The first leg of Golden Demon 2025 is officially over, and what a contest it has been. The standard of entries continues to skyrocket – with everything from individual Dwarfs to entire dioramas winning these sought-after hobby awards – but only one could rise above all others and claim the coveted Slayer Sword.
This year, that honour went to Borja Calvo Bertrán de Lis with his majestic entry into the Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Large Miniature or War Machine category. Warhammer Community was at Adepticon to get an exclusive interview.
This jaw-dropping Iridan the Witness took hundreds of hours to complete, with Borja applying the finishing touches at the very last minute. The tight deadline did nothing to dampen his spirits, however: “The last days were a lot of work and a lot of stress, even here in the hotel in the US! I had to finish those last little details, but they’re the ones that really matter.
“I do have a favourite part – the back of Irridan’s axe, because I was really flowing at that point and it only took 20 minutes, but I was really proud of the results,” he explains. “The most challenging part without a doubt was the feathers. There are feathers everywhere, and painting each one of them one-by-one with texture while keeping in mind the different values and tones… they were so challenging!”
Borja’s rise to the pinnacle of the miniature-painting mountain did not come out of nowhere, as he’d previously picked up a bronze in the Youngbloods category at Games Day Madrid in 2009. This eventually led to a career as a full-time painter, treating his miniatures as the canvas on which he paints stunning works of art.
“When I won the Youngblood bronze award I was just a little child, but it felt amazing,” he says. “All of my friends from my local Games Workshop store were there and rooting for me, and this felt exactly the same but so much bigger. I consider miniature painting like… miniature art, so you need big canvasses – and what is better than a big griffon with an amazing character riding it?”
And, as with many of those who gathered to enter the world’s greatest miniature painting competition last week, it’s the tight-knit community of fellow hobbyists that keeps Borja motivated to take part year after year. Many entrants came as much to meet up with friends as they did to enter Golden Demon.
“Rooting for all of your friends and colleagues here in the US is just amazing,” Borja says, “and getting to see them every year… it’s just the best part of my year.”
Congratulations again to Borja for his victory, and for those still raring to enter for our next Golden Demon event at SPIEL Essen this October, we hope this has been a source of great inspiration! You can check out all the other winners from AdeptiCon this year, and if that isn’t enough excitement already, don’t miss all of the awesome reveals we showed off just moments before the Golden Demon registrations opened.
