It’s that time of year! The 5th annual Great Pirate Paint Off will run from January 1st through April 30th, 2026. The Great Pirate Paint Off is a painting contest focused on Firelock Games’ pirate games: Blood & Plunder, Oak & Iron and Port Royal.
Hosted here on Blood & Pigment, The Great Pirate Paint Off event runs over the course of the first 4 months of the year with different categories being awarded prizes every month. There will be paint nights, periodic updates highlighting peoples’ work, galleries of painted minis to use as inspiration, a whole slew of prizes from sponsors, and shared work from around the Firelock Games’ pirate community.
TLDR Summary
- Blood & Plunder/Oak & Iron/Port Royal Painting Contest starting January 1st.
- Staggered deadlines with Commander/Character deadline first on January 31st.
- Substantial prizes awarded to randomly drawn participants at the middle and end of every month.
- Trophy medals awarded to winners chosen through public voting on top 5 entries of each category.
- Heavy Prize Support from Firelock Games, Blood & Pigment and many great gaming companies!
- Submit Entries through Blood & Pigment starting January 1st
We will be using the same basic format and contest structure as last year with a couple updates.
Painting Contest Rules
The basic contest rules are pretty simple:
- Your entry must have been painted by you in the 2026 calendar year.
- Entry must include 1-4 photos
- Your entry must be an official Blood & Plunder or Oak & Iron miniature or ship (with some noted exceptions.
- Entries can be submitted through the entry from on Blood & Pigment.
- Categories include:
- Commander or Character (single model)
- Port Royal Mini
- Unit (4-8 models)
- Blood & Plunder Ship
- Oak & Iron Ship
- Battle Force (25+ B&P minis, 6+ Port Royal Minis or 5+ O&I ships)
- Terrain
In addition to prizes for each of these categories, there will be some other special prizes handed out during the contest for certain accomplishments or to random entries.
Keep reading for the finer points of the rules near the bottom of this page.
Great Pirate Paint Off Painting Contest Schedule
This schedule looks a little convoluted, but it helps spread through fun out, gives people some goals to focus on, and helps avoid everyone submitting all their entries on the very last day of the contest!
- January 1 – Contest Opens
- January 31 – Last day to enter in the Commander/Character categories
- First Week of February- Judging, voting & prizes awarded on Commander/Character categories
- February 28 – Last day to enter the Terrain and Oak & Iron Ship categories
- First Week of March – Judging, voting & prizes awarded on Terrain and Oak & Iron Ship categories
- March 31 – Last day to enter the Unit & Port Royal categories
- First Week of April – Judging, voting & prizes awarded for B&P Unit & Port Royal categories
- April 30 – Last day to enter Blood & Plunder Ship and Battle Force categories (last day for any entries)
- First Week of May- Judging, voting & prizes awarded for Blood & Plunder Ship and Battle Force categories
- May 10 (or before) – Final Special Prizes awarded
We’ll try to squeeze in some community paint nights on Discord over the course of the event as well.
Judging, Voting and Prizes
The winners of the categories listed above will be selected through public voting on the top 5 entries as selected by a panel of judges. At the end of each month, all entries will be assembled and panel of 3 judges will choose their top 5 entries using a scaled voting system. Their top 5 choices will be posted for public people’s choice voting for a few days to select the final winner of a category.
Friendly & Competitive
There are THREE prizes for each main category. One will be awarded to the top entry judged by public voting. Two prizes will be awarded to other participants drawn at random. Here are the details:
- On the 16th of each month, a name will be drawn from all the participants currently entered in the category, and awarded a prize. Number of entries doesn’t increase chances. If you have entered one or more submissions in the category, you get one chance for the prize.
- At the end of the last day of the month, the secondary prize for the category will be awarded through the same method. One chance for all participants in the current category.
- As soon as the month is over, judges will vote to decide on the top 5 entries. Those 5 will be presented to the public for voting for the final winner of the category. The winner will receive a custom 2025 Great Pirate Paint Off medal with the Blood & Pigment logo.
At the end of the contest there will a couple additional prizes given out for special achievements.
The Prizes for Each Category
We are finalizing prize support. It’s going to be good! Right now we have about $1,500 in prizes lined up.
