| IPMS/USA National Conventions |
Every summer, IPMS/USA has a National Convention which includes the national model contest. I won't go into detail about how the contest works, but basically it is divided by subject material so similar models are judged against each other. Teams of judges select the best three models from each of over 100 categories. See the Competition Handbook at the IPMS/USA website for more info on how the National Contest is run. There is a Space and Science Fiction class that holds several categories. I was the head judge for Space and Science Fiction since the late 1980s or so until my final year in 2007.
There are several
related categories that the team judges. There is also a "Best
of Class" award that the judges award to the one model that
stands above all the others in the three Space and Science
Fiction categories. Photos from these categories from recent
contests may be found elsewhere on my website, the IPMS/USA
site, and on Sven Knudson's space modeling site. Listed
below are the number of entries in each space-related category,
including splits, for the last few years.
| Category | 2018 Phoenix |
2017 Omaha |
2016 Columbia |
2015 Columbus |
2014 Hampton |
2013 Colorado |
| Total Space & Science Fiction (6XX) | x | x |
82 |
149 | 106 |
166 |
| 600. Real Spacecraft | x | x | 13 | 27 | 29 | 17 |
| 601. Hypothetical, Real
Space |
x |
x |
2 | 7 |
4 |
2 |
| 605. Science Fiction, Kits | 605a:
x 605b: x |
605a. x 605b. x |
605a. Space: 19 605b. Planetary: 15 |
605a. In flight:
21 605b. Trek + Wars: 23 605c. Other: 19 |
605a. Trek +
Wars: 17 605b. Other: 17 |
605a. Space: 32 605b. Terrestial: 18 |
| 606. Science Fiction, Mecha | x | x | 13 | 16 | 606a. Gundam: 13 606b. Other: 11 |
31 |
| 610. Science Fiction, Conversion and Scratchbuilt | x | x | 11 | 17 | 5 | 33 |
| 698. Space & Sci Fi, Out of the Box |
x |
x | 9 |
19 |
10 |
33 |
| 760. Science Fiction Dioramas | x | x | x | 13 | ~6 | ? |
| 780. Miscellaneous Dioramas | x | x | x | 4 | ? | ? |
| 820. Hypothetical - from Kits | x | x | x | 17 | ? | 12 |
| 821. Hypothetical -
Kit-bashed |
x | x |
x |
11 |
15 |
2 |
| Total Contest Entries | x | x | 1967 | 2412 | 2742 | 2534 |
| People Registered | x | x | 645 | ??? | 740 | 750 |
| Category | 2012 Orlando |
2011 Omaha |
2010 Phoenix |
2009 Columbus |
2008 Va Beach |
2007 Anaheim |
| Total Space & Science Fiction (6XX) | 140 | 98 |
65 |
153 | 119 |
96 |
| 600. Real Spacecraft | 20 | 13 | 7 | 44 total 600a. V2s: 12 600b. Manned: 17 600c. Unmanned: 15 |
23 | 19 |
| 601. Hypothetical, Real
Space |
6 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
| 605. Science Fiction, Kits | 605a:
Space:
32 605b: Ground: 30 |
605a. Trek-Wars-BSG: 18 605b. Other: 18 |
605a. Trek/Wars/B5: 21 605b. Other: 21 |
605a. Star Trek:
21 605b. Terrestrial: 15 605c. Other: 17 |
605a. Trek +
Wars: 20 605b. Other: 21 |
Robots: 32 Other: 35 |
| 606. Science Fiction, Mecha | 23 | 19 | 8 | 16 | 18 | |
| 610. Science Fiction, Conversion and Scratchbuilt | 16 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 19 | 10 |
| 698. Space & Sci Fi, Out of the Box |
13 |
12 | 11 |
21 |
18 | 9
|
| 760. Science Fiction Dioramas | ~6 | 8 | 7 | ? | 7 | 7 |
