Golden Demon: Warhammer’s ultimate painting competition

Golden Demon is Warhammer’s ultimate painting competition, with thousands of incredibly painted models being submitted every year.

Painters of all levels are invited to submit their best work to claim glory, bragging rights, coveted trophies, and a well-deserved sense of accomplishment in this pinnacle of the Warhammer miniatures painting hobby.

There are categories to cover different models and units for all of the Warhammer game systems, as well as the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. You can find the latest category and entry guidelines right here.

Golden Demon categories

Whether you prefer to paint single miniatures of special characters, rank-and-file soldiers, or impressive aircraft and vehicles, or even create sprawling and immersive dioramas, there is a category for you. Plus, there’s the Open Category, where you can let your imagination run wild, and Youngbloods for painters aged 15 and under.

Golden Demon awards

The top three entries in each category will take home one of the coveted Golden Demon statues, with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards up for grabs.

There are more awards available for entries that catch the judges’ attention, but don’t quite make it to the podium, and these come in three levels: 

  • Finalist – the highest category, from which the statue winners are selected

  • Commended

  • Notable

The Slayer Sword

The best-of-the-best at each competition is named the overall winner and presented with the legendary Slayer Sword.

Each Gold winning entry in its respective category will be judged collectively to determine which entry will be awarded Warhammer’s ultimate prize in miniature painting. 

Slayer Sword winner David Arroba at Golden Demon 2026 in Adepticon

The winner is then awarded with a sword. Yes, the winner is awarded with an actual sword. Yes, it’s absolutely epic.

Where is Golden Demon hosted?

For the 2026 season, there are two Golden Demon events – one in the United States and one in Europe. The American leg of the event is at AdeptiCon in Milwaukee, WI, in March, while the European leg is being held at Spiel in Essen, Germany in October.

What do the judges look for at Golden Demon?

In all categories the judges look for many different qualities in winning entries. Technical skill, atmosphere, consistency in quality, and narrative are all key components in what makes a winning entry stand out. 

The painting isn’t just about technical prowess – it’s about finding a style and technique that works for you and applying it with care. 

The judges have no set preference when it comes to style – as long as it looks amazing, there are no rules as to how you go about it.

The background and setting is important as well. The judges will be looking at how well the entry fits into Games Workshop’s different worlds and universes – a strong narrative can go a long way towards grabbing the judges’ attention, and ensuring that your entry is framed firmly within the universes of Warhammer is vital.

Previous Golden Demon winners

We publish pictures of the winning entries here on Warhammer Community every year, so if you take home a trophy then your work will be immortalised on these pages.
If you want to get inspired for next year’s competition, check out some of the previous winners at the links below