Hammerhead 2026 Painting Competition Crowns Winners Across Historical Categories

Lee Winnett walked away from the Hammerhead 2026 Painting Competition with the Single top prize, his 54mm El Greco Medieval Knight besting the field in a category that drew entries up to the maximum permitted scale. Wargames Illustrated, which ran the competition stand and published the results on Saturday 28 February 2026, highlighted the Historical categories as a showcase of the event's painting standard.

Eddie Bermingham also placed in the results, his Perry Miniatures AWI 71st Highlanders securing third in the Units category. The 71st Highlanders are a favourite subject among historical painters, and Bermingham's entry representing the American War of Independence regiment placed him on the podium in what the sources describe as a competitive field.

The competition ran on a tight schedule at the Wargames Illustrated stand. Entries were accepted until midday, judging took place between midday and 1pm, and winners were announced at 2pm. Entrants then had until 3pm to collect their pieces from the stand.

Category rules for the Historical Single Miniature specify a single miniature up to and including 54mm scale on a single base. Scenic bases are permitted but must not be dramatically larger than the figure's standard footprint; entries on oversized bases are still accepted, but judges dismiss the groundwork and terrain from consideration entirely. The Diorama/Duel category, which accepts historical, sci-fi, and fantasy subjects, caps entries at 30cm x 30cm x 30cm, with modest allowances for tall plinths or vertical compositions.

The 2025 winners listed in Wargames Illustrated's category guidance offer a benchmark for the standard Hammerhead attracts. Chris Tasker won Historical Single with a Trumpet-Major of the 21st Dragoons 1810; David Soper took both Sci-Fi Single and Best of Show with his Alderai Corsair; Mark Lifton claimed Fantasy Single with Zarbag's Gitz; and Fet Milner won Diorama/Duel with S.A.R. Winnett's 2026 Single prize puts him in that company.