Concept artists play a vital role in shaping the look of environments and characters, and the entire mood of films, video games, animation and more. Their visual blueprints guide directors, designers and developers throughout the development process, not only in the early stages (See our feature: what is concept art?)
To recognise that work, the Concept Art Association bestows annual awards, commending the concept artists who have pushed the boundaries of their craft over the past year. There are awards for creatives who worked on live-action films, animated features and tabletop and video games, highlighting some of the best concept art of the year across a range of media.
If you attended LightBox Expo in Pasadena in October, you may have seen the live announcement of the Concept Art Awards 2025 winners in person. But if you couldn’t make it, here's the full list of the artists who won each category, from best prop to best live action and animation creatures and characters and best storyboards, along with the student and rising star awards.
Live Action Feature Film - Keyframe
Galactus introduction, The Fantastic Four: First Steps by Thomas du Crest
Live Action Feature Film – Character
Elphaba, Wicked by Darrell Warner.
Live Action Feature Film – Environment
Munchkin Land, Wicked by Oliver Beck.
Live Action – Creature
Blind Bats, Rings of Power Season 2 by Aaron McBride.
Live Action – Character
Murderbot, Murderbot by Tommy Arnold.
Live Action Series – Environment
Coruscant Seedy Commercial Strip, Andor Season 2 by Chester Carr.
Live Action Series – Keyframe
Kiss, Agatha All Along by Jana Schirmer.
Animated Feature Film – Character
The Billionaire, The Bad Guys 2 by Julien Le Rolland.
Animated Feature Film – Color Key
How it’s Done, KPop Demon Hunters by Nacho Molina.
Animated Feature Film – Visual Development
Kpop Climax, KPop Demon Hunters by Scott Watanabe.
Animated Feature Film – Environment
First Concert Stage, KPop Demon Hunters by Celine Kim.
Animated Series – Character
Noni, Eyes of Wakanda by Uzoma Dunkwu.
Animated Series – Environment
Caesar’s Palace, Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight by Aurelien Predal.
Prop
Baby Carrier, The Fantastic Four: First Steps by Mark Button.
Vehicle
Fantasticar, The Fantastic Four: First Steps by Benjamin Last.
Tabletop – Key Art
Silver Dragon, Dungeons & Dragons by Campbell White.
Tabletop – Concept Illustration
Arch Hag, Dungeons & Dragons by Allie Irwin.
Video Game – Environment
Lobby of the Rose Estate, Lies of P: Overture by Hyeon Kim.
Video Game – Creature
Chimera, Killing Floor 3 by Hamid Shah.
Video Game – Character
Iris, Cataclismo by David Aguado Aparicio.
Beacon Awards – Character
Gravitas by Robbie Trevino.
Beacon Awards – Environment
L.O.E by Jonathan del Rosario.
Beacon Awards – Creature
Warden of the Mount Bärangûn by Sina Hayati.
Live-Action Storyboard
Temple Sequence, Jurassic World: Rebirth by Mario Alberti.
Animation Storyboard
Kitty and Diane Fight, The Bad Guys 2 by Maxime Delalande.
Student – Environment
The Blessed Highlands by Mirel Shalari, New3dge Concept Art School.
Student – Character
Nocshire, Lady Monochrome by Jiun Qi Tan, The One Academy.
Rising Star Award
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Tim Burton
Stan Winston
Chris Appelhans
LBX Luminary
Creative gear to get started
If you need the gear to start your own concept art journey, see our picks of the best drawing tablets and the best digital art software, or see below for some of the best current deals on drawing tablets that we've reviewed.
For more inspiration, see our piece on how to create concept art by Marvel Studio artist Rodney Fuentebella as well as George Brad's concept art fundamentals and Tom Morton's advice on how to create concept art for VFX.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
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