| 780. Miscellaneous Dioramas | ? | 3 | 2 | ? | 5 | 5 |
| 820. Hypothetical - from Kits | ~12 | 15 | 20 | ? | 9 | 13 |
| 821. Hypothetical -
Kit-bashed |
~10 | 19 | 8 | ? | 12 | 33 |
| Total Contest Entries | ~2500 | 2478 | 1715 | 2525 | 2474 | 2179 |
| People Registered | ??? | 701 | 705 | 1015 | 608 | 713 |
| Category | 2006 KC |
2005 Atlanta |
2004 Phoenix |
2003 Okla. City |
2002 Virginia Beach |
2001 Chicago |
| Total Space &
Science Fiction (6XX) |
60 | 135 |
74 |
61 |
48 |
90 |
| 600. Real Spacecraft | 16 | 20 | 9 | 18 | 17 | 10 |
| 605. Science Fiction, Kits | Star
Trek + Wars: 15 Robots: 11 Other: 11 |
605a. Star Trek: 18 605b. Star Wars: 15 606. Mecha: 28 607a. Other-Space: 16 607b. Other-Ground: 14 |
Trek/Wars:
18 Other: 36 |
Trek/Wars:
15 Other: 20 |
Space:
13 Other: 13 |
Trek/Wars:
20 Ground: 23 Other: 22 |
| 610. Science Fiction, Conversion and Scratchbuilt | 7 | 24 | 11 | 15 | 5 | 15 |
| 699. Space & Sci Fi, Paper | ||||||
| 760. Science Fiction Dioramas | 4 | ? | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 780. Miscellaneous Dioramas | 3 | ? | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| 820. Hypothetical - from Kits | 15 | ? | 15 | 11 | 13 | 11 |
| 821. Hypothetical -
Kit-bashed |
7 | ? | 6 |
10 |
||
| Total Contest Entries | 2031 | 3020 | 2034 | 1526 | 1750 | 2092 |
| People Registered | ~800 | ~1500 | 729 | 513 | 658 | 821 |
| Category | 2000 Dallas |
1999 Orlando |
1998 San Jose |
1997 Columbus |
1996 Virginia Beach |
1995 Albuq. |
1994 Omaha |
| Total Space & Science Fiction | 76 | ||||||
| 600. Real Spacecraft | 17 | 19 | 8 | 22 | 9 | 14 | 10 |
| 605. Science Fiction, Kits | Space: 26 Other: 22 |
28 | Star Trek: 12 Other: 12 |
Star Trek: 26 Other: 29 |
51 | 15 | Cinema: 15 Other: 15 |
| 610. Science Fiction, Conversion and Scratchbuilt | 11 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 8 |
| 930. Science Fiction Dioramas | 7 | 6 | 25 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 1 (New) |
| 935. Miscellaneous Dioramas | 6 | 11 | ? | ? | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 1300. Hypothetical | 35 | ? | ? | 20 | 20 | 12 | |
| Total Contest Entries | 1629 | 1985 | 1428 | 2176 | 2026 | 1331 | 1206 |
| People Registered | ? | 691 | 416 | 1092 | 882 | ? |
Notes
Out of the Box was moved to a separate category (698) in 2008. Category 606 for Mecha (Gundams, etc.) was also added in 2008.
Paper models were a one-time (so far) experiment in 2007.
605 has been set up as a pre-planned split since at least 2002 (Virginia Beach).
Sci Fi Dioramas (930) was added in 1994 and renumbered to 760 in either 2000 or 2001.
Miscellaneous Dioramas (935) captures any Real Space dioramas, as well as dinosaur dioramas.
Hypothetical (1300) was changed in 1999 to include hypothetical, non-Sci Fi, space models. Therefore, all of the 50s-era kits of conceptual rocket ships and space stations compete with conceptual German aircraft that were never built, or real aircraft in bogus markings. However, "Real Space" usually accepts models of factually-based aerospace vehicle concepts even if they were never built. In 2011, Omaha included this as a separate category and it did better in 2012.