Contest Rules Open de l’Ouest 2026

General rules

  • The contest is open to normal figures (sculpture in the round), half in the round sculptures, busts, flat tin figures and models. The subject may be historical, fantasy, civil or military.
  • Possible awards : gold, silver and bronze medals, and recommendations.
  • Three Best Of Show will be awarded at the end of the awards ceremony : historical figures, fantasy figures, scale modelling. Those trophies will be handed to contestants in attendance.
  • The contest is an « Open » format competition, meaning there will be as many medals and recommandations awarded in a category as necessary. Any item judged of equal level as another will receive the same award. Thus one category may contain several gold, silver and bronze medals.
  • A laureate may not be awarded at the expense of another.
  • The organization committee reserves the right to refuse any piece that, by its subject or presentation, could shock the public.
  • For any given display, the judge team will select its best piece to allocate the display’s award.
  • Each contestant arranges their displays by themselves, while respecting the organizers’ directives. During this phase, the contestant is responsible for his pieces and the neighbouring ones.
  • Once a display has been installed, the contestant may not manipulate its pieces. In order to assure the security of every piece and the organization of the contest tables, contestants must accept that the organization committee may manipulate a display.
  • Any piece discovered to be an illegal copy of a commercial one will result in a disqualification of its display, the relevant display will not be judged.
  • The scale of the figures must be between 25 and 200 mm.
  • The displays will be installed Saturday morning, except for the organization members who may install them Friday evening.
  • Each display must not occupy more than a square surface of 30cm by 30cm. Before registration, please contact the organization committee if your piece is too large.

Program

Saturday 30th of May

  • 8.30AM to 1.00PM  : registration and installation of the displays and their pieces
  • 2.00PM to 5.00PM : judging
  • From 6.00PM : onwards, preview of the exhibition-contest by the mayor of Couëron, special prizes and trophies ceremony awards

Sunday 31th of May

  • From 4.30PM : awards ceremony

Contest registration

Pre-registration fees : 15 euros.
On-site registration fees : 20 euros.
For contestants under 15 years old, the registration is free!

The pre-registration of the displays and their pieces must be done online at the following address : www.opendelouest.fr
Otherwise, the contestant will have to pay the 5 remaining euros on-site.

The pre-registration will be open until the Sunday 17th of May 2026.

Figures

Each category will be judged by teams of three judges. They will determine together what award is given to a display, regarding the contest rules and the other contestants.

The judges can be contestants. In case a judge might have to evaluate his own display, the president of the jury will replace him in the judge team.

Level and categories :

Levels :

  • Juniors : This category is opened to contestants that are younger than 15 years old at 30th of May 2026. Juniors will not compete with the following range of categories of piece.
  • Novice : reserved to contestants who have never been awarded a gold medal in this level. Novices will only have historical and fantasy categories.
  • Standard : reserved to contestants who have been awarded a gold medal at a novice level in a national or international contest.
  • Master : reserved to contestants regularly awarded in national and international contests.

Categories :

  • Historical Figure more than 40mm
    • Figure at 40mm scale and above, busts
  • Fantasty figure more than 40mm
    • Figure at 40mm scale and above, busts
  • Historical Creation/Transformation (flat figures and busts included)
    • This category allows painted figures fully sculpted by yourself or transformations of existing pieces at more than 60%.
  • Fantasy Creation/Transformation (flat figures and busts included)
    • This category allows painted figures fully sculpted by yourself or transformations of existing pieces at more than 60%.
  • Flat figures and half in the round figures
  • Less than 40mm figures (Wargame)
    • Figures whose scale is 25mm to 40mm, for example from universes like Warhammer, Bolt Action, Star Wars Shatterpoint.
      Note : In this category, the use of a game base for a miniature will not be penalized. However, the figure must be put on an exhibition basing, so as to not damage the game basing and miniature (cf. « Kit de survie à un 1erconcours »).
  • Sculpting Green
    • Entire creation : sculpture
    • MUST NOT be primed
    • No using commercial pieces
    • Pictures detailing the process may be part of the display
  • Sculpting 3D
    • Entire creation : sculpture
    • MUST NOT be primed
    • No using commercial pieces
    • Pictures detailing the process may be part of the display

Scale Modelling

Levels :

  • Juniors : This category is opened to contestants that are younger than 15 years old at 30th of May 2026. Juniors will not compete with the following range of categories of piece.
  • Novice : reserved to contestants who have never been awarded a gold medal in this level. Novice will not compete with the following range of categories of piece.
  • Standard : reserved to contestants who have been awarded a gold medal at a novice level in a national or international contest.
  • Master : reserved to contestants regularly awarded in national and international contests.

Categories :

  • Aircraft
  • Military vehicles
  • Ships
  • Civilian vehicles
  • Science-fiction

You may help with the appraisal of your models by specifying transformations or added accessories. To do so, when depositing your pieces, you may, besides the white display tag, add coloured stickers : red if it’s a modified model, green if it isn’t.

These labels and stickers will be available at the registration table.

Judging criteria :

  • Assembling and finish : 50%
  • Painting : 40%
  • Difficulty : 10%

Diorama / Storytelling

Scenes with one or several figures, from any universe (wargames, models, 75mm …).
The judging panels of each level will be made by teams of three cross-disciplinary judges (models and figures). The story you wish to represent and its realisation will be important.

Levels :

  • Juniors : This category is opened to contestants that are younger than 15 years old at 30th of May 2026.
  • Novice : reserved to contestants who have never been awarded a gold medal in this level.
  • Standard : reserved to contestants who have been awarded a gold medal at a novice level in a national or international contest.
  • Master : reserved to contestants regularly awarded in national and international contests.

Trophies

Mithril Maniac :

Painting of Mithril figures, 25/28mm

The contestant must choose only one figure on a small base.
The painting of the figures will be the only criteria taken in account to choose the best three pieces.

Painting of Mithril figures 54 mm

The contestant must choose only one figure on a small base.
The painting of the figures will be the only criteria taken in account to choose the best three pieces.

Diorama Mithril

The contestant may present a base, decor and any numbers of figures.
The dioramas will be judged to determine the best three pieces.
A contestant may participate in the three Mithril Maniac categories.

Category diagram

Contacts

On any matter relating to the contest, you may contact : contact@opendelouest.fr

  • Jury president : Christian Cauchoi
  • Head of figures contest : Christian Cauchois
  • Head of scale modelling contest : Patrick Auquinet
  • Author of the present document and rules : Benjamin Lanet
  • Mithril Maniac Trophy : Fabrice Jacob