Closing Awards for AHPCIX

Well, here we are at the end of our ninth edition of the Painting Challenge. All the votes have been tabulated 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 all the points thresholds. Whew! It has been a VERY busy day, so please get yourself a cup of your favourite tipple and settle in - you're in for a long read.

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The Challengers' Choice

We had 23 nominations for the Challengers' Choice Award this season. It was terrific to take in the gallery as it provides such a wonderful retrospective of the Challenge. Below are your top selections of all the worthy nominations.

Honourable Mention 

Millsy's for his excellent Crusaders.

Honourable Mention 

GregB's imperiously stompy Imperial Titans

Honourable Mention 

BenitoM's British WWII Paras project

Honourable Mention 

Curt's Female Samurai

Honourable Mention 

Byron's Red-Ones-Go-Faster F1 Ork Racer

Third Place for Challengers' Choice  

TamsinP for her wonderfully varied body of work. A few samples to whet the appetite.

Second Place for Challengers' Choice  

MartinN for his sumptuously painted body of work. Here are just a few selections:

First Place for Challengers' Choice' goes to: 

KenR for his beautifully realised Italian Wars project. Bravo Ken!

Ken, for your prize you get a one-year's subscription to Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy.

For those interested in seeing the voting results for Challengers' Choice, they can be seen here.

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Judge’s Choice

Honourable Mentions go to:

MartinN's (AKA Nick) poignant 'Last Rites'

Honourable Mention 

Michael's devilishly fun Doctor Aphra, BT-1 and 0-0-0

The Judge’s Choice goes to:

StefanK's wonderfully pulpy 'The Unicorn Club'. Brilliant work Stefan, Bravo!

Stefan, for your prize you get a $50 CAD gift certificate from Northern Lights Terrain.

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Sarah’s Choice 

From Sarah: What wondrous madness the ninth edition has brought forth! It seems that for each Challenge, the entrants for Sarah’s Choice provide a stellar variety of figures and genres, and this year is no exception.

I have spent a very pleasing morning, coffee in hand, perusing through all this years Sarah’s Choice entrants. All of them, from old witches and shield maidens to zombies and renaissance orcish ladies are awesome and I admire you all for showing such creativity and diversity!

Honourable Mention 

PaulOG's Jeanne D’Arc

I can hardly believe that this was Paul’s first submission to the highly coveted and sought after Sarah’s Choice Award. Such a poignant, well painted vignette and a terrific write up of a very complex historical figure. Well done, Paul!

Honourable Mention

StuartL's Nellie Cochrane and her Fake News Crew

I am unfamiliar with the Malifaux game, but I do love steampunk and fierce Lady journalists are super cool. Every once in a while, Curt convinces me to play Eldritch or Mansions of Madness.... I suspect that I could probably be enticed into Malifaux

And the winner for Sarah's Choice is:

AlanDs Jugoslav Partizanke

I really enjoyed reading Alan's posts on these women and was very impressed by both your research and the hard work on converting suitable figures. This is exactly what I like about the Challenge, people finding a passion and sharing it with wide audience. I am a history nerd, and I thank you for the book recommendation. Added to my reading list! 

Alan, your prize is a gift certificate from the good folks over at 'War & Peace Games'.

Thanks again to all the participants; your posts and the friendly commentary makes for a very warm and welcoming community.

I’ll see you all for Challenge X!


Sarah

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The Prize for The Prettiest Undead 

This was a hard fought contest, a pitched match of decayed tooth and taloned nail.

In the end, and very suitably so, it was a dead heat (ahem). Yessiree, even-stevens, right down the middle with 21 votes apiece. So, what to do you all think? I reckon we need a rematch for Challenge X.  :)

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The 'What a Tanker!' Prize

We are still awaiting the adjudication results from Lard Island HQ so stay tuned for that in a future post.

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Points Threshold Prizes

Next we have the Point Threshold prizes. These are drawn randomly and awarded to those participants who broke through the six points barriers over the course of the Challenge.

Threshold I / 500-749 points: BrettM

(20 Euro Gift certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Threshold II / 750-999 points: JamesM

(20 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Threshold III / 1000-1499 points: AdamC

(20 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Threshold IV / 1500-1999 points: PaulSS

(20 GBP gift certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

Threshold V / 2000-2499 points: RayR

(40 CDN Gift Certificate from Westfalia Miniatures)

Threshold VI / 2500+ points: FranL

(40 CDN Gift Certificate from Westfalia Miniatures)

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Top Tier Points Finishers

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

3^rd in the Points Standings: MartinC: (20 Euro Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

2^nd in the Points Standings: MilesR (40 CDN Gift Certificate from Westfalia Miniatures)

1^st in the Points Standings NoelW (50 GBP Gift Certificate from Barrage Miniatures)

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Congratulations to all the prize winners and thank you for sharing your wonderful work with us. Please contact me to work out the details for getting your awards. In the meantime, let's dance.

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Okay, keeping with tradition, I've come up with a few small gifts to express my gratitude to this year's Minions who all did a fabulous job keeping the show moving along.  Some will notice that a few of these were shown during the Challenge, but a couple are new here today.

Barks, our Monday Minion, here is your horned Pink Horror to lurk as a warp-cursed vagrant within your Pinkstone Fortress. 

Lee, Tuesday's Minion: I went through my stores to find something that would compliment your interests. So, here is a figure of a senior sergeant and drummer boy from the 24th Regiment at Isandlwana. 

Evan, our antipodean Wednesday Minion, an elder Deep One for your burgeoning collection of monsters and all things eldritch.

Iain, our Thursday Minion, a Sister Superior from your wonderful gifting of an unpainted Sisters of Battle force. Thank you very much.

and Robert, our Francophile Friday Minion, your's was easy, my friend. Here is Napoleon at Arcola, 1796. Vive la France!!

I also want to thank our Spreadsheet Sith Lord Miles and our patient Duels Wallah Paul for gifting us with their herculean efforts this year. Guys, you can expect something from me in the post.

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Painting Challenge IX is now concluded.  I’d like to highlight all our Challenge Sponsors for their wonderfully generous support of the event.  If you have a free moment please visit their sites via the banners on the left sidebar and see if something strikes your fancy.  As I say every year, the Challenge doesn’t need prizes to be a success, but it sure adds a bit of sparkle to the show. :) Thanks again 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 all your hard work, your humour and most of all, your open-hearted good nature. All of these things makes the Painting Challenge what it is. I doff my cap to you all.

So in closing, I bid you all a fond farewell. In a few days Lady Sarah and I will be departing for a much needed vacation to the south of France. The sun and cuisine will be an excellent diversion, but I also have an additional piece of luggage dedicated for brushes, paints and figures - the Challenge continues! In the meantime, enjoy the next nine months everyone, and I hope to see you all next November.

- Curt