The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s leading professional global honorary society, announced the nominees for its 23rd Annual VES Awards. This award celebrates outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in feature film, animation, television, commercials, games, and new media. Honoring VFX Supervisors, VFX Producers, and the hands-on Artists who bring such fantastical work to life.
Leading the pack of nominees is “Dune: Part Two” which is up for an impressive seven nominations. The series “Shōgun” and “The Penguin” come in second with four nominations a piece.

“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create remarkable imagery,” Kim Davidson, VES Chair said. “We are seeing best-in-class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation.”
VES’ 2025 special honorees include Emmy-winning actor-producer Hiroyuki Sanada receiving the VES Award for Creative Excellence, Oscar-winning director and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki receiving the VES Visionary Award, and VR/immersive technology pioneer Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie receiving the VES Georges Méliès Award.
You can read the full list of nominees by category below:
Outstanding Visual Effects In A Photoreal Feature
- “Better Man” – Luke Millar, Andy Taylor, David Clayton, Keith Herft, and Peter Stubbs
- “Dune: Part Two” – Paul Lambert, Brice Parker, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” – Erik Winquist, Julia Neighly, Paul Story, Danielle Immerman, and Rodney Burke
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” – Adam Valdez, Barry St. John, Audrey Ferrara, and Daniel Fotheringham
- “Twisters” – Ben Snow, Mark Soper, Florian Witzel, Susan Greenhow, and Scott Fisher
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects In A Photoreal Feature
- “Blitz” – Andrew Whitehurst, Sona Pak, Theo Demiris, Vincent Poitras, and Hayley Williams
- “Civil War” – David Simpson, Michelle Rose, Freddy Salazar, Chris Zeh, and J.D. Schwalm
- “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” – Jason Neese, Armen Fetulagian, Jamie Neese, and J.P. Jaramillo
- “Nosferatu” – Angela Barson, Lisa Renney, David Scott, Dave Cook, and Pavel Ságner
- “Young Woman and the Sea” – Richard Briscoe, Carrie Rishel, Jeremy Robert, Stéphane Dittoo, and Ivo Jivkov
Outstanding Visual Effects In An Animated Feature
- “Inside Out 2” – Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen, Sudeep Rangaswamy, and Bill Watral
- “Moana 2” – Carlos Cabral, Tucker Gilmore, Ian Gooding, Gabriela Hernandez
- “The Wild Robot” – Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann, Jeff Budsberg, and Jacob Hjort Jensen
- “Transformers One”- Frazer Churchill, Fiona Chilton, Josh Cooley, and Stephen King
- “Ultraman: Rising” – Hayden Jones, Sean M. Murphy, Shannon Tindle, and Mathieu Vig
Outstanding Visual Effects In A Photoreal Episode
- “Fallout” Episode: “The Head” – Jay Worth, Andrea Knoll, Grant Everett, Joao Sita, and Devin Maggio
- “House of the Dragon” Episode: “The Red Dragon and the Gold” – Daði Einarsson, Tom Horton, Sven Martin, Wayne Stables, and Mike Dawson
- “Shōgun” Episode: “Anjin” – Michael Cliett, Melody Mead, Philip Engström, Ed Bruce, and Cameron Waldbauer
- “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” Episode: “Episode 5” – John Knoll, Pablo Molles, Jhon Alvarado, and Jeff Capogreco
- “The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power” Episode: “Eldest” – Jason Smith, Tim Keene, Ann Podlozny, Ara Khanikian, and Ryan Conder
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects In A Photoreal Episode
- “Expats” Episode: “Home” – Robert Bock, Glorivette Somoza, Charles Labbé, and Tim Emeis
- “Lady in the Lake” Episode: “It Has to Do With the Search for the Marvelous” – Jay Worth, Eddie Bonin, Joe Wehmeyer, Eric Levin-Hatz, and Mike Myers
