‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Leads with Ten Nominations
Los Angeles (January 13, 2026) – Today the Visual Effects Society (VES), the VFX industry’s professional global honorary society, announced the nominees for its 24th Annual VES Awards, encompassing 25 categories across film, television, special venue projects, technological innovation, student projects, and more. Recognized as the craft’s marquee awards celebration, the VES Awards will be held on February 25, 2026 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
From 20th Century Studios and Lightstorm Entertainment, Avatar: Fire and Ash is this year’s most-nominated project with ten nominations, including in the key category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature. Among animated contenders, there is a three-way tie for top nominations – with Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters, Disney and Pixar’s Elio, and Disney’s Zootopia 2 each receiving five nominations. Netflix’s Stranger Things, HBO’s The Last of Us, and Apple TV+ and BBC Studios’ Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age are tied atop the episodic field, with four nominations each.
Nominees were selected by VES members worldwide over the weekend via the Society’s Global Nomination Event, which hosted 46 in-person and 14 virtual judging panels. The 60 peer-led judging panels in seven worldwide regions – Asia, Europe, India, Oceania, and three in North America – show the Society’s global reach and engagement.
“Visual effects artists and producers are at the forefront of cinematic artistry and technological innovation, whether their work is being seen on the big screen in a movie theater, on the device in your pocket, or in a special venue setting,” said VES Board Chair, Kim Davidson. “We’re thrilled to celebrate all of this year’s nominees, and we’re grateful to our member volunteers from around the world who make our rigorous peer review process possible.”
“The next generation of creators is advancing visual storytelling through bold ideas, emotional depth, and technical craft,” said Diana Colella, Executive Vice President of Media & Entertainment at Autodesk, sponsor of the VES Student Award. “This year’s student film submissions showcase the creative vision and incredible skill of up-and-coming filmmakers and visual effects artists. Congratulations to all of the student nominees.”
As previously announced, comedy duo Randy and Jason Sklar (the Sklar Brothers) will return to host the 24th Annual VES Awards for the second consecutive year. This year’s special honorees will include acclaimed film producer Jerry Bruckheimer receiving the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, and Wētā Workshop co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Sir Richard Taylor receiving the VES Visionary Award.
Below is the full list of nominees for the 24th Annual VES Awards:
1. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
F1: The Movie
Ryan Tudhope
Nikeah Forde
Robert Harrington
Nicolas Chevallier
Keith Alfred Dawson
Jurassic World: Rebirth
David Vickery
Carlos Ciudad
Steve Aplin
Charmaine Chan
Neil Corbould, VES
The Lost Bus
Charlie Noble
Gavin Round
David Zaretti
Russell Bowen
Brandon K. McLaughlin
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Richard Baneham
Peter Litvack
Eric Saindon
Nicky Muir
Steve Ingram
How To Train Your Dragon
Christian Manz
Christopher Raimo
Glen McIntosh
Glenn Melenhorst
Terry Palmer
2. OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dongji Rescue
Tim Crosbie
Celeste Chen
Christian Sjöstedt
Lea Benjovitz
A House of Dynamite
Chris Harvey
Dione Wood
Jon Mitchell
Matthew Lane
Warfare
Simon Stanley-Clamp
Kaley Edwards
Andrew Kinnear
Samir Ansari
Ryan Conder
Sinners
Michael Ralla
James Alexander
Nick Marshall
Espen Nordahl
Donnie Dean
After the Hunt
Fabio Cerrito
Virginia Cefaly
Marco Fiorani Parenzi
Maura Manfredi
3. OUTSTANDING ANIMATION IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Bad Guys 2
Pierre Perifel
Damon Ross
Matt Baer
Benjamin Willis
KPop Demon Hunters
Joshua Beveridge
Jacky Priddle
Benjamin Hendricks
Clara Chan
Zootopia 2
Gregory Smith
Laurie Au
Marlon West
Shweta Viswanathan
In Your Dreams
Sacha Kapijimpanga
Carey Smith
Nicola Lavender
Steve Pilcher
Elio
Claudia Chung Sanii
Mary Alice Drumm
Harley Jessup
Dave Quirus
4. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Andor; “Who Are You?”
