Roll out the Mephiston Red carpet, it’s time for an awards show. Armies on Parade is our annual celebration of hobbyists from around the globe as they show off their collections, and this year we’ve had almost one thousand entries.
We’d like to thank everyone who took part and we hope that the beautiful armies on display inspire the rest of you to join us in 2021 for another year of Warhammer-y goodness. And if you missed the live show, don't forget that you can still catch up on the festivities. Go on, grab yourself an indulgent snack and settle in – you've earned it. Probably.
Before we get to the awards themselves, let’s take a look at what some of our colleagues have been up to this year.
Now, without further ado, we present to you the winners of Armies on Parade 2020.
A word from the judges
“Needless to say, there were way too many good Warhammer 40,000 entries to make the judging easy. In the end, we selected a top-three that all display a great balance of craftsmanship, narrative, and sheer painting skills! From the super-cool, weathered, and battle-damaged Space Wolves vehicles to the clean and extremely well-painted Ultramarines and, of course, the absolutely wild Speed Freeks board – the winning entries speak for themselves!”
– Max Faleij
Space Wolves by Dariusz Obarek
Ultramarines by Robbie Oxley
Speed Freeks by Stefano Levorato
Such a wonderful blue sky makes this scene of Orky chaos almost serene, doesn’t it? This is certainly not just another day at the races, thanks to the fantastic detail everywhere you look – check out the tools on that bench.
A word from the judges
“This category hosted some of the most creative boards and armies I've ever seen in Armies on Parade, and I think that spark is reflected in our winners. I was absolutely delighted by not only the pristine paint jobs of Christopher’s Stormcast Eternals but also seeing such a cohesive display board be turned into versatile scenery for a full gaming table, what a wonderful idea! Joan’s winning Nighthaunt display board really took my breath away (no pun intended) with its gloomy and thematic atmosphere and stunning paint jobs on every miniature.”
– Louise Sugden
Ironjawz by Connor Sutton
Stormcast Eternals by Christopher Burwood
Nighthaunt by Joan Sitjar
This stunningly gloomy collection from Joan Sitjar is all set to claim souls under the full moon, with their pale cloaks flowing in the moonlight. Does anyone else feel a little bit chillier after looking at it?
A word from the judges
“This is the category that I was most excited about. Not only did I get to look at displays lovingly recreating scenes from The Lord of the Rings™ and The Hobbit™ movies, but it also included everything from Adeptus Titanicus to Warhammer Underworlds. It's such a diverse cross section of games and I wasn't disappointed. There's something inspiring about seeing the majesty of Titan Legions marching to war through the rubble of an Imperial city. I especially liked the entries that mixed the Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis models together since they're the same scale. A true exemplar of the Imperial war machine. The comedic relief of Blood Bowl teams stand in stark contrast to this, making this a tough category to judge. The Helm’s Deep explosion from Charles Lin truly grabbed my attention though. The moment you see it you're immediately taken to that iconic scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™ – an army worthy of Mordor indeed.”
– Tyler Mengel
Blood Bowl by Jose Pla Albiach
The Battle of Helm’s Deep by Charles Lin
Halfling Blood Bowl Team by Graham Shirley
Nothing captures the spirit of the carefree Halflings like a team and pitch enclosed in a picnic basket. If only they could afford some proper helmets…
We had so many entries for Armies on Parade this year that our judges couldn’t just hand out nine awards. Here are a few honourable mentions that the judges singled out for some awards of their own devising.
“This was so much fun to judge! We narrowed it down to the nine boards seen here in the end but it took really strict discipline to not include 150 special mentions! Each board presented is just brilliant for different reasons. Perhaps the quality of painting is incredible or the ideas and use of imagination are outstanding. These boards are all amazing and perfect representatives of Armies on Parade.”
– Nick Bayton
While all of the winners above are single entrants, we couldn’t help but give an honourable mention to this fantastic collaboration between over 40 people. This year has been a tough one for our hobbyists, and it’s nothing short of inspiring to see what can be achieved, even when we’re kept apart!
Phew, that’s certainly a parade. Thank you again to everyone that entered, and remember to stay tuned for more details on how you can join us for New Year, New Army in January – there’s never been a better time to get involved.