- “Masters of the Air: Part Three” Episode: “The Regensburg-Schweinfurt Mission” – Stephen Rosenbaum, Bruce Franklin, Xavier Matia Bernasconi, David Andrews, and Neil Corbould
- “The Penguin” Episode: “Bliss” – Johnny Han, Michelle Rose, Goran Pavles, Ed Bruce, and Devin Maggio
- “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” Episode: “Pilot” – Simon Giles, Alan Church, David Schneider, and James Hattsmith
Outstanding Visual Effects In A Real-Time Project
- “[REDACTED]” – Fabio Silva, Matthew Sherman, Caleb Essex, and Bob Kopinsky
- “Destiny 2: The Final Shape” – Dave Samuel, Ben Fabric, Eric Greenlief, and Glenn Gamble
- “Star Wars Outlaws” – Stephen Hawes, Lionel Le Dain, Benedikt Podlesnigg, and Bogdan Draghici
- “What If…? – An Immersive Story” – Patrick N.P. Conran, Shereif Fattouh, Zain Homer, and Jax Lee
- “Until Dawn” – Nicholas Chambers, Jack Hidde Glavimans, and Alex Gabor
Outstanding Visual Effects In A Commercial
- YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket: The Magic of Sunday – Chris Bayol, Jeremy Brooks, Lane Jolly, and Jacob Bergman
- Disney; Holidays 2024 – Adam Droy, Helen Tang, Christian Baker-Steele, and David Fleet
- Virgin Media; Walrus Whizzer – Sebastian Caldwell, Ian Berry, Ben Cronin, and Alex Grey
- Coca-Cola; The Heroes – Greg McKneally, Antonia Vlasto, Ryan Knowles, and Fabrice Fiteni
- Six Kings Slam; Call of the Kings – Ryan Knowles, Joe Billington, Dean Robinson, and George Savvas
Outstanding Visual Effects In A Special Venue Project
- D23; Real-Time Rocket – Evan Goldberg, Alyssa Finley, Jason Breneman, and Alice Taylor
- The Goldau Landslide Experience – Roman Kaelin, Gianluca Ravioli, and Florian Baumann
- MTV Video Music Awards; Slim Shady Live – Jo Plaete, Sara Mustafa, Cameron Jackson, and Andries Courteaux
- Tokyo DisneySea; Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure – Michael Sean Foley, Kirk Bodyfelt, Darin Hollings, Bert Klein, and Maya Vyas
- Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony; Run – Benjamin Le Ster, Gilles De Lusigman, Gerome Viavant, and Romain Tinturier
Outstanding Character In A Photoreal Feature
- “Better Man” for Robbie Williams – Milton Ramirez, Andrea Merlo, Seoungseok Charlie Kim, and Eteuati Tema
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” for Noa – Rachael Dunk, Andrei Coval, John Sore, and Niels Peter Kaagaard
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” for Raka – Seoungseok Charlie Kim, Giorgio Lafratta, Tim Teramoto, and Aidan Martin
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” for Taka – Klaus Skovbo, Valentina Rosselli, Eli De Koninck, and Amelie Talarmain
Outstanding Character In An Animated Feature
- “Inside Out 2” for Anxiety – Alexander Alvarado, Brianne Francisco, Amanda Wagner, and Brenda Lin Zhang
- “The Wild Robot” for Roz – Fabio Lignini, Yukinori Inagaki, Owen Demers, and Hyun Huh
- “Thelma The Unicorn” for Vic Diamond – Guillaume Arantes, Adrien Montero, Anne-Claire Leroux, and Gaspard Roche
- “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” for Gromit – Jo Fenton, Alison Evans, Andy Symanowski, and Emanuel Nevado
Outstanding Character In An Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, Or Real-Time Project
- “Secret Level; Armored Core:” Episodes “Asset Management” for Mech Pilot – Zsolt Vida, Péter Krucsai, Ágnes Vona, and Enric Nebleza Pañella
- “Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” for Neyrelle – Chris Bostjanick, James Ma, Yeon-Ho Lee, and Atsushi Ikarashi
- Disney; Holidays 2024; Octopus – Alex Doyle, Philippe Moine, Lewis Pickston, and Andrea Lacedelli
- “Ronja the Robber’s Daughter” for Vildvittran the Queen Harpy – Nicklas Andersson, David Allan, Gustav Åhren, and Niklas Wallén
