for each category you are entering.
Once your Competition Entry Forms have been completed online, all you have to do is wait for the day of the competition!
Upon arrival you will be provided with a Judging card for each category that you have entered. Place 1 card in front of your miniatures in each category. The Name and Number on each card, and the info from your form will allow us to judge your work and keep track of everything else on the back-end.
Each submission will be judged separately and given a grade by each judge.
Once the judges have had time to review everything, grades will be compared, and medals will be deliberated upon. Gold medal winners will be in the running for the Judge’s chosen “Best In Show”.
“People’s Choice” will be entirely decided by your fellow attendees, and everyone will have 1 vote that they may cast through an online voting portal on the day of the event. There will be QR code links posted for this around the competition hall, and on the website.
Main Competition Rules and Guidelines
This is an Open Format Competition - each entry shall be judged against the criteria and by the judges standards, but not against submissions by other artists. This is to promote a positive atmosphere of personal growth. This is an event emphasizing community and becoming better artists together, so please respect that. This format means that there will likely be multiple bronzes, silvers and/or golds within a category.
As well as the open competition awards of Bronze, Silver and Gold, a single 'Best In Show' and 'People's Choice' entry will be selected from all entries across all categories.
Each participant may submit up to three (3) entries per category - however the team of judges will determine which one (1) is the participant’s best entry in each category, and judge the submissions based on said entry. If submitting more than one entry, be aware that the judges may end up choosing a piece that you consider to not be the best of the 3 - they will have many entries to judge, so it is likely that they will not spend most of their time choosing which piece to judge.
Multiple persons may contribute to a piece. If a collaborative entry wins an award, the award goes to the entry - not to each contributor (i.e. one award per winning entry, not per person).
Judges reserve the right to pick up or move a piece if they deem necessary. Please keep this in mind when assembling and displaying your entry.
Be respectful of all submissions that do not belong to you. Please do not touch another artist’s piece without express permission from said artist. Whilst the Maple Palette team and Volunteers will be on hand around the displays all day, they take no responsibility for loss or damage to any entries.
Categories
Sci-fi Single Figures
All single sci-fi miniatures, roughly 40mm scale or less
Fantasy Single Figures
All single fantasy miniatures, roughly 40mm scale or less
Historical Single Figures
Single historical figures of Heroic scale (Approx. 1/56 scale) on gaming or display bases
Large Figures and Busts
All single large scale miniatures, busts, etc, which do not fit the above single categories
Units
All historical, sci-fi and fantasy miniatures arranged as a unit. Must include a minimum of 3 miniatures. This may include units of vehicles or other non-"figure" units, as long as they are arranged in a way that emphasizes that the focus of the entry is a "unit"
Dioramas & Story Pieces
All historical, sci-fi and fantasy miniatures arranged to tell a story, emphasize a particular scene, etc. Entries should include a minimum of 2 miniatures, though creative approaches to telling a story or selling a scene may be considered
Vehicles
This category is for all single historical, sci-fi and fantasy vehicles (tanks, jeeps, flyers, titans, mechs, chariots, etc)
Juniors (14 and under)
All miniature or vehicle entries of any kind which would normally fall under the above categories, with the exception that the entrant must be of 14 years of age or younger
Judging Criteria
Our judges consider these 4 elements to be the pillars of an excellent work of art.
Composition
This is about how you put your piece together. The angle and positioning of all of the elements, the design of your piece from the ground up. Well placed basing elements, a Backdrop that guides the eye, framing the subject. Where you create value and tonal contrast across the painting also contributes to this. Create an eye catching piece that remains visually interesting the closer you look.
Creativity
A blue space marine standing on sand? This is the opposite of that. Do something fun and interesting: add freehand, OSL, a banner… make something from scratch, weathering, texture, and strong colour choices for added visual interest.
Impact
What does your piece tell someone about it, just from looking at it? Is there a message, or a story? Is the piece drenched in melancholy, or brimming with aggressive excitement? Where the subject has been, where they’re going, and why, are all good things to ask yourself. Additional details, big or small, can have a huge impact on what the viewer sees in a piece.
Execution
The purely technical element. Do you have a strong mastery over the techniques that you chose to execute, or the style that you’re painting in? A well executed piece will be focused, detail oriented, and deliberate in every action taken getting it to display level.
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