Sir Coates Painting Masters returns to UK Games Expo 2026 in Birmingham

The Sir Coates Painting Masters came back to UK Games Expo in Birmingham with the kind of structure that tells painters exactly why it matters. Held in Hall 4 from May 29 to May 31, 2026, the contest sat inside UK Games Expo’s 20th anniversary show across five halls of the NEC and the Hilton Hotel, with Duncan Rhodes serving as chief judge alongside Roger Yates, Natalie Heywood and Mike Anderson.

That scale matters because UK Games Expo is the UK’s largest hobby games convention, and the painting competition has already started to feel like one of its defining competitive stages. The 2025 event was the first ever Sir Coates Masters, and Callum France was named Grand Champion, so the 2026 return was only the second UKGE edition but already carried the weight of something becoming a fixture rather than a one-off.

The category spread showed why the competition lands with so many different kinds of painters. Single miniature, squad or unit, vehicle, monster, board games, squires and large-scale miniature, large miniatures and busts all had their own lane. The FAQ said any manufacturer and any miniature range could be entered, which gave room for a crisp character model, a weathered tank, a full cohesive unit or a display piece built around narrative ambition. The Squires category was open to entrants aged 15 and under, making the event unusually broad without blunting its standards.

Those standards were spelled out plainly in the judging criteria: painting skill, creativity, colour choice, theme, aesthetic and narrative all counted. That is the real signal from the Masters and from the UK display-painting scene around it. Clean blends and sharp edge work still matter, but so does the way a model reads as a complete idea, from palette to story. For painters looking at similar contests, the lesson is to finish a piece that can hold up under close inspection and still make sense at arm’s length on a crowded convention floor.

The logistics were as precise as the judging. Entrants registered through a UK Games Expo account and submitted their miniatures at the Sir Coates Masters event desk in Hall 4, with a 12:00pm Sunday deadline. Judging took place on Sunday only, and the awards ceremony was set for 3pm on Sunday 31 May on the Main Stage in Hall 1. First, second and third place trophies were awarded in each category, Best in Show received a bespoke glass trophy, and UK Games Expo also ran a separate Judges’ Choice Award. Every entrant received a unique pin badge, while finalists and winners took home brass badges, certificates and trophies.

That combination of open entry, strict criteria and convention-stage visibility is what keeps Sir Coates Painting Masters credible. It feels less like a side event and more like a public measure of where UK competition painting stands right now.