The topic for this challenge is “Power of Nature”.

Power of Nature – Ever since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution mankind was convinced to have overcome most of Nature’s perils, tamed her like a wild animal. But not for long … The power of nature rises and it is even mightier than we expected! Its power lies in every storm, volcano or earthquake that threaten our cities. But maybe there is more? Sprites of old are gathering again, dryads, nymphs and river gods. When they unleash their powers, will it be for the benefit of mankind, or for its downfall?

Please make sure to read and follow these rules carefully, to ensure that your final entry is eligible for the judging process. Also, check the FAQ section below for further clarification.

• Your entry must relate to the challenge’s theme (we encourage you to be very creative with that)
• You can only submit one work
• Your entry must be a new and original creation specifically made for the challenge (no existing projects)
• Your entry must be created by only one person (no group)
• Your entry must be a 3d rendered image (no animations or Sketchfab models)
• You can use any 3d tools (even Game Engines), renderers, add-ons and techniques of your choice
• You can use any visual render style of your choice (like photorealism, NPR, low poly etc.)
• Minimal use of third party assets is allowed, as long as they don’t take up more than ~20% of the 3d scene and are not the main focus of your scene (third party textures and materials are not included in this rule and can be used as much as you like)
• 2d or concept art is not allowed (but can be used to plan your 3d scene)
• No fanart allowed
• Using a concept art of another artist as foundation for your 3d work is not allowed
  
• Enhancing your rendering in post is allowed – That includes things like color adjustments, compositing render layers/passes and adding effects like smoke, fire, particles etc. Extending your scene with a sky background is allowed too. Other than that, adding photographic elements (like cut out characters or vegetation) or doing paintovers or photobashing is not allowed.
• Imagery & depictions of hate, racism, sexism or other discriminatory factors will additionally be judged based on their context & visual narrative. If the entry is clearly promoting or idealizing a harmful agenda then it will be disqualified.
• You must submit your work before the deadline is over (we won’t accept entries after the deadline!)
• If someone has won two times in a row (no matter if placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd), this person can’t win the following two challenges. The person still can participate and win an honorable mention.

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Before submitting your entry, make sure that it meets all the following deliverables:

• You have to submit one (1) final render
• The final work must be submitted as an image
• Your render should have 1920 pixel on longest edge (landscape format should have 1920 pixels width, portrait format should have 1920 pixels height – any aspect ratio is fine)
• Image size should not exceed 2 MB and should be in *.jpg format
• You can add a small watermark if you like (it has to be small, grayscale, slightly transparent and placed in the bottom left or right corner of the image)
• 3D models laid on wallpapers are not allowed
• You have to submit a clay render (render without materials and textures) of your scene along with your final submission

We judge the entries according to these three criteria:

• Visual Appeal
• Storytelling
• Technique

It’s not required to meet all three judging criteria in order to win. You can have great visuals and technical skills without a story or great storytelling with lacking visuals. However, the better you meet all criteria, the bigger your chance to win.

During the judging process each judge is picking his/her 5 favorite entries and is giving points ranging from 5 to 1. Then, all the points from all judges will be summed up and the entries with most points will win.

Certainly, each judge has personal preferences, but doing the judging process in this way, we make sure that we get the average favorites of all judges and no judge has more weight on the final decision then the others. We believe that this is a fair way of judging the challenge.

Click here to see the judges.

1. Create a new 3d rendered image, based on the challenge’s topic
2. Make sure that your image meets the demands (read more above)
3. Use this submission form to submit your entry before the deadline is over – The challenge ends on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 at 16:00 CET.
4. Your entry will be published here on the challenge page once it is accepted (it can take up to 24 hrs until your submission will appear on the challenge page – it may take even longer during the weekend)
5. If there is any problem with your entry, we will get back to you
6. We will announce the winners on  March 3rd, 2021.
7. If you don’t want to miss who has won, sign up to our mailing list here

We will pick three winners and two honorable mentions for this challenge, which will receive prizes. The prizes will be distributed like this:

• The 1st winner can choose 8 prizes from the list below
• The 2nd winner can choose 7 of the remaining prizes
• The 3rd winner can choose 6 of the remaining prizes
• Each honorable mention can choose 3 of the remaining prizes.
• Everyone that submits a final rendering for this challenge, gets the chance to win one of three copies of the CG Boost Blender 2.8 Launch Pad course and the Substance Painter Launch pad course.

Click here to see all prizes.

Where do I ask questions about the challenge?
Ask them in the comment section below.

Can I submit multiple submissions for a challenge?
No. You can only submit one (1) submission per challenge.

Can I submit an artwork I started before the challenge?
No. Your entry must be a new creation specially made for the challenge.

Can I create fanart or use a concept art of another artist?
No. Your entry must be an original creation created by you. We can’t accept copyrighted or patented content for legal reasons. Designers of fashion, games, movies and other media do protect their brand and people who breach these rules will be disqualified. Homage or recognizable styles fall outside these rules, but do linger in a gray area. Keep this in mind when designing your entry.

Can a team participate in the challenge?
No. This challenge is for individuals only.

Can I use photographic elements, photobashing or paintovers techniques?
No, but you are allowed to enhance your image with color and brightness adjustments or adding effects like smoke, fire, particles etc.

Can I use third party assets?
Yes, but in a way to support your scene. The external assets can’t be the main focus of your scene and take up more than ~20% screen space of your image. Third party textures and materials are not included in this rule and can be used as much as you like.

Can I update my submission during the challenge if I notice a mistake?
Yes, just re-submit your work, and we will replace it. Please add a quick note on what you have changed. The only condition – you cannot change the idea of the work, or modify it drastically. Only reasonable changes are allowed.

Can I share my artwork online before the challenge is over?
Yes, it is your artwork, you can do whatever you want.

When I win the challenge, can I get cash instead of the prizes?
No, this is not possible.