The winners of the CGSociety's CGChallenge XXIII: 'Steampunk - Myths & Legends' have been announced. Digital artists, from many nations, battled to claim the biggest prizes ever offered. More than $220,000-worth of software and hardware were available in many categories, including Video, Animation, Modeling and Illustration. To win, CG wizards had to give a Steampunk edge to famous stories and legends - to create a future that could have been; an age when steel and steam propel machinery, men and monsters.
Steampunk is a thriving fantasy genre, which merges advanced steam age technology with a modern or science fiction setting. It also covers works set in an era where steam power is still widely used, such as 19th century Victorian England. Think Jules Verne, H.G. Wells or Kashuhiro Otomo's 'Steamboy'.
The winners of the three main prize categories all showed outstanding technical ability along with world class storytelling skills, and a complete understanding of the genre.
The Image (Individual) Master was awarded to Fabricio Moraes for his 'Steamnocchio', a reinterpretation of Pinocchio. "This image just totally nails the steampunk theme," said judge Leigh van der Byl. "The technical quality is simply fantastic too."
The Video (Team) Master award went to Bonsaininja Studio for 'EMET', a film that was "inspired by the legend of the Golem; telling the story of Rabbi Loew, who created an animated being entirely from inanimate matter to defend the Prague ghetto.
The Individual Video Master was awarded to Tyson Ibele's 'Hemlock'. Judge Michael Dashow said the film had a "great mood set throughout the entire piece. The lighting, camera-work, and sound were wonderfully effective, and the ending was terrific."
Prizes were also awarded in Video, Animation, Art Direction, Best Character, Compositing and Editing, Concept Art, Digital Painting, Landscape Matte, Lighting, Modeling, Sculpture, Texture, VFX and Illustration categories.
CGChallenge XXIII was sponsored by BOXX, Autodesk, NVIDIA, Wacom, SOFTIMAGE, Luxology, Pixologic, Craft Animations, SideFX, e-on Software, Corel, Stash Media, The Gnomon Workshop, ImagineFX, Ballistic Publishing, Esperient, and CGSociety.
A full list of winners and their winning entries, can be viewed at CGSociety's website.