Mohen Leo
TJ Falls
Scott Pritchard
Olivier Beaulieu
Luke Murphy
It: Welcome to Derry; “Winter Fire”
Daryl Sawchuk
Steve Dellerson
Pier Lefebvre
Steven Tether
Darcy Callaghan
The Last of Us; “Through the Valley”
Alex Wang
Fiona Campbell Westgate
Nick Epstein
Philip Engström
Joel Whist
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; “The Big Freeze”
Russell Dodgson
Tracey Gibbons
Francois Dumoulin
Gavin McKenzie
Stranger Things; “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up”
Betsy Paterson
Tessa Roehl
Michael Maher Jr.
Martin Hill
5. OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Man vs Baby; “Chapter One”
Rob Duncan
Ashlee Turner
Jean-Nicolas Costa
Adrian Eugene Daniel Williams
The Residence; “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Seth Hill
Tesa Kubicek
John Nelson
Gabriel Vargas
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon; “Costa Da Morte”
Jao M’Changama
Justine Paynat-Sautivet
Sébastien Voisin
Xavier Allard
Pau Costa Moeller
Severance; “Hello, Ms. Cobel”
Eric Leven
Sean Findley
Brian Holligan
Radost Ridlen
Death By Lightning; “The Man from Ohio”
Rainer Gombos
Steve Kullback
Marko Ljubez
David Ramos
6. OUTSTANDING VISUAL ARTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
Ghost of Yōtei
Jason Connell
Matt Vainio
Joanna Wang
Jasmin Patry
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Hideo Kojima
Yoji Shinkawa
Shota Hirasawa
Doom: The Dark Ages
Todd Boyce
Andrew Willis
Ian Malerich
Derek Best
South of Midnight
Ian Mac Gregor
Yasmeen Leclerc
Petro Kosariekov
Connor Bugni
Battlefield 6
Chris Bayol
Sean Tomek
Skye White
Jacob Bergman
7. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Coors Light; “Slow Monday”
Bruno Fukumothi
Ella Glazer
David Fleet
Martino Madeddu
BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
Tom Raynor
Helen Tang
Jack Harris
Alex Kulikov
Virgin Media; “Trunk Trucker”
Sebastian Caldwell
Larisa Covaciu
Ben Cronin
Alex Grey
Columbia Sportswear; “Engineered for Whatever”
Kamen Markov
Alexia Paterson
David Lochhead
Henrique Campanha
Battlefield 6; “It’s Good to Be Back”
Michael Ralla
James Alexander
Brian Creasey
Luca Pelegatta
8. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
Ben Grossmann
Tamara Watts Kent
Dr. Irfan Essa
Matt Dougan
Glenn Derry
Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
Rich Enders
Kirk Bodyfelt
Darin Hollings
Darren Simpson
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Alan Woods
Maximilian McNair MacEwan
Jason Fox
Iris Chailloux
Disney Tales of Magic
Tim Lutkin
Patrick Aigouy
Adrien Mourey
Lydia Caplan
Stranger Things: Escape the Dark
Julien Héry
Antoine Sitruk
Simon Lecavalier
Martin Hesselink
9. OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
A Minecraft Movie; Queen Malgosha
Kevin Estey
Fabio Leporelli
Matteo Stirati
Nick Grace
Lilo & Stitch; Stitch
Matthew Shumway
Claus Pedersen
Xiying Zhai
Enrique Mateo-Sagasta
Superman; Krypto the Superdog
Loic Mireault
Martine Chartrand
Marianne Morency
Matthias Schoenegger
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Varang: Leader of the Ash Clan
Stephen Clee
Stuart Adcock
Keven Norris
Joseph Kim
10. OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Elio; Ooooo the Liquid Supercomputer
Catherine Luo
Anna-Christine Lykkegaard
Ferdi Scheepers
Julian Teo
Elio; Glordon
Marco Burbano
Edgar Rodriguez
Ben Rush
Patrick Yu Wang
Zootopia 2; Gary De’Snake
Adam Green
Jennifer Stratton
Christoffer Pedersen
Jesse Erickson
KPop Demon Hunters; Rumi
