Bask in the Glorious Art of Warhammer's Biggest Painting Competition
Games Workshop’s cavalcade of miniatures are meant to be thrown against each other on the dice-driven fields of tabletop warfare, but for some of the company’s most ardent fans, it’s making those miniatures look as gorgeous as possible that is the real heart of the hobby—and there’s no better reminder of that than the Golden Demon painting competition.
This year’s Warhammer Fest recently played host to the second Golden Demon competition of 2023, giving UK and European-based miniatures artists a chance to compete for glory—and, because it’s Warhammer, a literal giant sword called the Slayer Sword given to the overall best-painted model. Across categories that encompass all of Games Workshop’s tabletop games, from the far future of Warhammer 40K to the fantasy of Age of Sigmar, from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to the starfighters of Aeronautica Imperialis, this year’s competition is teaming with miniaturized excellence. Golden Demon’s categories are broken down into the following:
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Single Miniature (Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar) - As the name implies, these categories split across the two primary Warhammer games is for individual models, whether a solo infantry unit or creature, or a major hero.
Large Model (Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar) - From towering daemon princes to hulking aelven avatars of fire and doom, this is for the big boys and girls on the tabletop.
Squad (Warhammer 40,000) and Unit (Age of Sigmar) - Different names depending on the game, but essentially the same thing: an entire unit of miniatures together.
Vehicle (Warhammer 40,000) - There’s not so many vehicles in the fantasy world of AoS, so this category is just for the walkers, tanks, and other mechanized powerhouses of the 41st Millennium.
Diorama/Battle Scene (Any Game) - Letting painters run a little wilder, this category isn’t just about individual models, but framing them in a larger scene of conflict.
Duel (Any Game) - Likewise, this category is similarly about framing a scene, just this time specifically in two miniatures facing off against each other.
Small Scale (Any Game) - This category, focused on the alternately scaled miniatures of games like the giant-robot-dueling Adeptus Titanicus or the airship combat game Aeronautica Imperialis, is all about detail on the tiniest of canvases.
Middle-earth - Duh. This category is for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit miniatures found in Games Workshop’s licensed strategy game.
Youngbloods (Any Game) - Miniatures in this category can come from any Games Workshop game, the only restriction is on the age of the painter: Youngbloods is for kids aged 16 and under, so be prepared to be very intimidated by the skills of the Youths
Open Competition - This is the free-for-all category where anything goes, from lavish dioramas to custom busts and sculptures, to models from discontinued games. It’s also the only category actual Games Workshop employees are allowed to compete in.
Click through to see an absolute smorgasbord of artfully painted monsters, mechs, heroes, villains, and everything in between, from the category winners to the commended runners-up.
Slayer Sword and Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Gold Winner
Albert Moreto Font’s angry-looking Lumineth commander didn’t just take gold for the single Age of Sigmar category, but won the overall event, granting him the humongous Slayer Sword to wield in triumph:
Always with the extremes, the worlds of Warhammer.
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Silver Winner
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Bronze Winner
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Gold Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Silver Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Bronze Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Single Miniature) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Gold Winner
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Silver Winner
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Bronze Winner
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Large Model) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Large Model) Gold Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Large Model) Silver Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Large Model) Bronze Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Large Model) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Large Model) Commended Entry
Age of Sigmar (Unit) Gold Winner
Age of Sigmar (Unit) Silver Winner
Age of Sigmar (Unit) Bronze Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Squad) Gold Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Squad) Silver Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Squad) Bronze Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Squad) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Squad) Commended Entry
Diorama/Battle Scene Gold Winner
Diorama/Battle Scene Silver Winner
Diorama/Battle Scene Bronze Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Gold Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Silver Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Bronze Winner
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Commended Entry
Warhammer 40,000 (Vehicle) Commended Entry
Duel Gold Winner
Duel Silver Winner
Duel Bronze Winner
Small Scale Gold Winner
Small Scale Silver Winner
Small Scale Bronze Winner
Small Scale Commended Entry
Small Scale Commended Entry
Middle-Earth Gold Winner
Middle-Earth Silver Winner
Middle-Earth Bronze Winner
Youngbloods Gold Winner
Youngbloods Silver Winner
Youngbloods Bronze Winner
Youngbloods Commended Entry
Open Competition Gold Winner
Open Competition Silver Winner
Open Competition Bronze Winner
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
Open Competition Commended Entry
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