First place
"I can't breathe" by Ludooviz
Jury commentary
"This image really hits home for me. It’s very nicely layered, with the water in the bottom, the treeline, and the fire. It’s well executed, colors are just right, the image speaks about something incredibly important: Destruction and climate change. The fires in the background are quite subtle, we almost only see smoke and just a small area of visible fire. Very well balanced and definitely something many people would over-do. However what really wins me over is the man in the boat. It’s a perfect execution of the golden circle concept where the point of interest is carefully and intentionally placed in the image." - Johannes Lindqvist
"I absolutely love this image. The composition, the narrative, the colour palette and the execution are spot on. I particularly like how realistic the smoke and the colour of the water are. Stunning work!" - Lucia Frascerra
"It feels like one of those reportage photographs that will go down in history. This image has always caught my eyes because of its simplicity and color palette. The layering works great and it's extremely well balanced. Technical score is also high. Most importantly, you have chosen to raise awareness on something actual and often ignored: I learnt a lot. Bravissimo!" - Massimo Gnocchi
"The water is getting me here. Love it so much - with the man on the boat I initially though these were cut out from photographs - but.... no - after looking at wips... the man with the boat, the smoke, the trees and water - all is full 3d and I am bowing before this work. A crazy realistic looking real life photograph. Bravo :)" - Jakub Cech
Second place
Reconnect by Thais Parra
Jury commentary
"This image is incredibly well executed and deserves every bit of attention it can get. The common denominator here is obviously the ongoing destruction of nature and they both do it in a strong way. There‘s a whole lot of tragedy in this image which is very striking, and it makes me feel very bad, in a good way." - Johannes Lindqvist
"First prize." - Federico Clapis
"A simple yet powerful concept. An image worth a thousand words." - Massimo Gnocchi
Voted by Santi Sanchez
Third place
Future man in SAPA by Quốc Thắng
Jury commentary
"Although the story behind this image isn’t obvious, it is certainly an incredibly beautiful image. There’s sooo many details in the environment that is incredibly well done, the lighting is spot on and the composition is perfect. Hats off!!!" - Johannes Lindqvist
"Straightforward message, fantastic technical approach, perfect composition and storytelling accurate mood" - Santi Sanchez
"The amount of skill and practice to landscape full countryside like this - wow." - Jakub Cech
"The message might be simple, but this picture tells a story about you as well. It sums up everything you gained until now: technical, photographic and artistic knowledge. Bravo." - Massimo Gnocchi
Honorable mention
Pripyat Ferry Tale by Subpixel
Jury commentary
"Interesting and unique concept, natural and filmic mood, accurate color grading." - Santi Sanchez
"Its really the lens flare and color grading that is getting me here." - Jakub Cech
Honorable mention
Desert-ship by Lisa Della Dora
Jury commentary
"I simply LOVE this image. It tickles me in all the right places. The gradient color palette, the wavy lines that seamlessly cross the image, and the person standing on the hill makes all the difference. And given the times we live in, where isolation is a big part of our lives, this image really hits home. I definitely want this image on my wall!" - Johannes Lindqvist
"Is imitating and merging with nature the sustainable way of building our future, or our approach will divert on prefabrication and serialization? I appreciate the power of this image to rise that question to me. Beside that, I find the composition, colors and abstract feel absolutely astonishing." - Massimo Gnocchi
Honorable mention
Thrill of the Ride by Tsiky Raharinaivo
Jury commentary
"Simplicity, and positivity. What strikes me most with this image is how much you can say with only black, white and a tiny blob orange. Compositionally the image is perfect, the details are at a perfect level, not too much, not to little. Using the only color in the image for the snowboarders jacket is a great decision as it really directs the attention exactly to where it should be, and above all: I’m happy to see an image full of positivity. I‘d certainly have this on my wall!" - Johannes Lindqvist
Honorable mention
Your turn by Lucca Beltrao
Jury commentary
"Although this image may not the best one from a technical point of view, the idea behind this image is possibly the best one of the whole competition. The idea of mankind fighting nature similar to a game of chess is very striking and in these times, everyone on earth should see this image and reflect over it." - Johannes Lindqvist
"Check Mate nature! Or wait, is chess so popular now after Queens Gambit? Brilliant idea, beautiful execution. This can be presented as headline photo for all articles about humanity destroying nature. Spot on 3D with all details, lighting and color grading in. Go license this fast!" - Jakub Cech
