What are the top contests/awards for artists?

[Avelorn]

It's odd to think though, even though World expo is defo the biggest contest out there in terms of entries and standards etc, that Golden demon is the one that adds credit to a name. Through the years that's the one most synonymous with success.

Among our crowd yes, but that's because it was only in the most recent World Expos that a lot of well known painters from our side of the hobby attended. The Internet presence of the competition is pretty shallow as well... adequate homepage concerning each rendition but not a lot more information easily found. I don't even know how old it is. "World Expo" wasn't really the perfect name either I think...

 

[Dragonsreach]

It's odd to think though, even though World expo is defo the biggest contest out there in terms of entries and standards etc, that Golden demon is the one that adds credit to a name. Through the years that's the one most synonymous with success.

I totally agree that the World Expo is probably the biggest competition out in the real world and in terms of painting standards knocks socks off the single company one.
However any show where there is a painting competition is always worth risking an entry.

Personally I've entered competitions way back in the 70's which were exclusively Historical and have seen my mini get disqualified for having wooden sword grips instead of Ivory.(I.S.Y.N) Minipainting competitions now which include categories for Fantasy and Science Fiction open the competition up for newer approaches and this has shown in the appreciation of the judges.
Euro-Militaire and Salute in the UK are regarded, amongst we Old Guard, as "high-end competitions" and if you look at the level of entries this is getting reflected in the diversity of entries. Last Years Overall winner at Euro was a stunner, this years Salute winner includes a trip to "Crystal Brush" so the standard of recognition is definitley on the up and up.

In terms of judging a mini on here "Golden Deamon" judging is used as a benchmark due to it's high visibility in the marketplace.
However the GD UK has sadly become something which is solely used as a marketing ploy and unless you paint the "newest" GW toy, 90% chance you're relegated to an also ran. (There's also a wide difference in treatment between 'Professional' judging and GW. Salute took each model individually on a platter to the display cabinets and handeled each of the figures with cotten gloves. A marked difference from having had a figure thrown into the bottom of a cabinet by a redshirt, as happened to one of my entries in 2008. (RedMist moment there!))

 

[kathrynloch]

A marked difference from having had a figure thrown into the bottom of a cabinet by a redshirt, as happened to one of my entries in 2008. (RedMist moment there!))

A red dead moment if it had been me DR. I admire your control. I would have said, "I paid a good chunk of change for these Tae Kwon Do lessons. It's about time I got my money's worth!" And Red Shirt would have been another statistic which leads us to why we use the term Red Shirt.

But that brings up something so disappointing about competition. It's in the model horse hobby to. If you have the latest and greatest, then you win. In one particular case, a model was just released right before a show. It was by a famous artist but many of us wondered what she had been smoking. The back was wrong, the neck was wrong, the legs were absolutely hideous...it was a really bad model. But it was by famous sculptor and the brand new release so at the next show that model showed up in droves. I got sick of seeing the thing and I wasn't a judge. But it won and it won and if you didn't have that model, the one you put on the table was ignored. And it will be that way until the next greatest thing comes out. It would be one thing if the horse didn't have all of these conformation and bio-mechanic problems, but it does and should not place if it was the last model horse on earth.

And it seems if it's not commercialism, it's politics. I HATE politics in organizations. If you're not part of the "in" crowd, or if you don't cow-tow to a certain person, or if you don't do things exactly the way they think you should...then don't waste your money. Stay home because you are persona-non-grata until you are part of the clique. That just drives me nuts.

 

[uglybug]

I think games workshop has you all brain washed. I went to http://www.mfcashow.com/ this year and although it was a small show a couple of guys from France came over and blew me away with their scuplts and painting. My camera sucked otherwise I would bel sharing photos they also had an auction to raise money for the world expo original sculpts starting at $750.00 most went over 1 k.
Anyway go to their website I know they have some links.
http://www.ipmsusa.org/ is the international plastic modelers society, they mostly do tanks, planes and military. They do have a 2 small categorys of 54mm and smaller and 54mm and larger figures. I took a first in the smaller. But they have local shows you can check out.
http://www.mmsichicago.com/
http://www.hmsneo.org/tulsashow.htm these guys are in oaklahoma.
http://www.longislandmodelsoldiers.com/. Very good stuff at this show
I will see if I can find something else in your area.

