The Seventh Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge Awards

Let's see if we can do this a bit better...

Well, all the votes are in for 'Challengers' Choice', Sarah has made her selection for 'Sarah’s Choice', I’ve done the same for the Judges selection and we’ve made the prize draws for the six points thresholds. Whew! It was a busy week!

This year we had 43 nominations for this award with 63 people voting. It was wonderful to go through the gallery of nominations as it provides a wonderful sampling of the three months of the Challenge.

For those wishing to see the voting results, they can be found here.

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Challengers' Choice

Honourable Mentions go to RodF's Whompers, DaveD's Viva Zapata and Curt's Spanish Rodeleros.

Rod's 'Whompers of the 1st Royal Regiment of Hoppers'

Dave's 'Viva Zapata!'

Curt's 'Spanish Rodeleros'

Third Place goes to AnthonyO's 'US Airborne'. Anthony will receive a gift voucher from Barrage Miniatures. Wonderfully done Anthony!

AnthonyO's 'US Airborne'

Second Place is awarded to ByronM's whimsical 'Steampunk Mary and Bert'. Byron will receive a free 1-year subscription from 'Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy'. Congratulations Byron!

ByronM's 'Steampunk Mary & Bert'

First Place for 'Challengers' Choice' goes to my Francis I at Pavia. Okay, wow. I'm incredibly honoured to get the nod for this vignette, so thank you very, very much. I'll be donating the the prize to Nina and Valerie of 'Sarah's Choice' (see below). 

Curt's 'Francis I at Pavia'

Judge’s Choice
 

Honourable Mentions go to ByronM's, KyleC's and MichaelA's collective submissions, absolutely masterful work sirs. 

ByronM's 'Arena Rex Beasts'

ByronM's 'Rail Golem'

KyleC's 'Afro Samurai'

KyleC's 'Dwarf Alchemist'

MichaelA's 'Grail Knights'

The Judge’s Choice goes to BenF's AWI fabulous Highlanders. Though some may raise an eyebrow to the Campbell connection (ahem) I know nobody can deny the excellence in the brushwork and basework exhibited by these figures. Well done Laddie! Ben, I'm delighted to give you a gift voucher for a 3x3 gaming mat from Deep Cut Studios.

Sarah’s Choice 

I spent a lovely Saturday evening curled up with iPad and a glass (or two) of wine, perused all the varied and terrific entrants for the most coveted of AHPC awards, the Illustrious Sarah's Choice. :) From ginger haired Stormtroopers to lady assassins, Spanish Civil Wars milicianas to gangster molls, fantasy clerics and 40K Sisters of Battle, the roster was wonderful and eclectic. I applaud you all!

Honourable Mention to the Tribe of Bromely girls, Nina and Valerie. 

Well done ladies! I love Valerie's wood elves and especially your TreeWoman. Nina, your Litch queen is terrifyingly lovely. If either of you girls decide not to continue with your painting, (but you should, because there is real talent there) I believe you both have a future in storytelling... I am looking forward to the next installment of both your armies adventures and I wish to give you a gift certificate from Dragon's Den Games (your Dad and Curt can work out the details). :)

Honourable Mention to Ray R
Queenie from Blackadder is divinely imperious and you have captured her spirit so well. (confession; I have a weakness for all things Blackadder)
With this figure, you have "erased" the She-Bear entry from the lore of past AHPC entries. Well done!

The award for Sarah's Choice goes to AlanD for his Women from the Retreat from Moscow.

As I have lived with Curt for twenty plus years (yikes!), his love for the Napoleonic Era has been absorbed into my own interests and your Retreat from Moscow really just blew me away. Wow! So evocative and your colour choices, basing etc really conveys the cold, perilous and uncertain journey these women would have experienced.

This was my favourite as it is so thought provoking and I found myself thinking of these figures/scenes at the oddest times.

Congratulations Alan!

Bravo to everyone and I am looking forward to having Curt back from his painting desk. Oh wait, he's signed up for the Lead Painters League.
Oh well, coffee, wine, Netflix and two dogs will keep me entertained. ;)

Until next time,
Best to All
Sarah

ps: I'm still waiting for someone to paint Empress Josephine...

Thank you my dear, and congratulations to Alan on his Sarah's Choice! Alan, you will receive a 30 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures.

Points Threshold Prizes

Next we have the Point Threshold prizes. These are a random draw awarded to participants who broke through the six points barriers over the course of the Challenge.

Threshold I / 500-749 points: IsobelS

(24 paints of choice from War & Peace Games)

Threshold II / 750-999 points: MichaelP

(Gift Certificate from BigRedBat Ventures)

Threshold III / 1000-1499 points: ClintB

(Gift Certificate from Diplomatist Books)

Threshold IV / 1500-1999 points: SanderS

(20 GBP gift certificate from Warbases)

Threshold V / 2000-2499 points: SteveM

(Skirmish figures from Murawski Miniatures )

Threshold VI / 2500+ points: EricM

(30 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Also, Idesigns Hobbies requested met to award a prize from them to an appropriate hobbyist working in the Epic 30K/40K genre and I can see no better recipient than JohnM for this new foray into this period. Enjoy John!


Finally, I think it only proper to give some prizes to our Paint Titans who dominated the points roster:

3^rd in the Points Standings: GrahameH: (Figure Voucher from Orinoco Miniatures)

2^nd in the Points Standings: MartinC (60 GBP Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

1^st in the Points Standings MilesR (100 GBP Gift Certificate from Westfalia Miniatures)

Congratulations to all the prize winners and thank you for sharing your wonderful work with us. Please contact me to work out the details of your prizes.

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Another Painting Challenge, our seventh, is now behind us.  I’d like to thank all our Challenge Sponsors for their generous support of the event. The sponsors are listed on the right sidebar, so if you have a free moment please visit their sites, see if something strikes your fancy and consider giving them some trade.  As I frequently say, the Challenge doesn’t need prizes for it to be a success, but it sure adds a little fun to the proceedings. Again, my great thanks to all our wonderful sponsors!

Finally, and I really can't say this enough, I want to thank all our Challenge participants. This event would be nothing without you. It is your industry, your excellent humour and most of all, your good will  that makes the Challenge what it has become. Bravo to you all.

I bid you all a fond farewell. Until the wind chills next autumn..

Curt

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From Paul O'G: AHPC VII Offerings from my Man Cave

Another blast of a challenge with some great entries from players young and old, and some wonderful diversity in scale, periods and techniques.  I always learn a lot from others' work here, thank you.

Its seemed like more at the time, but I'm very happy with the horde!

For myself, edition VII was a personal best on several fronts: highest AHPC score (and the first time I've broken the "Dux line" of 1k), best hobby productivity I've ever achieved and as a result, I humbly submit, the best quality painting I've yet produced.  It feels that way anyway :-)

The smile of the self satisfied gamer!

Thanks to one and all for the comments and encouragement, the lads at our Gaming club who helped  get newly painted troops onto the table each week, my co-minion Dux (that was a lot of fun, thanks mate) and of course Curt.  Another triumphant challenge event!

I better replenish the lead pile ASAP!

Like many of you and I am having major withdrawals and trying to push through it by planning ahead for AHPV VIII.  Next year I am returning to sea so I am planning a limited scope but themed and maximised for quality.