MAY 2024 UPDATE: This year’s contest is over and you can see all the winners here. Stay tuned for the 2025 Great Pirate Paint Off starting on January 1st, 2025.

It’s time for a painting contest! Painting miniatures, ships, and terrain is a big part of our Blood & Plunder hobby (the “Pigment” half of this hobby). In an effort to highlight the great painting work done by members of the Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron communities, and to encourage folks to get their minis painted up before the epic “Summer of Plunder Campaign,” we are again hosting a Great Pirate Paint Off in 2024! This will be a painting contest for Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron players running over the first few months of 2024.

Painting Contest Rules

The basic contest rules are pretty simple:

• Your entry must be an official Blood & Plunder or Oak & Iron miniature or ship (except for the Terrain category)
• The entry must have been painted by you in the year 2024.
• Entry must include 1-3 photos
• Categories include:
  • Commander or Character (single model)
  • Unit (4-8 models)
  • Blood & Plunder Ship
  • Oak & Iron Ship
  • Battle Force (25+ B&P minis or 5+ O&I ships)
  • Terrain
  • Best B&P minis of each Nationality
  • A few prizes will be distributed to random entries as well

You can read details on all the prizes and contest sponsors here.

Keep reading for the finer points of the rules near the bottom of this page.

Great Pirate Paint Off Painting Contest Schedule

We are structing the schedule differently this year. This should be fun!

The contest will take place over the first 4 months of 2024 with various checkpoints along the way. The 2024 Great Pirate Paint Off will open January 1st, 2024. At the end of every month the entry time frame will end for 1-2 categories. A panel of judges will vote for best entries and they will be announced during the first week of the following month. This way painters can focus on different categories each month and it provides various deadlines throughout the contest so all entries can’t be submitted at the very end (which makes a logistical logjam for us!).

This is a slightly more complex schedule:

• January 1 – Contest Opens
• January 31 – Last day to enter in the Commander/Character categories
  • First Week of February- Judging & prizes awarded on Commander/Character category
• February 29 – Last day to enter the Terrain and Oak & Iron Ship categories
  • First Week of March – Judging & prizes awarded on Terrain and Oak & Iron Ship categories
• March 31 – Last day to enter the Unit category
  • First Week of April – Judging & prizes awarded for Unit category
• April 30 – Last day to enter Blood & Plunder Ship and Battle Force categories (last day for any entries)
  • First Week of May- Judging & prizes awarded for Blood & Plunder Ship and Battle Force categories
• May 12 – Final Special Prizes awarded

At the end of the contest, additional prizes will be given out for these categories:

• Best Spanish entry
• Best English entry
• Best French entry
• Best Dutch entry
• Best Native American entry
• Best Pirate entry
• Best Unaligned entry
• Most entries
• Best entry from a New Painter

Each national prizes will be awarded by the respective national commander for our upcoming Summer of Plunder event!

You can expect a mid month contest update for each active category, featuring some of the “early bird” entries for the month.

Great Pirate Paint Off Contest Prizes and Sponsors

Winners of the contest will earn everlasting fame and glory, but, as usual, we have some great plunder from out contest sponsors to hand out as well! We have been generously supported by some great organizations and companies who have donated or provided prizes to use at a good discount.

Check this page for full details on prizes and sponsors.

Contest sponsors currently include:

• Firelock Games
• Timber & Sail Blog
• TABLEWAR Game Mats
• The Plunder Den YouTube Channel
• Seamons’ Quality Sails
• The Dead Man’s Chest Blog
• Feldherr Miniature Cases
• Things from the Basement
• Blood & Pigment

Here is the short version of the prizes that will be given out. Please check this page for a more detailed look at the prizes we have lined up.

