A global event created to bring together scale modelers, miniature painters, and artists from all over the world, with over $3400 in prizes and a true celebration of the hobby.
If you’re part of the world of scale modeling, miniature painting, or visual arts, you already know that every project is more than a finished piece. Your work becomes a personal story shaped by time, effort, and dedication. With that same spirit, every year at SprayGunner we open the doors to an event designed to highlight the best of this hobby, celebrating the creativity shared by thousands of artists around the globe.
SprayGunner Painting Contest returns in 2025 with more prizes, more categories, and more opportunities to show the world what you can create. As always, it’s an open invitation to enjoy the process, find inspiration, and be part of a community that keeps growing thanks to the enthusiasm of each of its members.
What Is SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025 and Why Is It Special?
If this is your first time hearing about our annual event, here’s a quick introduction. SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025 is an international painting and modeling competition created to bring the entire hobby community together in one digital space. It began as a simple way to celebrate what unites us (the desire to create, to share, and to keep improving), and over time it has become a meeting place for artists of different styles, levels, and corners of the world.
What makes this contest truly special isn’t just the categories or the prizes, but the atmosphere that forms around it. Every participant can show their work without pressure, learn from what others are doing, and enjoy that exchange that only happens between people who know what it’s like to spend hours refining tiny details or hunting for the perfect color combination.
This new 2025 edition arrives with fresh energy. There are more prizes, more ways to take part, and even more excitement about seeing what the community has to share. The grand prize (which we’ll reveal a bit later) adds a spark of anticipation, but the heart of the event is the same as always: every project, big or small, has a place. Year after year it’s clear that this contest grows because the people who join do it with passion, and that’s what makes it truly special.
How to Participate in SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025
Basic requirements
Joining in SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025 is very simple, and the idea is to make sure anyone who enjoys the hobby can take part without complications. The first thing is to make sure your model is completed in 2025. It doesn’t matter if you started it years ago while juggling other projects on your workbench; what matters is that you finished it this year.
You’ll also need a minimum of five photos. One of them must include a physical item with the SprayGunner logo (this can be a sticker, a card, a shirt, or anything you have on hand). This helps us keep entries authentic and avoid digital editing or composites.
You can submit more than one project if you’d like, but each model may only compete once, within a single category. This keeps the competition organized and prevents confusion during judging.
Allowed material and important rules
There are a few details to keep in mind before submitting your work. Most importantly, models that have been posted publicly, awarded, or that have competed in other national or online events before 2025 are not allowed. This ensures a fair playing field and keeps this year’s edition fresh for everyone.
Also remember that each model can only enter one category. If your project could fit into two or more (which happens often with complex scenes or very creative builds), don’t worry.
You can suggest the category you feel is most appropriate, and if there’s any uncertainty, the SprayGunner team will choose the one that fits best. The goal is to keep things fair and organized, not make the process complicated for you.
How to submit your entry, step by step
To enter, simply follow the official Submittal Page link (Link here). Once there, you’ll answer a short form where we ask what materials you used, how you applied them, and which category you’re entering. It’s a friendly process designed to be easy and stress-free.
When you’re ready to upload your photos, make sure you include between five and ten images. Ideally, they should cover all the important angles so the judges can properly appreciate your work. The recommended shots are a front three-quarter view, a rear three-quarter view, right and left sides, and the required picture showing your model next to an item with the SprayGunner logo.
If you want to share your model on social media, feel free to do so. Just remember that posting online does not count as an official submission. To participate, you must complete the form and upload everything through the official platform. When posting online, you can use the hashtags #SprayGunner, #SGcontest2025, and #hobbyistsarsenal so we can follow your progress and share it with the community.
Contest divisions
Beginner Division
The Beginner Division is designed for anyone taking their first steps into the hobby. If you’re just starting to explore miniature painting, scale modeling, or any creative corner of this world, this is your space. It doesn’t matter if you’re still learning how to control an airbrush or experimenting with different techniques to find your style.
What truly matters is that you’re excited to grow, explore, and share your progress with a community that appreciates that enthusiasm.
This division exists because every one of us has been in that early stage where each small achievement feels huge. The idea is to give newcomers a place where they can participate without pressure, enjoy the process, and feel included without comparing themselves to more advanced artists. It’s a friendly environment built for learning, having fun, and finding motivation as you develop your own artistic path.
Experienced Division
The Experienced Division is aimed at hobbyists with a more defined trajectory. If you participate actively in local communities, have competed before, have been refining your techniques for a while, or recently returned to the hobby but still feel confident in your level, this is likely the best place for you.
Here you’ll find artists who tend to work with a more mature sense of style, who push themselves often, and who are always looking for ways to improve. You don’t need to be a professional or have decades of experience, but you should have a solid foundation and a growing artistic identity. This division brings together creators who enjoy the challenge and appreciate the technical exchange with others who understand the dedication behind every project.
Both divisions share the same goal: helping every participant feel placed at the right level, receive feedback appropriate to their experience, and enjoy the contest on equal footing with the rest of the community.
The nine available categories
SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025 was designed so every participant can find a natural home for their project. The categories cover nearly the entire spectrum of modeling and painting, ranging from historical aircraft to fantasy figures or water-based scenes. These are the nine options you can choose from when submitting your entry:
- Planes: For anyone who enjoys recreating aircraft from any era, scale, or country from WWII classics to modern jets and experimental schemes.
- Civilian Vehicles: This includes cars, motorcycles, trucks, and any kind of non-military vehicle. A perfect category for those who love glossy finishes, bold colors, and mechanical details.
- Gundam & Mecha: The ideal space for builders working with robots, mobile suits, and anything within the mecha universe. From classic kits to fully customized interpretations, everything fits here.