Sophia (Seung Hee) Lee
Andrea Centeno
Marc Souliere
Joshua Beveridge
11. OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
It: Welcome to Derry; “The Thing in the Dark;” The Pickle Monster
Philip Harris-Genois
Pierric Danjou
Chloe Ostiguy
Jonathan Bourdua
It: Welcome to Derry; “Winter Fire;” Pennywise
Théo Perronard
Yan Morin-Dubuisson
Yan Detang
Jonathan Fleming-Bock
Stranger Things; “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up;” Mindflayer
James Moore
Layne Howe
Shawn Warawa
Yoshihiro Harimoto
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; Female Smilodon
Alvise Avati
Marc-André Coulombe
Youen Leclerc
Andrea De Martis
12. OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Tron: Ares; Dillinger’s Grid City
Jared Michael
Noor Valibhoy
Cody Gramstad
Stefan Litterini
The Lost Bus; The Wildfires of Roe Road
Jamie Haydock
Francesco Ferraresi
Sergei Konorev
Frederick Vallee
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Bridgehead Industrial City
Gianluca Pizzaia
Steve Bevins
Dziga Kaiser
Zsolt Máté
The Lost Bus; Feather River Canyon by the Pulga Bridge
David Schulz
Mareike Loges
Björn Markgraf
Philipp Hafellner
The Gorge; The Bodyweb
Daniel James Cox
Yosuke Inomata
Clint Rea
Gabriel Pires
13. OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Zootopia 2; Marsh Market
Limei Z. Hshieh
Alexander Nicholas Whang
Joshua Fry
Ryan DeYoung
Elio; The Communiverse
Steve Arguello
Christopher M. Burrows
Andy Lin
Laura Murphy
KPop Demon Hunters; Seoul
Rafael Lescano
Gunsik Kim
Tyquane Wright
Hee-Chel Nam
The Bad Guys 2; Cairo City
John J. Lee
Greg Hettinger
Mikael Genachte-Le Bail
Mayumi Shimokawa
14. OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Foundation; “A Song for the End of Everything;” Clarion Station
Sylvain Lesaint
Ilyes Boutemeur
Blake Dewoody
Benjamin Rojek
Andor; “Welcome to the Rebellion;” The Senate District
John O’Connell
Falk Boje
Hasan Ilhan
Kevin George
The Last of Us; Post-Apocalyptic Seattle
Romain Simonnet
Abraham Ibanez
David Desplat
Minguk Lee
The Residence; “Dial M for Murder;” The White House Exterior
Gabriel Vargas
Eric Schoellnast
Andrew Wilkins
Omer Gurkan
15. OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY
Zootopia 2
Tyler Kupferer
Daniel Rice
Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Steve Deane
AJ Briones
Zachary Brake
Andrew Moffett
Tron: Ares
Jhon Alvarado
Michael Beaulieu
Jayden Beveridge
Hayley Kim
KPop Demon Hunters
Benjamin Hendricks
Gary H. Lee
Randolph Lizarda
Linh Mai Nguyen Chan
16. OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Mickey 17; The Niflheim Spaceship
Bikas Panigrahi
Nikolai Razuev
Ajinkya Nitin Phokmare
Manoj Vijay Kamble
Wicked: For Good; Bison
Marco Chau
Giorgio Pennisi
Sowmya Ramakumar
Balazs Meszaros
Avatar: Fire and Ash; The Windtraders’ Gondola
Michael Smale
Sam Sharplin
Joe W. Churchill
Jacqi Dillon
Superman; The Fortress of Solitude
Crystal Bretz
Martin Pelissier
Klaudio Ladavac
Conner Wessinger
17. OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Simulating Pandora
Nicholas Illingworth
Sarah C. Farmer
James Robinson
Ryan Bowden
Superman; Metropolis City Destruction
Rick Hankins
Marcel Kern
Eric Hollands
Masoud Aziminajjar
The Lost Bus; Escape from Hell
Billy Copley
Mathieu Chardonnet
Chetan Patkar
David Schott
Together
Darcy George
Andrew Dunkerley
Ray Leung
Steve Oakley
18. OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
In Your Dreams
Stephanie McNair
Dmitiry Kolesnik
Stephen Paschke
David Sellares
