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What is VMX 25?
VMX 25 (Virtual Modelling Exhibition 2025) is an online model exhibition from Modellers without Borders (MWB), an international modelling organization dedicated to building an inclusive modelling community across all modelling genres.
You can enter your model creations to be evaluated by our teams of world-class judges or enter them purely for display, or a little of both. Either way, VMX 25 is about celebrating our shared love of building small version of bigger things!
Display vs. Evaluation
MWB believes that modellers should be able to share their work without the pressure of evaluation. Celebrating the hobby we all love shouldn’t be about competition, it should be about seeing what our fellow modellers have created and sharing our creations with them.
Your entry fee includes the registration of up to 10 models. As many as 5 of these can be entered for evaluation, but they don’t have to be – any number of your models can be entered for display instead of evaluation.
Gold, Silver, Bronze
VMX 25 does not use a 1st / 2nd / 3rd system. Models are awarded points based on an evaluation standard for each class. Any model that is awarded enough points can win an award! There might be 20 gold awards in one class and none at all in another class. You’re not competing against other modellers… only against yourself.
Classes
Like many “Open” and “Gold/Silver/Bronze” exhibitions, VMX uses as few model classes as possible. All aircraft (civilian and military) are together in a single “Aircraft” class. Similarly, we don’t distinguish between what other shows call “vignettes” and “dioramas” – any scene created in three dimensions belongs in the “Diorama” class.
We have made a few exceptions as a way to welcome some modelling communities. We’ve kept Gunpla and similar subjects in their own “Mecha” class rather than grouping them into “Sci-Fi”, and we’ve kept wargaming minis in their own class instead of grouping them together with other figures in the “Figures” class.
See the Rules page for the definitions of each class.
Triage
If you enter more than one model for evaluation in the same class our judges will “triage” those models and pick the one that they think will win the highest award. That model will be the only one they will evaluate in that class.
Skill Levels
MWB believes that it’s important to reward less-experienced modellers for their efforts, but also that it’s equally important to challenge more experienced modellers. If you enter a model for evaluation, you can choose the skill level that best reflects your abilities in building models of that class. Our exhibition allows modellers to enter at the Junior, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced skill levels.
If you’re under 16 years of age on August 1st you can enter as a Junior, although there’s nothing stopping you from entering at one of the adult skill levels if you choose.
All the models you enter for evaluation in the same class must be entered at the same skill level, but you can enter models in other classes at different skill levels. If you’re a skilled figure painter you might enter your figures at the Advanced level, but you might not have as much experience building aircraft models, so you could enter your aircraft models at the Beginner skill level.
VMX 25 skill levels include:
Junior: The entrant is under 16 years of age on August 1st 2025. Entrants under 16 years of age may enter at any of the adult skill levels if they prefer.
Beginner: A relatively new modeller (or new to modelling in a specific class) who is working to develop basic construction and finishing skills.
Intermediate: A modeller with a firm grasp of basic construction and finishing skills and who is working to develop more complex finishing and detailing skills.
Advanced. A modeller with a firm grasp of construction, complex finishing, and detailing skills who is working to elevate their models to the highest standard.
Model Types
The materials used in your model might affect how the judges will evaluate them. Some evaluation criteria used to evaluate an injection-moulded plastic model may not apply to a one-piece 3D printed model. Make sure to pick the correct model type on your entry form for each model.
MWB plans to include other model types in the future (paper models, all-metal models, and so on), but for VMX 25 we only offer the most common types.
The “Scratchbuilt” model type applies to models where 75% or more of the model has been created by the modeller using various materials and parts they created themselves. For 3D printed parts to count toward the 75% threshold the modeller must have designed the parts themselves and must provide at least one screen capture with their entry photos showing the part being designed in the 3D program they used.
Optional Criteria
Most classes have at least one evaluation criterion that is optional. We believe that there is no one right way to build or finish a model. Some modellers like to build clean models, while others prefer to weather them. A dioramist may want to build a simple scene that captures a moment in time, while another might want to weave a complex narrative story. Optional criteria let you enter the type of model that you like to build.
Check the entry form when you register your model and decide whether or not you want any optional criteria used to evaluate it.
Have Fun!
The most important part of VMX 25 is sharing your work, enjoying the work of others, and celebrating the hobby we all love!
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