• Peoples’ Choice Commander Prize
  • Oversized Commander (of your choice) from Firelock Games
• People’s Choice Character
  • Box of Plunder Sprue
• Best Terrain Prize
  • A custom piece of terrain from Dexter at The Plunder Den
• Best Oak & Iron Prize
  • Either the Men of War expansion or 2 new Oak & Iron Ships of your choice
• Best Unit Prize
  • Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Best Ship Prize
  • A set of Balandra or Bermuda Sloop sails from Seamons’ Quality Sails
• Best Force Prize
  • 3×4′ Game Mat from TABLEWAR
• Top Spanish Entry
  • Spanish Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Top English Entry
  • English Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Top French Entry
  • Spanish Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Top Dutch Entry
  • Dutch Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Top Native American Entry
  • Native American Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Top Unaligned Entry
  • Unaligned Plunder Storage Box from Things from the Basement
• Most Entries
  • Miniature Box with Foam Trays from Feldherr
• Best Entry from a New Painter
  • Set of 2 Winsor & Newton Brushes from Blood & Pigment
• Random Entries x4
  • Exclusive Plunder from The Dead Man’s Chest Blog

That’s over $650 worth of prizes going to at least 18 winners! We may have the opportunity of adding more prizes as well so keep an eye out.

Contest FAQ and Details

The rules are hopefully pretty simple, but here are some additional details and clarifications.

What Minis Can I Enter?

Official Blood & Plunder or Oak & Iron miniatures that you painted this year (2024). We’re trying to encourage people to get painting! It’s OK if you started the mini(s) during 2023, but you need to have finished them in the 2024 calendar year. We’re just asking for you to be honest with that!

Mini modifications and kitbashes are great, but they need to be “mostly” a Firelock mini. A Firelock hard plastic miniature with a head or arm used from a different line of minis would be OK but a entire mini from a different manufacturer would not be OK. 3D printed ships are not allowed and different sculpts for Oak & Iron (like Dark Seas) would not qualify.

When Can I Enter My Minis?

Any time before that mini’s listed deadline for its category. Early entry is great (a Blood & Plunder ship could be entered in January), but after the posted deadline, the entry will not be judged (e.g. Oak & Iron Ship in April would be too late).

Where do I Submit My Entries?

Here on Blood & Pigment, using the 2024 Great Pirate Paint Off entry form. If you have any questions or issues, contact us via the contact page, or Facebook, or Discord.

How Many Minis can I enter?

As many as you can paint up within the timeframe! There is no limit! In fact, there is a prize for the person who submits the most entry, so enter away.

How Will Peoples’ Choice Voting Work?

Categories will be cut to the top 10-20 entries by our judges (depending on numbers) There will be a 2 day window for each category for people to vote on their favorites from these selections. Each person may vote once per category and a unique email will be required. All entries from each category will be featured in contest galleries.

UPDATE 2/7/24

January’s categories were judged via People’s Choice voting. February and the rest of the contest will be judged via a panel of judges. Irregularities and issues made the voting unsustainable.

What If I Can’t Take a Good Picture?

I good photo makes a big difference so do your best! Your camera phone should take a fine picture IF you can have a clean/scenic background and plenty of light. You can find plenty of articles and videos on taking pics of minis online (even an article on Pigment here!).

Does My Ship Entry Need to Have Sails and Rigging?

No, it does not. But it will likely be more impressive and more likely to win if it does have sails and rigging. But you can enter a Blood & Plunder ship entry as a hull with masts only if you like.

What is a “Battle Force”?

A Blood & Plunder Battle Force entry must include at least 25 models. It may (but doesn’t need to) include a ship or some terrain feature (like fortifications). A Battle Force for Oak & Iron must include at least 5 ships. Each minis/unit/ship from these Battle Force entries can be entered individually as well.

What Counts as “Terrain”?

Any natural terrain like stands of trees and bushes, rocks, shoals, custom battle board in addition to any buildings or fortifications that you want to paint. This is a little bit of a squishy category that could be both crafting and/or painting. If you made/painted it and it goes on your Blood & Plunder or Oak & Iron battle boards, it probably qualifies. If you simply assembled it (like a simple pre-painted mdf building), that wouldn’t really qualify.

Final Thoughts

We’re really looking forward to seeing the pirate paint jobs coming out of the Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron community this year and I hope you’re ready for some stiff competition for some great prizes. Get ready for the 2024 Great Pirate Paint Off painting contest! If you jump on in, you will have your forces looking great in time for the 2024 Summer of Plunder event starting in June!

Additional Reading

• Contest Gallery
• Contest Sponsors and Prizes
• Contest Entry Form