- Commanders (January)
- Mid January – Winsor & Newton Set of Paint Brushes
- End of January – Pro Acryl Paint Set
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- Characters (January)
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- Mid January – Everlasting Palette
- End of January – Pro Acryl Paint Set
- Oak & Iron (February)
- Mid February – Set of Oak & Iron dice from Baron of Dice
- End of February – Kraken from Timber & Sail
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- Terrain (February)
- Mid February – Terrain Kits from Things from the Basement
- End of February – Spanish House Kits from Things from the Basement
- Plunder Den special event – Prize from Plunder Den
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- Blood & Plunder Units (March)
- Mid March – Set of Blood & Pigment D10’s
- End of March – Plunder & Plunder Nationality Box
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- Port Royal (March)
- Mid March – Acrylic Rulers
- End of March – Port Royal Force Box from Firelock Games
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- B&P Ship (April)
- Mid April – Set of Paper Sails from Blood & Pigment
- End of April – Resin Sloop from Firelock Games
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
- B&P, PR or O&I Battle Force (April)
- Mid April – Set of Nationality Dice from Baron of Dice (B&P or O&I)
- End of April – Gaming Mat from Tablewar
- People’s Choice Winner – Medal
We will also be giving away some fun new Blood & Pigment Swag but those details aren’t finalized.
Additional Prizes at the End of the Contest
At the very end of the contest, there will be (at least) 2 additional prizes awarded for catagories.
- Best entry from a New Painter – Two Spanish House kits from Things from the Basement
- This prize will go out to a participant who has started painting miniatures in 2025 or 2026. It will be be judged by organizers.
- Most Entries – 200 mini case from Feldherr
- Whoever enters the most submissions will receive a special prize.
- One Random Winner from All Entries – 6th Rate Frigate from Firelock Games
- Best Entry from Each Nationality
- At the end of the contest, the top entry from each nation will receive either a Activation Deck or a Dice Set of their nationality from Baron of Dice.
Special Terrain Challenge – Coming Soon from The Plunder Den
Great Pirate Paint Off Sponsors & Prizes for 2026
We are lucky to have a great lineup of generous sponsors for this contest, providing some excellent prizes again this year! As of publishing this, we are still getting things lined up and locked in but we have these prizes ready for sure!
Sponsors this year include:
- Firelock Games
- The Plunder Den
- Things from the Basement
- Timber & Sail
- TABLEWAR
- Feldherr
- Miniature Building Authority
- Monument Hobbies (pending)
- St. Augustine Mint
- Baron of Dice
- Blood & Pigment
We are still in communications with some of these organizations and things are still in flux.
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, Port Royal or Oak & Iron miniatures that you painted this year (2026). We’re trying to encourage people to get painting! It’s OK if you started the mini(s) during 2025, but you need to have finished them in the 2026 calendar year. We’re just asking for you to be honest with that!
Mini modifications and kitbashed models 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 eligible to win (since prizes would already have been awarded).
Where do I Submit My Entries?
Here on Blood & Pigment, using the 2026 Great Pirate Paint Off entry form (coming soon). 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 them all.
How Will Peoples’ Choice Voting Work?
Categories will be cut to the top ~5 entries by our judges (depending on numbers). There will be a 3 day window for each category for people to vote on their favorites from these selections. Each person may vote once per category. All entries from each category will be featured in contest galleries.
What If I Can’t Take a Good Picture?
We’re here to help! With a little effort and a google search, you can learn some technique for taking decent pictures of your painted minis. Here is an article on the topic here on Blood & Pigment.
A 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.
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. A Port Royal force must include at least 6 minis and 1 objective (objective does not have to be official). Each minis/unit/ship from these Battle Force entries can be entered individually as well.
A “force” for Port Royal must include 6-10 minis and at least 1 Objective token (homemade or official).
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.
This category is exempt from the “Firelock only” rule. Any piratey terrain, either scratch built or from any company is eligible, as long as some building and/or painting is involved.
Port Royal vs Blood & Plunder entries
Blood & Plunder and Port Royal minis are basically interchangeable. So a Commander or Character mini could really be entered in either category. So it really depends on what game you’re actually using it or painting it for. Blood & Plunder units need to be at least 4 models, while you could submit a individual model in the Port Royal category.
I’m hoping to see more customization and kitbashing in th Port Royal category. This is our first time incorporating Port Royal into the contest so we’re still experimenting.
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 2026 Great Pirate Paint Off painting contest! If you jump on in, you will have your forces looking great in time for the 2026 Summer of Plunder event starting in June!
It’s time to tackle the pile of silver and grey miniatures!
Wonderful – many thanks for all your engagement for the player community!
In the “Port Royal vs Blood & Plunder entries” is written “Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron minis are basically interchangeable.” – “Blood & Plunder and Port Royal” (respectively vice versa), isn’t it?
Bye!
Fixed. Thanks!