This year’s student rendering challenge theme was Illumination — and we were truly bedazzled by the quality of the entries we received. After much deliberation, our 14 jury members narrowed down an out-and-out winner from the 120-plus submissions we received: Hwiyeon Cho’s “Poppy Land,” based on the kitsch jungle lair from the finale of Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Hwiyeon receives an incredible prize pack including the V-Ray Education Collection and a Corona License, 200 Chaos Cloud credits, a pass for Creative Lighting’s Masterclass and much, much more.
“What I love about Hwiyeon’s image is its use of light and color to create an atmosphere which is both haunting and inviting,” says Lon Grohs, Chaos Group’s Global Head of Creative. “Hwiyeon has embraced the challenge’s topic with a literal golden circle.”
With 2,808 votes, Ines Dga’s “A Head Full of Dreams” scooped the public winner prize. This vibrant, colorful piece does such a great job of recreating Coldplay’s live performances that you can practically smell the dry ice and hear the audience’s cheers and whistles.
Giovanni Battista Croce’s “What’s Beyond?” followed, with 2,365 votes. Inspired by the epic sci-fi visions of Solaris, Alien and Interstellar, it neatly blends the past and future into a mystifying image. We really want to know where that doorway leads!
© Bastian Hyldahl
© Moh Nuryasin
We took a road trip for the final two slots. Bastian Hyldahl's “On The Road” is a touching homage to the relationship between Woody and Forky from Toy Story 4, while Moh Nuryasin’s “SPBU” recalls late-night stops at Indonesian gas stations.
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the contest this year. Our student rendering challenge will return later in 2021 — so you’ve got plenty of time to perfect your skills with V-Ray or Corona trials, or the Personal Learning Edition of V-Ray for Maya.