Outstanding Environment In A Photoreal Feature
- “Civil War” for Washington, D.C. – Matthew Chandler, James Harmer, Robert Moore, and Adrien Zeppieri
- “Dune: Part Two” for The Arrakeen Basin – Daniel Rhein, Daniel Anton Fernandez, Marc James Austin, and Christopher Anciaume
- “Gladiator II” for Rome – Oliver Kane, Stefano Farci, John Seru, and Frederick Vallee
- “Wicked” for The Emerald City – Alan Lam, Steve Bevins, Deepali Negi, and Miguel Sanchez López-Ruíz
Outstanding Environment In An Animated Feature
- “Kung Fu Panda 4” for Juniper City – Benjamin Lippert, Ryan Prestridge, Sarah Vawter, and Peter Maynez
- “The Wild Robot” for The Forest – John Wake, He Jung Park, Woojin Choi, and Shane Glading
- “Transformers One” for Iacon City – Alex Popescu, Geoffrey Lebreton, Ryan Kirby, and Hussein Nabeel
- “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” for Aqueduct – Matt Perry, Dave Alex Riddett, Matt Sanders, and Howard Jones
Outstanding Environment In An Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, Or Real-Time Project
- “Dune: Prophecy” Episode: “Pilot” for The Imperial Palace – Scott Coates, Sam Besseau, Vincent l’Heureux, and Lourenco Abreu
- “Dune: Prophecy” Episode: “Two Wolves” for Zimia Spaceport – Nils Weisbrod, David Anastacio, Rene Borst, and Ruben Valente
- “Shōgun” Episode: “Osaka” – Manuel Martinez, Phil Hannigan, Keith Malone, and Francesco Corvino
- “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Episode: “Doomed to Die” for Eregion – Yordan Petrov, Bertrand Cabrol, Lea Desrozier, and Karan Dhandha
Outstanding Cg Cinematography
- “Better Man” – Blair Burke, Shweta Bhatnagar, Tim Walker, and Craig Young
- “Dune: Part Two” for Arrakis – Greig Fraser, Xin Steve Guo, Sandra Murta, and Ben Wiggs
- “House of the Dragon” Episode: “The Red Dragon and the Gold” for the Battle at Rook’s Rest – Matt Perrin, James Thompson, Jacob Doehner, and P.J. Dillon
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” for the Egg Climb – Dennis Yoo, Angelo Perrotta, Samantha Erickstad, and Miae Kang
Outstanding Model In A Photoreal Or Animated Project
- “Alien: Romulus” for the Renaissance Space Station – Waldemar Bartkowiak, Trevor Wide, Matt Middleton, and Ben Shearman
- “Deadpool & Wolverine” for the Ant-Man Arena – Carlos Flores Gomez, Corinne Dy, Chris Byrnes, and Gerald Blaise
- “Dune: Part Two” for the The Harkonnen Harvester – Andrew Hodgson, Timothy Russell, Erik Lehmann, and Louie Cho
- “Gladiator II” for The Colosseum – Oliver Kane, Marnie Pitts, Charlotte Fargier, and Laurie Priest
Outstanding Effects Simulations In A Photoreal Feature
- “Dune: Part Two” for Atomic Explosions and Wormriding – Nicholas Papworth, Sandy la Tourelle, Lisa Nolan, and Christopher Phillips
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” for Burning Village, Rapids and Floods – Alex Nowotny, Claude Schitter, Frédéric Valleur, and Kevin Kelm
- “Twisters” – Matthew Hanger, Joakim Arnesson, Laurent Kermel, and Zheng Yong Oh
- “Venom: The Last Dance” for Water, Fire & Symbiote Effects – Xavi Martin Ramirez, Oscar Dahlen, Hedi Namar, and Yuri Yang
Outstanding Effects Simulations In An Animated Feature
- “Kung Fu Panda 4” – Jinguang Huang, Zhao Wang, Hamid Shahsavari, and Joshua LaBrot
- “Moana 2” – Zoran Stojanoski, Jesse Erickson, Shamintha Kalamba Arachchi, and Erin V. Ramos
- “The Wild Robot” – Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, David Chow, and Nyoung Kim
- “Ultraman: Rising” – Goncalo Cabaca, Zheng Yong Oh, Nicholas Yoon Joo Kuang, and Praveen Boppana
Outstanding Effects Simulations In An Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, Or Real-Time Project
- “Avatar: The Last Airbender” Episode: “Legends” for Koizilla – Ioan Boieriu, David Stopford, Per Balay, and Saysana Rintharamy
