Crystal Brush Qualifiers

Road to Crystal Brush: Origins Game Fair!

Here’s another chance for mini painters to win a plane ticket to compete at the Crystal Brush Awards!

CoolMiniOrNot will be attending Origins Game Fair on June 11-15 and hosting a Crystal Brush Qualifier painting competition in the Paint and Take area.  Anyone with an Origins weekend badge is welcome to enter.

The 3rd and 2nd place overall winners will receive, respectively, $25 and $50 in CoolMiniOrNot store merchandise credit. The first place overall winner will receive his or her choice of $100 in CMON store merchandise credit, or round-trip airfare to the Crystal Brush Awards at Adepticon 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

Entries may be submitted Thursday and Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, June 15, at 1 p.m.  Full rules and competition categories are given below.  We hope to see you there!

Road to Crystal Brush 2015 Painting Competition (Origins Game Fair 2014)

1)    Entries and Competitors

Entry procedure

• Fill in an entry form at the competition check in counter.
• You will be given a reclaim ticket stub, and a sticker will be stuck on the underside of your model identifying your ownership.
• Your models will then be placed in the display cases with a small ID card.  Card will not be viewed and entries will be identified only by number during judging and voting.
• You will be given a time and date to collect your models after voting is complete.  Your reclaim ticket stub is required to prove ownership.

Conditions of entry

a) All entries must be entered in person, by the individual responsible for all the painting on the model, before 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 14.

b) An Origins full show badge or equivalent (press/exhibitor/retailer/GM/artist/volunteer) is required to submit models into the contest. If you have not already registered online as an Origins attendee, a badge may be purchased at the show.

c) Entries must not have been entered previously into any publicized competition. Entries must not have been published in any professional or commercial print or online media, including but not limited to hobby magazines, manufacturer catalogs, advertisements, box art, or gaming materials such as character cards and rule books.

d) There is a limit of 1 entry per entrant, per category.

e) Entrants are responsible for the transportation of entries to and from the competition.  No storage space for transportation materials will be provided.  Entrants must pick up entries on Sunday, June 15, at the designated times provided at the event.

f) No team entries are allowed. Artists who create original sculpts and conversions but do not paint the entry will not be listed as entrants (i.e. no co-credit).

g) Entrants must remain available for judging, queries, and prize awards during the competition.

h) Entrants agree to provide all entries, at their own risk, to CoolMiniOrNot and Origins for the duration of the competition for the purpose of display, photography, and judging.  CoolMiniOrNot and Origins accept no responsibility for damage to or loss of entries during the competition.

i) Entrants agree to have their entries photographed, videoed, or otherwise recorded by CoolMiniOrNot, and such recordings shall be the property of CoolMiniOrNot and shall be used in whatever manner CoolMiniOrNot sees fit without further reference or payment to the entrant.

2)    Categories

The Origins 2014 Road to Crystal Brush competition includes 13 categories. Height restrictions have not been given for some of the categories, but note that entries taller or wider than 300mm cannot be guaranteed a space in the secured display cases. For categories with height restrictions, display plinths will not be included in the height allowance, but they will not be taken into consideration during judging, on either technical or artistic grounds. All painted and modeled work above ‘ground level’ on the plinth top or standard game base will be considered part of the entry and included in the height allowance.

All units not mounted on a single display base must be presented on a movement tray. This is to facilitate handling and photography, and to ensure the group is arranged as the entrant intends. Movement trays are not required to be painted. They will not be considered in judging, and will neither add to nor detract from the entry’s score. It is recommended that loose models be secured to the movement tray with putty, magnets, or other means of attachment.

Please note: the head judge will have final say on what models are suitable for submission and category placement of submitted models.

1. Science Fiction Single Figure

Single “human” sized figure, 28 to 40mm scale, on a base no larger than 50mm in diameter, with a total height of 75mm or less.

2. Science Fiction Vehicle or Monster

Vehicle or large monster, 28 to 40mm scale, on a base no larger than twice the horizontal dimensions of the model, up to 300mm in diameter. This category includes vehicles with riders and figures mounted on large animals such as horses.

3. Science Fiction Unit

Squad of “human” sized figures, 28 to 40mm scale, minimum of 3 models, maximum of 10 models, mounted separately on bases no larger than 50mm in diameter, or on a single display base no larger than the combined total of all base allowances (example: 10 models would be allowed on a base 500mm x 50mm, or 250mm x 100mm, or other dimensions equal in area). Total height must be no more than 75mm. Units not on a single display base must be presented on a movement tray. Unit is not required to conform to game play rules.

4. Fantasy or Steampunk Single Figure

Single “human” sized figure, 28 to 40mm scale, on a base no larger than 50mm in diameter, with a total height of 75mm or less.

5. Fantasy or Steampunk Vehicle or Monster

Vehicle or large monster, 28 to 40mm scale, on a base no larger than twice the horizontal dimensions of the model, up to 300mm in diameter. This category includes vehicles with riders and figures mounted on large animals such as horses.

