Chapter III: Fantasy

While we fight so many of our greatest battles across tiny, tiny battlefields, the real fight is the one we share with a paint brush! Come join our next painting competition for 2024!

For this event, you'll select a single model from your collection (or purchase something new) and have six short weeks to get it painted up! Just enough time to do your best work, we hope! At the end of that six weeks, the judges will pick a few winners and we'll celebrate the amazing hobby efforts of our community.

The Theme:
Fantasy

This Purple Palette is centered around the ideas, inspiration, and evocative tropes of the Fantasy genre! Your model should sit firmly within the fantasy genre, and we encourage you to take inspiration from classic or modern artwork and interpretations of fantasy stories.

Enrty Requirements

Assemble, and then paint your heart out!

Just like Purple Palette 2 , there's no requirement to purchase a brand new model - grab something from your backlog, or pickup a new release - the choice is yours.

You can use any miniature for this event as long as it meets the other requirements. That’s right! No need to purchase a mini! You can use one you already own. You'll be asked to submit a photo of the model when you enter, and the model must be either unpainted or, at most primed.
Your mini can be on a base no larger than 100mm and no taller than 130mm. If your model is sold with a base included, it must be on that base. You may overhang your base, however no element of your model should overhang more than 50% of the base size (for example, a model on a 50mm base should overhang no more than 25mm). A model that does not have a base cannot exceed 100mm horizontally and 130mm vertically.
There is still no sculpting or 3D printing (or 3D printed parts) allowed in this event. You are being judged on your painting ability and not your sculpting skills. You can however kitbash for this event! That means you may include decal transfers and components from other models.
You will need to complete an entry form here on the Mini Myths site (below) to enter. This will require a picture of your mini before you start (with a name and date), some personal details, the name of your entry and an opt-in for your photos to be used in social media.
Finally, the big one! Your piece must represent the theme in some way. It is up to you how much of the theme is represented in your piece, but how you represent the theme with your entry is the most important judging criteria! We recommend you try to make it a focal point so the judges can easily see what you have done.
If you're unsure if your chosen model fits the criteria above, we strongly encourage you to reach out on Facebook or Discord for clarification!

Entry

To enter into this competition, you must purchase a ticket and fill out the entry form below.

Ticket

We heard your feedback - instead of asking you to purchase a brand-new model, this time around we're funding the competition with a simple ticket purchase. 100% of this ticket purchase goes into the prize pool.

To encourage more entrants to get their models over the finish line, we've introduced a new ticket pricing structure. Purchase your ticket before the 20th of July and get $10 off!

If you're under 18, use the code PP318 at checkout for 50% off your ticket price!

Purple Palette III - Fantasy (Early Bird Price)

$ 20.00 AUD

Purple Palette III - Fantasy

$ 30.00 AUD

Entry Form

Complete your entry by filling out this entry form. Once you've done so, post a picture of your unpainted or primed model to the #Purple-Palette channel in Discord.

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Submission

Your entry can be submitted to Guf Werribee before 11:00 AM on Saturday the 10th of August, at which point the judges will begin their deliberations! If you'd like to organise early drop-off, get in touch on the Mini-Myths Discord and we'll make it happen!

On the day Activities

Hobby Tables

Care to hang out with us and do some hobby? We'll have a couple of tables reserved just for this very purpose! Whether you're starting something new, continuing an old project, or preparing for the next Purple Palette, we'd love for you to come down and hobby with us!

No need to reserve your spot - we'll have plenty of space for everyone, and the tables are booked all day. Just bring yourself, your hobby supplies, and your project of choice!

Participation Games

We've reviewed how we organize our participation games, and are excited to bring them back for this edition of Purple Palette.

This time, we'll have a single demo game running - Battletech Alpha Strike! Ryan Butler, a veteran player and excellent teacher, is running the show for this one - don't miss out.

To make things easier on players and organizers, you can use the form below to reserve your spot!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

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Judging Criteria

Criteria

We've heard your feedback for more transparent and clear judging criteria, so this time we've chosen to give you the exact criteria that is provided to the judges on the day.

Execution: How has the contestant shown their intention for the piece? How do all the elements work together? What is the overall result?
Technique: How well has the contestant used and implements fundamental techniques (blending, shading, highlighting, etc.)? How well are the techniques used to achieve the final result?
Character: How well does the character of the piece show through? Does it have a wow factor? Does it show an identity to what it is meant to be?
Theme Representation: How well is the theme represented? Is it integrated in a way that reflects positively to the piece? Does it hold your focus?
Personal Style: How well does the contestant's individual painting style show through? Is it a personal combination of other known styles? Does it feel identifiable or unique?

The judges will give you a score for each of these categories. Each category is worth 10 points, giving you a total possible points tally of 50.

Feedback

All entrants will be provided with their overall criteria scores in the week following the event. All contestants will also have the chance to reach out to the event organizers to receive any feedback the judges have left for them.

Advice

Decide on a setting for your piece. The “feel” of the model is just as important as the technical approach.
Tell a story. While the judges will critique your technical abilities, the use of any painting technique is not considered poor. Remember it is not how you paint it, just the end result that the judges will see.
Make sure your piece can “speak for itself”. You will not have the opportunity to communicate details to the judges. Ensure that everything you want to share is framed well. Pay attention to natural focal points like the face, chest and any weapons/tools.
Sculpted details are not the be all and end all. While some manufacturers ensure that there is very highly detailed information sculpted to their models, this is not the cause for many prize-winning pieces. Your ability to tell a story through your piece and the way you approach it is much more important.
Does size matter? Obviously, painting a larger sculpt allows for much more detail to be explored. Even so, please do not feel that this is always the case. Painting technique and creativity are key! A 25mm piece can show even more than a 65mm piece in the right hands.
Show your passion. We recommend that you pick a piece you are very passionate about. This helps to keep focus when you eventually reach that “I hate this” stage. Try a character you have always wanted for your army? Or even your favourite character from a movie or book.
Share your work with friends. It is always helpful during the process to share your work in progress for feedback. Having another set of eyes to look over your piece can be helpful when you are unsure of where to take it next.
Remember to have fun! This is ultimately a chance to share your skills and style for a hobby we all love. Remember to enjoy the process with your friends and to have fun.

Prizes

We've adjusted prizes to allow for rewarding more players, across broader criteria! Instead of a top 5, we'll be using the following prize structure:

Top Score: The highest overall average judge score on the day. Each criteria will be averaged to the judge and then that score will be averaged over all judges. In the unlikely event of draw, the judges will decide a winner amongst themselves.
Most Improved - The judges will unanimously pick an entry that was entered by someone who has previously competed in Purple Palette who has improved the most between entries.
Community Vote - On the day, anyone who is at Guf Werribee will be able to look over the entries and pick their three favorite entries. The most popular entry will win
Best Character - The one the judges found had the most impact in the overall execution (aka “wow-factor/x-factor”).
Best Newcomer - Highest score for a first time entrant. Only applicable to someone who has never entered a Purple Palette event before.
Best Under 18’s - If we have any underaged entries we will present an award to the highest score for an Under 18’s category.

* Any single player can only win one of the above prizes. In the scenario in which you might win two prizes, the judges will pick a runner up who will be awarded that prize. Players who are eligible for multiple prizes will be given the prize with the most value.