- “Shōgun” Episode: “Broken to the Fist” for Landslide – Dominic Tiedeken, Heinrich Löwe, Charles Guerton, and Timmy Lundin
- “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” Episode: “Pilot” for Spaceship Hillside Takeoff – Travis Harkleroad, Xiaolong Peng, Marcella Brown, and Mickael Riciotti
- “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Episode: “Shadow and Flame” for Balrog Fire and Collapsing Cliff – Koenraad Hofmeester, Miguel Perez Senent, Miguel Santana Da Silva, and Billy Copley
- “Three Body Problem” Episode: “Judgement Day” – Yves D’Incau, Gavin Templer, Martin Chabannes, and Eloi Andaluz Fullà
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting In A Feature
- “Better Man” – Mark McNicholl, Gordon Spencer de Haseth, Eva Snyder, and Markus Reithoffer
- “Dune: Part Two” for Wormriding, Geidi Prime, and the Final Battle – Christopher Rickard, Francesco Dell’Anna, Paul Chapman, and Ryan Wing
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” – Joerg Bruemmer, Zachary Brake, Tim Walker, and Kaustubh A. Patil
- “The Wild Robot” – Sondra L. Verlander, Baptiste Van Opstal, Eszter Offertaler, and Austin Casale
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting In An Episode
- “Shōgun” Episode: “Broken to the Fist” for Landslide – Benjamin Bernon, Douglas Roshamn, Victor Kirsch, and Charlie Raud
- “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” Episode: “Episode 6” for Jaws – Rich Grande, Tomas Lefebvre, Ian Dodman, and Rey Reynolds
- “The Boys” Episode: “Life Among the Septics” – Tristan Zerafa, Mike Stadnyckyj, Toshi Kosaka, and Rajeev BR
- “The Penguin” Episode: “After Hours” – Jonas Stuckenbrock, Karen Chang, Eugene Bondar, and Miky Girón
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting In A Commercial
- Virgin Media; Walrus Whizzer – Sebastian Caldwell, Alex Grey, Kanishk Chouhan, and Shubham Mehta
- Coca-Cola; The Heroes – Ryan Knowles, Alex Gabucci, Jack Powell, and Dan Yarcigi
- Corcept; Marionette – Yongchan Kim, Arman Matin, Yoon Bae, and Rajesh Kaushik
- Disney; Holidays 2024 – Christian Baker-Steele, Luke Warpus, Pritesh Kotian, and Jack Harris
Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects In A Photoreal Project
- “Blitz” – Hayley Williams, David Eves, Alex Freeman, and David Watson
- “Constellation” – Martin Goeres, Johara Raukamp, Lion David Bogus, and Leon Mark
- “The Penguin” Episode: “Safe Guns” – Devin Maggio, Johnny Han, Cory Candrilli, and Alexandre Prod’homme
Emerging Technology Award
- “Dune: Part Two” for Nuke CopyCat – Ben Kent, Guillaume Gales, Mairead Grogan, and Johanna Barbier
- “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” for Artist-driven Machine Learning Character – John Bastian, Ben Ward, Thomas Rowntree, and Robert Beveridge
- “Here” for Neural Performance Toolset – Jo Plaete, Oriel Frigo, Tomas Koutsky, and Matteo Oliviero Dancy
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” for Real-Time Interactive Filmmaking, From Stage To Post – Callum James, James Hood, Lloyd Bishop, and Bruno Pedrinha
- “The Penguin” for Phase Synced Flash-Gun System – Johnny Han, Jefferson Han, Joseph Menafra, and Michael Pynn
Outstanding Visual Effects In A Student Project
- “Dawn” (entry from ESMA – École Supérieure Des Métiers Artistiques) – Noah Mercier, Apolline Royer, Lorys Stora, and Marie Pradeilles
- “Student Accomplice” (entry from Brigham Young University) – Spencer Blanchard, Lisa Bird, Anson Savage, Kiara Spencer
- “Pittura” (entry from ARTFX – Schools of Digital Arts) – Lauriol Adam, Lassère Titouan, Vivenza Rémi, and Marre Helloïs
- “Courage” (entry from Supinfocom – Rubika) – Salomé Cognon, Margot Jacquet, Nathan Baudry, and Lise Delcroix
The 23rd Annual VES Awards will take place on February 11th, 2025, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.