6. Fantasy or Steampunk Unit

Squad of “human” sized figures, 28 to 40mm scale, minimum of 3 models, maximum of 10 models, mounted separately on bases no larger than 50mm in diameter, or on a single display base no larger than the combined total of all base allowances (example: 10 models would be allowed on a base 500mm x 50mm, or 250mm x 100mm, or other dimensions equal in area). Total height must be no more than 75mm. Units not on a single display base must be presented on a movement tray. Unit is not required to conform to game play rules.

7. Historical Single

Single “human” sized figure, 25 to 40mm or 1/35 scale, on a base no larger than 50mm in diameter, with a total height of 75mm or less.

8. Historical Vehicle or Monster

Vehicle or large monster, 25 to 40mm or 1/35 scale, on a base no larger than twice the horizontal dimensions of the model, up to 300mm in diameter. This category includes vehicles with riders and figures mounted on large animals such as horses.

9. Historical Unit

Squad of “human” sized figures, 25 to 40mm or 1/35 scale, minimum of 3 models, maximum of 10 models, mounted separately on bases no larger than 50mm in diameter, or on a single display base no larger than the combined total of all base allowances (example: 10 models would be allowed on a base 500mm x 50mm, or 250mm x 100mm, or other dimensions equal in area). Total height must be no more than 75mm. Units not on a single display base must be presented on a movement tray. Unit is not required to conform to game play rules.

10. Large Scale

Single figure or bust, 54mm and above, on a base no larger than 150mm in diameter.

11. Chibi Style

Single figure, monster, or unit in tabletop scale chibi or related caricatural style. This category includes models used for such games as Super Dungeon Explore, Arcadia Quest, and Rivet Wars. Units not on a single display base must be presented on a movement tray. Units are not required to conform to game play rules. Size restrictions apply as for single figures, monsters, and units in the Sci-Fi, Fantasy/Steampunk, and Historical categories. Dioramas with chibi figures will be placed in the Diorama category and must adhere to that category’s size restrictions.

12. Diorama

At least two figures, up to 120mm in scale, mounted on a base no larger than 300mm in diameter.

13. New Talent

28mm to 40mm single “human” sized figure, on a base no larger than 50mm in diameter, with a total height of 75mm or less. Entrant must be 14 years or younger, i.e. have been born no earlier than June 14, 2001.

This category is only eligible for store merchandise credit awards.

3) Judging

a) Each entry will be evaluated carefully and compared with the others in its category. For each category, a Bronze, Silver, and Gold place will be awarded.

b) The Gold winners from each category will be compared against each other, and a First, Second, and Third overall ranking assigned.

c) An entrant may be awarded no more than one of the three overall prizes. If an entrant has more than one category Gold winner, only one entry will be chosen for comparison when selecting the top three overall winners.

d) If there are 3 or fewer entries in a category, or if overall entry numbers are lower than expected, judges may decide to combine multiple categories for judging (for example, Fantasy/Steampunk Unit, Sci-Fi Unit, and Historical Unit may be judged together as Unit).

d) All decisions are final.

e) Judging criteria

Criteria are provided so that judges can compare entries uniformly and fairly, regardless of style or genre, and so that entrants will have specific information as to what judges are looking for. The Origins 2014 Road to Crystal Brush competition will use the same criteria for judging as for the Crystal Brush Awards onsite judging. The complete judging criteria is available on the Crystal Brush website.

4) Prizes

a) The CoolMiniOrNot Expo 2014 painting competition is a Road to Crystal Brush qualifier competition. If at least 50 entries are submitted in the competition, the overall highest scoring entrant, across all categories, will be awarded his or her choice of prize:

i.     $100 in CoolMiniOrNot store merchandise credit. Credit does not include shipping costs and must be used within 1 year.

ii.     Reimbursement by CoolMiniOrNot for round-trip coach airfare from entrant’s location to Chicago, Illinois, for the dates of the following AdeptiCon convention and Crystal Brush Awards.

1. Winning entrant must contact Crystal Brush/CoolMiniOrNot to choose his or her award within 30 days after event. Entrant is responsible for contacting Crystal Brush/CoolMiniOrNot to arrange details of travel and reimbursement.
2. Only one airfare reimbursement will be awarded to the same person within the same calendar year. Winning entrant is eligible only for CMON store credit at any subsequent events at which he or she may be judged the overall winner.
3. Crystal Brush/CoolMiniOrNot is not responsible for lodging, ground transportation, and/or any other expenses incurred by or related to the winning entrant’s travel to/from and participation in the Crystal Brush Awards.
4. Prize, whether in the form of CMON store credit or airfare reimbursement, is nontransferable.

b) If fewer than 50 entries are received, the first place prize may be limited to $100 in CMON store merchandise credit only, at the discretion of the judges.

c) The second and third highest scored entries, across all categories, will be awarded respectively $50 and $25 in CoolMiniOrNot store merchandise credit. Credit does not include shipping costs and must be used within 1 year.

d) In the event of any dispute, the sum total liability of CoolMiniOrNot to any entrant shall be whatever the entrant paid to CoolMiniOrNot directly related to entry in the CoolMiniOrNot Expo 2014 competition, i.e. $0. All rules subject to change without notice.