This is a chronicle published in the US Ravage #8. At the time, only rumours of french and Spanish GD cancellation were current.
Since this time, these ones have been officially cancelled. And for 2014, we’re are actually speaking about the only survival of UK Games Day.
Times are changing, but these are the lines I wrote when the Golden Demon still existed in different european countries.

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I am often asked the question ‘‘How do I win a Golden Demon?’’ Systematically, it returns me to years back, while I was also looking for an answer.

The Holy Grail

Our microcosm consists of many things, ranging from the introduction of new brands, new gaming systems, to the figures themselves. But whether you’re a painter or a player, contests and tournaments are not unknown to us, either.
In painting, it is clear that the Golden Demon (organized by Games Workshop) remains the benchmark competition for a large majority in the industry. But why has it become so popular?
The answer is simple, the British firm has a major advantage that its competitors do not have for the most part: White Dwarf. Once the results of Games Day England appeared in the magazine, a desire born in the heart of all his readers to see that its published figures, seen by the rest of the world and therefore recognized and receive a statuette that would become legendary.

From Dream to Rationalization

Yet, while the contest has spread across the world with U.S. and European editions, and the level of competition is high, I can tell you that winning a Golden Demon trophy is not so difficult.
With hard work, a lot of questioning, discussion and submitting its facets to criticism, it can come together very quickly. As a teenager, I really wanted to simply buy one of these statues. I never really tried to get beyond the level of attention that I gave to my armies. After a year of intensive practice some more, I finally get Bronze in 2004, during the German edition of the competition.

Today, I have lost count of my friends and relatives in the community who have also achieved a win; each for the reasons mentioned above, and on average after four years of work.
One thing influence a lot, though. Moving to different countries year after year, greatly increases the chance of coming away with a trophy. The skill levels of a category vary widely from one year to another and from one country to another. Added to that many category groups are more accessible than others. Getting ahead in ”squad” is often much easier than in ”individual figure” or ”monster.”

With an average of twelve categories, three awards each, and international editions, over 250 trophies are awarded each year. Knowing that nine years have passed since my first Demon, it means roughly 2,300 statuettes have been distributed worldwide.
Finally, there are several hundreds or thousands of painters who have a piece of resin on a shelf. Althought, Golden Demon existed since the ‘80s (even if at the time there were not as many categories or editions as there are today), meaning that the exact number is much more higher.

Finally, many find the level of the competition extremely high – and that was my case – we should still rationalize everything. The general level present among the ten finalists eligible to the podium in a category rarely exceeds the “confirmed” level in Open competition. Even if there are several masterpieces each years.
While this level is not exactly easy to achieve, with continued practice, reading tutorials, and submitting his work, it is a really practical level attainable for everyone.
And I swear to you, as soon as your internal artistic machine is running, the reflexes are acquired, and progress towards even greater results becomes obvious.
It is therefore not surprising that at the end of two years of studious painting, and as long as we travel to two (or maybe even three!) competitions, a Bronze (or more!) will eventually land in your hands. That’s all the best I wish for you!

After Obtaining

But that’s not all. There is often a second question after the first. ”What difference does it make to win a Golden Demon?” Well, honestly, it does nothing; it is a personal pleasure and point of confidence. It becomes a known fact to those who are interested. And that’s all. You do not become rich anyway. This is not because you earn a hundred Demons or more, that a guy will comes knocking on your door.
I have won thirty-three Golden Demon, and I still do not paint figurines as my full-time profession (for the moment, even if it’s changing).
But whether you have a Demon or not, so long as you announce your availability for orders, and do a good job, then everything happens in the same way. Having a Demon can certainly act as a good guarantee of quality in a painter. And yet, because of the number of trophies distributed and variations in the difficulty of their varieties, it is not always true.
It is not the number of trophies that matters; it is your overall work. I know the offers that are made to me of my accomplishments, rather than the trophies I have accumulated.

Everything Must Remain About the Fun

Winning a Golden Demon will therefore never bring you fame, dates and cult worshipers ready to bring about the end of time … though … !
However, one thing is unchangeable. Winner or not, participating in a competition, you must give the best of yourself.

In seeking to improve yourself, the results will inevitably lead you to be proud of your efforts, your progress, and the progression of your figures. This is where I personally enjoy participating in Golden Demon. In addition to the deadline, which forces to finish a project in a given time, I was always forced to improve upon my skills and be happy with the progress. The notion of competition pushes personal fulfillment.

Of course, when you participate in a competition, you try to win a prize. The win WILL cause some immediate gratification, of course.
So if you want to win a Demon (I really wish you luck!), in addition to all the hard work you’ll see along the way, and this is where the most important: having more fun to paint your miniatures and try new things is paramount!
That being said, with rumors of more Games Day cancellations and Golden Demons around the world (France, Spain, Australia …) for 2013 (and now 2014 ), that leaves us plenty of time to work between competitions!