"For the concept. A picture upon which you could truly build a deep discussion." - Massimo Gnocchi
Honorable mention
If Caravaggio was a ArchViz Artist by Romain Brunas
Jury commentary
"I do love the texture of the metal, texture of the wood and weirdly contrasting but beautiful color grading. Minimal." - Jakub Cech
Voted by Federico Clapis
Honorable mention
Somewhere betwen silence and dreams. by Max Mesillas
Jury commentary
Honorable mention by Santi Sanchez
Honorable mention
Saluti da Venezia by Filippo Giaccone
Jury commentary
"Honorable mention: for the sarcasm and positivity!" - Massimo Gnocchi
Honorable mention
We must act now | 2021 by Vittorio Bonapace
Jury commentary
"I really like this image for its originality - instead of depicting a mainly naturalistic environment, it does the opposite, focussing on a more urban environment but nevertheless perfectly conveying the message of the unbalanced relationship between man and nature. Great Job!" - Lucia Frascerra
Honorable mention
Resilience by Claudio Chierichini
Jury commentary
"I love this image. In my opinion it’s one of the technically best executed images in the competition. The texture work is incredibly well done and there’s a lot of amazing details. Conceptually, it didn’t speak to me as much as the others, as I don’t really understand the thought behind the image, but visually it’s amazing nonetheless." - Johannes Lindqvist
Voted by Federico Clapis
Honorable mention
A new Path by Lambros Papathanasiou
Jury commentary
"This image is incredibly well executed and deserves every bit of attention it can get. The common denominator here is obviously the ongoing destruction of nature and they both do it in a strong way. There‘s a whole lot of tragedy in this image which is very striking, and it makes me feel very bad, in a good way." - Johannes Lindqvist
"This image is one of my favourite because of the beautiful composition and use of colours. I love the visual balance between the sun on the bottom left and the human structure on the right. Beautifully done!" - Lucia Frascerra
Finalists
"I simply LOVE this image. It tickles me in all the right places. The gradient color palette, the wavy lines that seamlessly cross the image, and the person standing on the hill makes all the difference. And given the times we live in, where isolation is a big part of our lives, this image really hits home. I definitely want this image on my wall!" - Johannes Lindqvist
"Is imitating and merging with nature the sustainable way of building our future, or our approach will divert on prefabrication and serialization? I appreciate the power of this image to rise that question to me. Beside that, I find the composition, colors and abstract feel absolutely astonishing." - Massimo Gnocchi
"Although the story behind this image isn’t obvious, it is certainly an incredibly beautiful image. There’s sooo many details in the environment that is incredibly well done, the lighting is spot on and the composition is perfect. Hats off!!!" - Johannes Lindqvist
"Straightforward message, fantastic technical approach, perfect composition and storytelling accurate mood" - Santi Sanchez
"The amount of skill and practice to landscape full countryside like this - wow." - Jakub Cech
"The message might be simple, but this picture tells a story about you as well. It sums up everything you gained until now: technical, photographic and artistic knowledge. Bravo." - Massimo Gnocchi
"Simplicity, and positivity. What strikes me most with this image is how much you can say with only black, white and a tiny blob orange. Compositionally the image is perfect, the details are at a perfect level, not too much, not to little. Using the only color in the image for the snowboarders jacket is a great decision as it really directs the attention exactly to where it should be, and above all: I’m happy to see an image full of positivity. I‘d certainly have this on my wall!" - Johannes Lindqvist
"Although this image may not the best one from a technical point of view, the idea behind this image is possibly the best one of the whole competition. The idea of mankind fighting nature similar to a game of chess is very striking and in these times, everyone on earth should see this image and reflect over it." - Johannes Lindqvist
"Check Mate nature! Or wait, is chess so popular now after Queens Gambit? Brilliant idea, beautiful execution. This can be presented as headline photo for all articles about humanity destroying nature. Spot on 3D with all details, lighting and color grading in. Go license this fast!" - Jakub Cech
"For the concept. A picture upon which you could truly build a deep discussion." - Massimo Gnocchi
"Composition and color palette are absolutely spot on here. Inspiration from Quixel can be felt - and its absolutely okay. A very well balanced nuances of camera noise, hues and tones makes this artwork not only getting its point trough at the first glance, but could compete with holywood shot and color-graded movies. Makes me wanting to see this in landscape with camera moving in." - Jakub Cech
