Just as people debate why CGI looks worse today than in the past on social media, the Visual Effects Society's 24th Annual VES Awards have demonstrated the massive contribution that VFX make to movies and series.
Hosted by comedy duo Randy and Jason Sklar at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, the awards covered 25 categories across film, television, technology, gaming, special venue, student projects and more.
The additional wins for Avatar: Fire and Ash included Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature for Varang (played by Oona Chaplin, who was on hand at tonight’s awards as a presenter), Outstanding CG Cinematography, and the Emerging Technology Award, given to the Kora Fire Toolset.
In the animation categories, KPop Demon Hunters took the top prize of Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature, as well as Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature. The award for Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature went the HUNTR/X trio's half-demon lead singer Rumi, who's voiced by Arden Cho when speaking and EJAE when singing (see Arden's hopes for the KPop Demon Hunters sequel).
Rounding out the top category wins, Sinners won the award for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age won for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode, and BMW’s Heart of Joy: Meet Okto the Octopus won for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial.
Additional winners at the 24th Annual VES Awards included the video game Ghost of Yōtei (Outstanding Visual Arts in a Real-Time Project), Andor (Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project), and Azimuth (Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project).
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (pictured) received the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by his longtime collaborator, F1: The Movie director Joseph Kosinski. Wētā Workshop co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Sir Richard Taylor received this year’s VES Visionary Award.
In his acceptance speech, Jerry Bruckheimer addressed the artists in the room, saying: “You create the magic. You create the things that people go to theaters for. You're the people that we dream about when we go to the movies, when we go into that dark space in the theater, and the work that you do is truly phenomenal.”
Want to celebrate the HUNTR/X trio's success? Check out the KPop Demon Hunters art book and the range of KPop Demon Hunter merch available.
We also have a KPop Demon Hunter art tutorial.
2026 VES Awards winners in full
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Richard Baneham
Peter Litvack
Eric Saindon
Nicky Muir
Steve Ingram
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Sinners
Michael Ralla
James Alexander
Nick Marshall
Espen Nordahl
Donnie Dean
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters
Joshua Beveridge
Jacky Priddle
Benjamin Hendricks
Clara Chan
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; “The Big Freeze”
Russell Dodgson
Tracey Gibbons
François Dumoulin
Gavin McKenzie
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
The Residence; “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Seth Hill
Tesa Kubicek
John Nelson
Gabriel Vargas
Outstanding Visual Arts in a Real-time Project
Ghost of Yōtei
Jason Connell
Matt Vainio
Joanna Wang
Jasmin Patry
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
Tom Raynor
Helen Tang
Jack Harris
Alex Kulikov
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
Ben Grossmann
Tamara Watts Kent
Dr. Irfan Essa
Matt Dougan
Glenn Derry
Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Varang: Leader of the Ash Clan
Stephen Clee
Stuart Adcock
Keven Norris
Joseph Kim
Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters; Rumi
Sophia (Seung Hee) Lee
Andrea Matamoros
Marc Souliere
Joshua Beveridge
Outstanding Character in an Episodic, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
IT: Welcome to Derry; “The Thing in the Dark;” The Pickle Monster
Philip Harris-Genois
Pierric Danjou
Chloé Ostiguy
Jonathan Bourdua
Outstanding Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Bridgehead Industrial City
Gianluca Pizzaia
Steve Bevins
Dziga Kaiser
Zsolt Máté
Outstanding Environment in an Animated Feature
Zootopia 2; Marsh Market
Limei Z. Hshieh
Alexander Nicholas Whang
Joshua Fry
Ryan DeYoung
Outstanding Environment in an Episodic, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
Andor; “Welcome to the Rebellion;” The Senate District
John O’Connell
Falk Boje
Hasan Ilhan
Kevin George
Outstanding CG Cinematography
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Steve Deane
A.J. Briones
Zachary Brake
Andrew Moffett
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Avatar: Fire and Ash; The Windtraders' Gondola
Michael Smale
Sam Sharplin
Joe W. Churchill
Jacqi Dillon
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Simulating Pandora
Nicholas James Illingworth
Sarah C. Farmer
James Robinson
Ryan Bowden
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters
Filippo Maccari
Nikolaos Finizio
Daniel La Chapelle
Srdjan Milosevic
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-time Project
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; The Big Freeze
Edward Ferrysienanda
Kevin Christensen
Guy Schuleman
Kevin Tarpinian
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature
F1: The Movie; Modern Race and POV Footage
Hugo Gauvreau
Chris Davies
Raushan Raj
Amaury Rospars
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in an Episode
The Last of Us; “Through the Valley;” A Storm of Ice, Fire and Flesh
Tobias Wiesner
Mark Julien
Owen Longstaff
Brendan Naylor
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Commercial
BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
Alex Kulikov
Jack Harris
Adam Chabane
Nicola Borsari
Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project
Andor; “Who Are You?”
Luke Murphy
Dean Ford
Jody Eltham
Darrell Guyon
Emerging Technology Award
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Kora Fire Toolset
Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin
John Edholm
Murali Ramachari
Aleksandr Isakov
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Azimuth
Thomas Teisseire
Cassandre Cinier
Martin Bluy
Mathis Giraudeau
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