 

[Dragonsreach]

A red dead moment if it had been me DR. I admire your control.

Control wasn't engaged.
As I've said in the past I work with a bunch of Scousers (Liverpudlian's) so my language can and does drift from gentile polite conversation to blistering the paint off a battleship.
The Redshirt might have been terrified, but he was saved from harm by the fact I had a Ex-Royal Marine, now Policeman, to act as an anchor.

 

[Avelorn]

However the GD UK has sadly become something which is solely used as a marketing ploy and unless you paint the "newest" GW toy, 90% chance you're relegated to an also ran.

I don't think this is true. While the judging has been so and so on many occasions it's rather due to the timeconstraint then anything else. I think they do the best they can.

I think a slant towards newer figure might be because competitive people reason that it might give them a better shot at a trophy and naturally people get excited with new releases. But looking at the winners from last year for example I don't really see that distinct pattern you see.

My only big questionmark last year was the Opens... as per usual. I wasn't there and surely great painters that won but... yeah I leave it at that. But again timeconstraints can have them looking closer at minis they have seen before.

(There's also a wide difference in treatment between 'Professional' judging and GW. Salute took each model individually on a platter to the display cabinets and handeled each of the figures with cotten gloves. A marked difference from having had a figure thrown into the bottom of a cabinet by a redshirt, as happened to one of my entries in 2008. (RedMist moment there!))

I think it would mean a lot if they did such a simple thing like wearing gloves. It gives an air that they actually care.

 

[kathrynloch]

I think games workshop has you all brain washed. I went to http://www.mfcashow.com/ this year and although it was a small show a couple of guys from France came over and blew me away with their scuplts and painting. My camera sucked otherwise I would bel sharing photos they also had an auction to raise money for the world expo original sculpts starting at $750.00 most went over 1 k.
Anyway go to their website I know they have some links.
http://www.ipmsusa.org/ is the international plastic modelers society, they mostly do tanks, planes and military. They do have a 2 small categorys of 54mm and smaller and 54mm and larger figures. I took a first in the smaller. But they have local shows you can check out.
http://www.mmsichicago.com/
http://www.hmsneo.org/tulsashow.htm these guys are in oaklahoma.
http://www.longislandmodelsoldiers.com/. Very good stuff at this show
I will see if I can find something else in your area.

Thanks for the links Uglybug! I've seen a couple of those groups on Fine Scale Modeler. I do put together plastic models but haven't had time to finish the Wells Fargo Stage Coach I started since I've been concentrating on painting so much.

We have a group in Dallas and I'm on their yahoo list but they are very quiet folks.

 

[Dragonsreach]

I don't think this is true. While the judging has been so and so on many occasions it's rather due to the timeconstraint then anything else. I think they do the best they can.
I think a slant towards newer figure might be because competitive people reason that it might give them a better shot at a trophy and naturally people get excited with new releases. But looking at the winners from last year for example I don't really see that distinct pattern you see.

Sven; You haven't been for a couple of years.
Recently figures which were of a quality deserving of consideration for at least 'Finalist' or higher have been completely ignored or dumped low in cabinets by redshirts, and I'm not talking about my own stuff here. There is a suspicion that the number items for selection for additional attention has had an arbritary number 'ceiling' placed on it. If that's just to make the judges jobs easier then that is a shame on both the competition and the companies regard for the competition.

I think it would mean a lot if they did such a simple thing like wearing gloves. It gives an air that they actually care.
Your implication is accurate, the vast majority of redshirt GD collectors don't care. When I have a former redshirt openly admit to me that he only flagged items from people that he knew from his store, it makes me question the validity of their "Showcase Competition".

....................

 

[Avelorn]

@Mike:

There was a discussion considering the finalists even back in 08 when I last attended, that fewer entries got first cut and arbitrary decisions. I saw a lot of miniatures that deserved being first cut that didn't, IIRC even one from cedric didn't get to be picked though obviously deserving, but has that really extended into potential winners?

That corrupt redskirt should be flogged...