"Unique concept, nice story, interesting environment and direct relationship between characters." - Santi Sanchez
"I love this image. In my opinion it’s one of the technically best executed images in the competition. The texture work is incredibly well done and there’s a lot of amazing details. Conceptually, it didn’t speak to me as much as the others, as I don’t really understand the thought behind the image, but visually it’s amazing nonetheless." - Johannes Lindqvist
Voted by Federico Clapis
"This image is incredibly well executed and deserves every bit of attention it can get. The common denominator here is obviously the ongoing destruction of nature and they both do it in a strong way. There‘s a whole lot of tragedy in this image which is very striking, and it makes me feel very bad, in a good way." - Johannes Lindqvist
"This image is one of my favourite because of the beautiful composition and use of colours. I love the visual balance between the sun on the bottom left and the human structure on the right. Beautifully done!" - Lucia Frascerra
"This image is incredibly well executed and deserves every bit of attention it can get. The common denominator here is obviously the ongoing destruction of nature and they both do it in a strong way. There‘s a whole lot of tragedy in this image which is very striking, and it makes me feel very bad, in a good way." - Johannes Lindqvist
"First prize." - Federico Clapis
"A simple yet powerful concept. An image worth a thousand words." - Massimo Gnocchi
Voted by Santi Sanchez
"This image really hits home for me. It’s very nicely layered, with the water in the bottom, the treeline, and the fire. It’s well executed, colors are just right, the image speaks about something incredibly important: Destruction and climate change. The fires in the background are quite subtle, we almost only see smoke and just a small area of visible fire. Very well balanced and definitely something many people would over-do. However what really wins me over is the man in the boat. It’s a perfect execution of the golden circle concept where the point of interest is carefully and intentionally placed in the image." - Johannes Lindqvist
"I absolutely love this image. The composition, the narrative, the colour palette and the execution are spot on. I particularly like how realistic the smoke and the colour of the water are. Stunning work!" - Lucia Frascerra
"It feels like one of those reportage photographs that will go down in history. This image has always caught my eyes because of its simplicity and color palette. The layering works great and it's extremely well balanced. Technical score is also high. Most importantly, you have chosen to raise awareness on something actual and often ignored: I learnt a lot. Bravissimo!" - Massimo Gnocchi
"The water is getting me here. Love it so much - with the man on the boat I initially though these were cut out from photographs - but.... no - after looking at wips... the man with the boat, the smoke, the trees and water - all is full 3d and I am bowing before this work. A crazy realistic looking real life photograph. Bravo :)" - Jakub Cech
Sponsored by
The challenge
“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.” - John Ruskin
Now more than ever, we are becoming more and more conscious of the connection between human and nature. In the CGMood rendering challenge 2020, we are looking forward to seeing what this relationship means to you.
Inspiration / The Painter by Michael Vincent Manalo
The prizes
500€
cash prize from CGMoodV-Ray
1-year license (platform of your own choice))Corona Renderer
1 year of FairSaas 1 Workstation + 3 Nodes licenseFStormRender
1-year licenseArtStation
1 year Pro accountCGArchitect
1 year Pro Plan membershipGlobe Plants
Two volumes of your choiceCapturingReality
10.000 credits (more info)Maxtree
Two volumes of your choicePublications
Various publications or interview- Special tutorial award (optional)
Share or sell a tutorial on your scene on CGMood
CGMood
75 CreditsV-Ray
6-month license (platform of your own choice)Corona Renderer
6 months of FairSaas 1 Workstation + 3 Nodes licenseFStormRender
9-month licenseArtStation
1 year Pro accountCGArchitect
1 year Pro Plan membershipGlobe Plants
One volume of your choiceCapturingReality
10.000 credits (more info)Maxtree
One volume of your choice- Special tutorial award (optional)
Share or sell a tutorial on your scene on CGMood
CGMood
50 CreditsV-Ray
6-month license (platform of your own choice)Corona Renderer
3 months of FairSaas 1 Workstation + 3 Nodes licenseFStormRender
6-month licenseArtStation
1 year Pro accountCGArchitect
1 year Pro Plan membershipGlobe Plants
One volume of your choiceCapturingReality
10.000 credits (more info)Maxtree
One volume of your choice- Special tutorial award (optional)
Share or sell a tutorial on your scene on CGMood
Inspiration / Greenhouse by Jonathan Jimenez (Photography)
Eligibility
- The competition is open to 3D artists, designers, architects and whoever has experience in the 3D visualization field. Participating is free.
