Online: 2023

Following the resounding success of the first MPO: Online 2021, we are excited to announce the return of this competition for another year! From the 4th to 30th November, artists and enthusiasts from every corner of the globe will gather to share their favourite works. This international event promises to be a celebration of creativity and artistic diversity, uniting passionate individuals who are eager to showcase their talents and engage in the vibrant world of miniature painting.

Award System

MPO makes use of the Open Format Award System.

Recognition is not constrained to a traditional framework of just a single Gold, Silver, and Bronze award. Instead, it allows for the presentation of as many awards at each level as deemed necessary.

In addition to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, there are also the following individual:

Creativity Award – Considering creativity as much as painting
Grimdark Award – Our favourite Grimdark style piece
Best Base Award – Best Base!

Levels

Standard: Geared towards artists with skills ranging from everyday to intermediate, this category welcomes participants of all backgrounds, irrespective of their prior competition victories.

Master: Tailored to cater to seasoned painters who have amassed an impressive collection of awards and accolades throughout their artistic journey.

You must choose the same level for all your entries, you cannot have entries in both levels. If you choose a Master level for one entry, ALL entries will be automatically moved to Masters and vice versa.

Single Figure

For figures up to and including 54mm in scale and 80mm in total height.
Including figures on reasonable sized mounts (i.e horses etc)

Unit

For 2 or more figures
Any scale

Vehicle or Warmachine

Any scale

Monster

Any scale

Large Scale And Bust

For figures larger than 54mm
Busts of any scale

Sculpture

For fully scratched and unpainted figures
Digital Sculpts allowed so long as they are physically printed. Renders are ONLY allowed in the additional judges images, a render will not be accepted for the main gallery image.
The use of commercially available bits is allowed providing they are only a small percentage of the sculpt

Critters: Special 2023 Category

Bear sized beasties and below

Diorama

For large displays that have a theme or narrative

Scale, in this context, doesn't refer to the height of the model but rather to the proportion it holds to a standard human size within that specific setting. To illustrate, consider Warhammer miniatures, which are typically labeled as being around “32mm” in scale, despite a Space Marine Terminator towering at 42mm in height. However, if a miniature exceeds the 80mm height threshold, it is typically more suitable for categorization as a “monster.” An example of this is Trugg.

If you find yourself uncertain about the scale of your miniature, a useful approach is to consult the manufacturer's website, as they often provide detailed information on the scale used for their products.

Judges

Andy Wardle is one of the most decorated modern miniature painters around, repeatedly attending and taking home trophies from the biggest competitions in the world. He also produces tutorials for Cult of Paint and is a painting coach for several aspiring artists, many of whom have gone on to win awards themselves. He’s also one of the founders of Cult of Paint and the perfect head judge for the MPO.

When discussing artists who have taken the scene by storm over the last few years, it is hard to look past David Colwell. Hailing from Australia, where he is heavily involved in driving the national miniatures painting scene, David continues to produce pieces that always succeed in making people happy. His distinctive style is just as at home on a beautiful elven bust as it is on his reimaginings of the Space Marines legions. The way David shares his processes shows a deep understanding of how to communicate what can, at first, seem like incredibly complicated paint jobs and break them down into digestible learning points. We’re thrilled to have him on board as a judge.

Will Hahn speaks so passionately and articulately about miniature painting that it was impossible not to ask this American painting powerhouse to help judge the MPO! As an accomplished artist who enjoys painting armies as much as huge display pieces, we think Will’s breadth of knowledge rounds out the judging team just right.

There is a deliberate international feel to the judging panel. We want the MPO: Online to bring together painters from all over the world, and we’re keen to take advantage of the differences that a virtual competition offers over the traditional in-person show.