The Bad Guys 2
Michael Losure
Landon Gray
Zachary Glynn
Steve Avoujageli
Zootopia 2
Sujil Sukumaran
Stuart Griese
Zoran Stojanoski
Paul Carman
KPop Demon Hunters
Filippo Maccari
Nikolaos Finizio
Daniel La Chapelle
Srdjan Milosevic
19. OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Battlefield 6
Björn Åkerstedt
Anders Egleus
Kasra Kalami
Craig Moroney
The Last of Us; “Through the Valley;” The Infected Horde
Duarte Victorino
Claudio Gonzalez
Andre Castelao
Igor Bondar
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; The Big Freeze
Edward Ferrysienanda
Kevin Christensen
Guy Schuleman
Kevin Tarpinian
Stranger Things; “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up;” Assault on the Mindflayer
Michael Chrobak
Brandon James Fleet
Yasunobu Arahori
Hoi Ying Fung
20. OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Bridgehead Industrial City
Ziad Shureih
Stefano Oggeri
Jaume Creus Costabella
Hugo Debat-Burkarth
F1: The Movie; Modern Race and POV Footage
Hugo Gauvreau
Chris Davies
Raushan Raj
Amaury Rospars
Superman; Fights and Metropolis City Destruction
Can Chang
Nicolas Caillier
Bryan Smeall
Elona Musha
Avatar: Fire and Ash; The Wind Traders, Bridgehead, Rivers and Ocean
Alex Klaricich
Gianfranco Sgura
Brad Floyd
Ari Ross
21. OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
The Residence; “Pilot”
Spencer Hecox
Gunnar Heiss
Alexander Greenberg
Eric Schoellnast
Stranger Things; “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up;” The Abyss and Vecna’s Face
Ben Roberts
Rachel E. Herbert
Don Bradford
Ken Lam
The Last of Us; “Through the Valley;” A Storm of Ice, Fire and Flesh
Tobias Wiesner
Mark Julien
Owen Longstaff
Brendan Naylor
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
Puff Pisanwalerd
Jean-Baptiste Noyau
Marion Nove-Josserand
Sue Nelson
22. OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Disney; “Best Christmas Ever”
Hudson Martins
Luke Warpus
Jinhui Wang
Alex Miller
BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
Alex Kulikov
Jack Harris
Adam Chabane
Nicola Borsari
Virgin Media; “Trunk Trucker”
Alex Grey
Sebastian Caldwell
Nicola Borsari
Giacomo Cavaletti
Genesis; “No Old Ideas”
Greg McKneally
Christian Block
Alberto Pizzocchero
Alessandro Granella
23. OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
Gen V; “Bags”
Hudson Kenny
Curtis Carlson
John Koyama
Bruno Larizza
Andor; “Who Are You?”
Luke Murphy
Dean Ford
Jody Eltham
Darrell Guyon
24. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Win or Lose; Detached Facial Features
David Munier
Ana Gabriela Lacaze
Jonathan Page
Anna-Christine Lykkegaard
Mickey 17; REVIZE
John Bastian
Ben Ward
Thomas Rowntree
Robert Beveridge
Avatar: Fire and Ash; BodyOpt
Christoph Sprenger
Tobias Mack
Florian Fernandez
Niall Ryan
Elio; Real-Time High Fidelity Animation System Using Signed Distance Functions
Andrew Butts
Trent Crow
Anna-Christine Lykkegaard
Catherine Luo
Avatar: Fire and Ash; Kora Fire Toolset
Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin
John Edholm
Murali Ramachari
Aleksandr Isakov
25. OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT
Au Delà des Mots
Antoine Barbannaud
Leandro Leijnen
Timothé Vergught
Mathis De Sauvecanne
Flying From War
Ciara Borgards
Two Kings
Eliot Hervier Blondel
Mathieu Keraudran
Adrian Delmotte
Jonas Lopez Del Castillo
Azimuth
Thomas Teisseire
Cassandre Cinier
Martin Bluy
Mathis Giraudeau
A Sparrow’s Song
Tobias Eckerlin
Vincent Maurer
Elias Weber
Lilli-Luisa Heckmann