- The competition is anonymous until the winners announcement, thus you should never write your name or state your identity through logos or watermarks.
- There are no software restrictions: you can use the 3D package you feel most comfortable with
- You can use post-production and compositing software (eg. Photoshop), as long as the 3D basis of the image is not compromised.
- You can use third-party models and textures you already own.
- The final image must be your creation and intellectual property.
- You may join the challenge and submit everything whenever you want before the deadline date.
- Material must be submitted within 18 January 2022 21:39 UTC+1 (Rome).
Material to be submitted
- The final, rendered image of your work.
- A minimum of 3 (three) work-in-progress images, including wireframes or renders.
- Optionally, your concept sketches and references.
- A description of your work, including the software used.
Evaluation criteria
- The project's relationship with the competition theme.
- Concept meaning and strength.
- Artistic quality, such as composition, color theories and photography.
- Technical quality, such as 3D modeling, lighting and shading quality.
Disqualification
- The participant provides incomplete material.
- The participant uses a final image that is not his own intellectual property (we will notice).
- The participant attempts to persuade a Jury member.
- The participant breaks the anonymity of the competition before the winners announcement, by declaring their name, or by placing logos\watermarks on the images.
- The participant submits the final image beyond the deadline date.
Inspiration / Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson, 1970
Inspiration / The boundary of disaster by Roberto Bueno
Inspiration / Addolorata Concezione [Grieving Conceptions], Federico Clapis, 2018
The Jury
Johannes Lindqvist
3D Artist
As a renowned artist and avid experimenter, Johannes has been an active participant in the professional conversation around visualization and virtual photography. He has held keynote speeches at D2 Conferences in Vienna, State of Art Academy Day in Venice, and Architectural Visualization Days in Gothenburg.
Trained as an in-house artist at IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer and a pioneer of digital catalogue imagery, Johannes now runs Illusive Images, his studio, with fellow founder Daniel Reuterswärd while developing new surface scanning techniques with Texture Supply. His clients are located around the world, with a focus on Sweden and the US.
Santi Sanchez
3D Artist
Corona Certified Instructor
Santi Sanchez is a CG artist based in Ecuador, founder of TRESDE ArchViz Studio and an online mentor at Canaletto Archviz School. He has gained a lot of attention in the past years for his cinematic style and artistic approach to architectural visualisation, bringing elements from movies, photography and traditional art to his images.
Lucia Frascerra
Architectural Visualizer
Lucia Frascerra is an Ialian architectural visualizer with a great passion for dogs, good food and CGI. Her career started in 2015 when she moved to London. There she worked for some of the most influent studios in the Industry such as DBOX, Cityscape Digital and Secchi Smith.
Her personal work was nominated in the CGArchitect's 3D Awards 2015, gained a 1st Award in the Evermotion Challenge 2015, a Honorable Mention in the Project Soane Competition 2016 and it was also featured in "Great talks About Photorealism", a book by Bogdan Sasu.
Between 2016 and 2019 Lucia had the honour to be speaker at multiple CG and Archviz events like the Architectural Visualization Day 2016 in Goteborg, the UY!CG conference 2018 in Montevideo and D2 Conferences 2019 in Vienna. Today Lucia works in London for Secchi Smith as Senior Visualisation Artist and she is post-production teacher at the Master in Digital Architecture (MADI) at the University of Venice (IUAV).
Federico Clapis
Artist
Federico Clapis (born on April 4th 1987, Milan) is a contemporary Italian artist. He has developed his career in a unique way, opening new itineraries and horizons in the art world. For years, Clapis has been working “undercover” producing viral videos on social networks and accumulating millions of followers and views.
In September 2015, at the height of the media popularity, he decided to move away from pure entertainment and converted his online presence into a tool for the dissemination of his artistic works hitherto kept hidden.
Massimo Gnocchi
Architect
Founder of CGMood
Architecture is the main discipline for Massimo, along with 14 years of experience as 3D Artist to express his design ideas.
Launches CGMood at the beginning of 2018, with the goals of defining new standards for 3D model sharing and developing a high-profile community of 3D artists.
Jakub Čech
CGI Artist and Art Director
Jakub Čech is an award-winning, multi-disciplined CGI artist with more than ten years experience. He is the CEO and Creative Director of his eponymous studio, the 3D Art Director at Mode Maison and collaborated regularly with JORG. Fusing Art and Technology to create inspired computer generated images.
Inspiration / Untitled by Brodsia
Inspiration / Thorncrown Chapel
