Bestiarum Games Names Covenants Winner of March 2026 Community Painting Competition

Covenants' dual entry "Azerai Pathfinder with Manticorac Stalker" claimed the top prize in Bestiarum Games' March 2026 Monthly Painting Competition, with the studio's team citing cohesive basing, contrasting colour choices, and the visual harmony between two paired models as the deciding factors.

The competition ran through Bestiarum's Discord server with a theme tied to Penitent's Landing, the newest material from The Expedition line. Each entry required at least one miniature from that release. After submissions closed, the community voted for their three favourite entries; Bestiarum's team then selected the official winner from that shortlist, a format the studio announced on its blog March 26 in a post authored by Sam Franquet.

Three entries reached the community vote podium. Stephenas1's "Discover new places they said" took the first community spot. Covenants ranked second in the community vote before Bestiarum's team elevated the entry to the overall win. Sir_Brude's "Look! It's a lion! Oh my god!" rounded out the top three with a solo take on the Manticorac Stalker.

What separated Covenants was the decision to enter two models together rather than one. Bestiarum praised "the complementarity of the two models, the beautiful painting work and great colour choices, as well as the fitting 'jungly' bases which were created for these models." That phrase "jungly bases" is the practical signal: custom foliage work that situates both miniatures in a shared environment, tying the display base to the palette rather than letting two models sit unrelated beside each other. If you are building a competition entry around a paired submission, basing is the glue. Contrasting colours on the models read clearly because the bases anchor both pieces together into one scene.

Sir_Brude's entry offers a different playbook. Working "exclusively using acrylic paints" on a solo Manticorac Stalker without its companion, the piece demonstrated that a disciplined single-model submission still reaches the podium when the painting is tight and the base customization adds genuine character. The explicit mention of acrylics-only is worth noting for painters who lean on oils or pigments as primary tools: clean, considered acrylic work holds its own in front of a community jury.

Both Covenants and Sir_Brude take home prizes. Bestiarum's winner receives a digital miniature release of choice and an honorary title on the server; runners-up receive a digital product of choice. For painters building a public portfolio, a podium finish here carries added weight since winning entries appear in Bestiarum's official blog alongside the announcement, functioning as studio-endorsed showcases.

The March cycle makes the judging priorities clear going forward: paired entries with unified basing and deliberate colour contrast scored with both the community and the staff jury. April's competition will follow the same format, tied to Bestiarum's next release, with submissions open on Discord and rules posted in the server's pinned messages.