- Military & Armored Vehicles: Tanks, transports, artillery, half-tracks, and any machine designed for the battlefield. A favorite category for fans of weathering, historical accuracy, and technical details.
- Figures, Sci-Fi & Fantasy: A wide category that includes characters, creatures, ships, androids, or any piece that blends storytelling with personal style. Great for artists who paint narratives into their work.
- Sea / Water-Based Scenes: Whether it’s a full ship or a composition where water plays a central role, this category highlights creativity and the use of special effects to simulate liquid surfaces or aquatic vehicles.
- Warhammer: For fans of any Warhammer universe. Individual figures, squads, monsters, vehicles, or themed dioramas are all welcome.
- Scratch Built / Kitbash: A space reserved for the most experimental creators. Here you’ll find projects built from scratch, assembled from parts of different kits, or completely imagined by the artist.
- Fine Art: An open, artistic category that welcomes more conceptual pieces. Perfect for those who mix traditional art techniques with airbrushing or miniature elements.
A special note about the Scratch Built / Kitbash category
This category deserves extra attention because it represents the most free-form side of the hobby. When we talk about scratch built, we mean projects constructed almost entirely from scratch (using plasticard, repurposed parts, improvised materials, or components designed by the artist). Kitbash, on the other hand, relies on combining pieces from different kits to create something truly original.
Because of how unique this category is, participants must upload additional photos showing the building process. These images help the judges understand how the piece came to life and give a clearer look at the creativity, effort, and technical skill behind the project. For many hobbyists, this is the most enjoyable part it’s where the limitless imagination behind the work really shows.
When a category has fewer than 10 entries
To keep the contest balanced and ensure everyone has a fair experience, some categories may be combined with others that share a similar theme. This only happens when a category receives fewer than ten entries, and the merge is always done within the same division. For example, a water-based scene might be grouped with military vehicles if both projects share similar technical elements, or a kitbash piece might be moved into Sci-Fi if it fits more naturally there.
There’s nothing you need to worry about. This adjustment simply helps guarantee that every project gets the visibility it deserves and competes in a category that makes sense.
Prizes and recognition
Division prizes
One of the most exciting parts of SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025 is the variety of prizes designed to recognize the effort and passion behind each entry. In both the Beginner and Experienced divisions, you’ll find awards meant not only to highlight outstanding work but also to motivate you to keep growing within the hobby.
In the Beginner Division, the top three entries in each category will receive official contest medals (gold, silver, or bronze), along with SprayGunner gift cards. These prizes are meant for hobbyists who are just starting out but already show dedication and a strong desire to learn. It’s our way of saying that you’re on the right path and that your progress is worth celebrating.
In the Experienced Division, the prizes step up a level. Since this division brings together artists with more experience, the top winners also receive official medals and higher-value gift cards. They’re perfect for taking on ambitious projects or exploring advanced tools and techniques. It’s an incentive to keep pushing your skills, refining your style, and sharing your work with a community that understands the commitment behind every piece. As always, the goal isn’t just to compete it’s to celebrate that moment when you look at your finished project and feel that every hour invested was worth it.
Special awards
Alongside the main divisions, the contest features three special awards introduced this year to recognize exceptional creativity and give participants an extra boost of motivation.
The first is Best in Show, awarded to the single most outstanding entry in the entire competition, regardless of category. The winner receives a $100 gift card and a high-end airbrush an ideal combination for anyone ready to take their work to the next level.
There’s also the Judges’ Favorite, a prize that reflects the emotional connection the judges feel with a particular piece. It isn’t always the biggest or the most complex; sometimes it’s an atmosphere, a detail, or an idea executed beautifully that stands out. This award includes a $100 gift card and a mid-level airbrush, a great tool for continuing to experiment and grow.
Finally, the Creative Award recognizes that special spark that appears when someone takes an artistic risk and pulls off something unexpected. It might be an inventive technique, an unusual concept, or a bold interpretation that goes beyond the ordinary. The winner receives a $100 gift card and a No Name cordless compressor a very practical tool for artists who enjoy flexibility and mobility.
Beyond their material value, these awards carry something meaningful: they represent the recognition of a global community that appreciates dedication, effort, and a love for detail. Winning one is not just about receiving a prize it’s about that moment when your work inspires others and becomes part of something larger than a competition.
Important dates to keep in mind
The timeline for SprayGunner Painting Contest 2025 is designed so everyone can participate without stress and enjoy the journey. The most important date is December 31, 2025, which is the deadline for submitting your entry. Many participants like using the extra time to refine details or take their best photos, so having a clear date helps with planning.
Toward the end of the year, we’ll announce the panel of judges, sharing the news with the same excitement you feel when entering the contest. Right after the holiday season, we begin organizing the evaluation process. That time of year usually comes with travel, celebrations, and shifting schedules, so we ask for a bit of patience. Final results will be announced before January 15, 2026, giving you the perfect start to the year as you celebrate your participation and see the amazing work created by the community.
It’s a process that takes time, but it’s done with care and with the intention of reviewing every entry the way it deserves.
Your creativity takes the spotlight
At SprayGunner, we deeply believe in the connection that happens when artists share their work. That’s why this event exists, and why each year we return even more excited to see what the community can achieve. We’re here to support you, help spark new ideas, and celebrate with you when you finish a project and realize how far you’ve come.
If you’ve been thinking about participating, this is the perfect moment. Grab the model that inspires you, dust off a project you paused, or start something completely new. Have fun, experiment, and let your style shine without comparisons or pressure.
We can’t wait to see what you create in 2025. And when you share it, you can be sure we’ll be right here celebrating with you.