Visual Effects Society announces its VES Awards 2025 winners list
The 23rd VES Awards were presented Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton.
The Visual Effects Society knelt down before The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and presented it with the prize for Outstanding Visual Effects In a Photoreal Feature. However, it was the only win out of six nominations. This is the 10th installment in the venerable series.
The Wild Robot and Dune: Part Two were the bigger winners, each with four wins. The Wild Robot had just won the Annie Awards the previous weekend.
This raises the question: which film is the frontrunner for the Oscars next month?
The trend continued last year, when VES bowed to The Creator, but the Academy Award went to Godzilla Minus Zero. Last year, the VES Awards were given to The Creator while the Academy Award went to Godzilla Minus Zero.
Alien: Romulus will compete for the Oscar with Wicked, Better Man, and Dune.
The history lovers will be pleased to know that Dune won the VES Awards for 2022 and War for the Planet of the Apes took the Photoreal Feature award in 2018.
A24’s Civil War won in the category of Supporting VFX, while Paramount’s Better Man took home the award for Character in a Photoreal Feature – that is the CGI chimp playing Robbie Williams in this musical biopic.
The Renaissance Space Station, a model by 20th Century Studios Alien: Romulus, won the VES Award as Outstanding Model.
Disney+’s The Penguin, and FX’s Shogun both tied for three VES Awards.
It was the team behind FX’s Emmy-winning series Shogun that won the first award, Outstanding Environment in an episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-Time Project. They also took home a win for Effects Simulations. The team rounded out its three-win evening with the award for Outstanding Visual effects in a Photoreal Episode.
The Penguin was also able to bring home three awards. Disney+’s debut series won two awards in a row. First, it was awarded for Compositing an Episode. Then it was awarded for Special (Practical Effects) in a Photoreal Project.
Shogun and The Penguin tied for first place with four nominations each.
The Coca-Cola ad “The Heroes”, which won two trophies on Tuesday for Visual Effects and Lighting & Compositing, was also a double-winner.
Hiroyuki Sanada, the multiple Emmy Award-winning Shogun producer and actor, received the VES Award of Creative Excellence. This lifetime achievement award was presented by Keanu Reeves. He told the crowd, “You’re doing some amazing shit.” The honoree promised that Season 2, “would take it up to the next level.”
The VES Visionary Award was given to Takashi Yamazaki, an Oscar-winning director who is also a VFX supervisor.
Nancy Ward, Executive Director of the Visual Effect Society, opened the VES Awards, which honors visual effects artists and innovators in 25 categories, including features, television, animation, games, and new media. She thanked the first responders for risking their lives to save property and people during the Los Angeles wildfires that ravaged the city last month. Cheers!
The Sklar brothers made their debut as hosts for the event. Here are the winners at the 2025 VES Awards:
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Erik Winquist
Julia Neighly
Paul Story
Danielle Immerman
Rodney Burke
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot
Chris Sanders
Jeff Hermann
Jeff Budsberg
Jacob Hjort Jensen
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Shogun; Anjin
Michael Cliett
Melody Mead
Philip Engstrom
Ed Bruce
Cameron Waldbauer
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Civil War
David Simpson
Michelle Rose
Freddy Salazar
Chris Zeh
J.D. Schwalm
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
The Penguin; Bliss
Johnny Han
Michelle Rose
Goran Pavles
Ed Bruce
Devin Maggio
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot; Roz
Fabio Lignini
Yukinori Inagaki
Owen Demers
Hyun Huh
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Ronja the Robber’s Daughter; Vildvittran the Queen Harpy
Nicklas Andersson
David Allan
Gustav Ahren
Niklas Wallen
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Better Man; Robbie Williams
Milton Ramirez
Andrea Merlo
Seoungseok Charlie Kim
Eteuati Tem
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dune: Part Two; Atomic Explosions and Wormriding
Nicholas Papworth
Sandy la Tourelle
Lisa Nolan
Christopher Phillips
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot
Derek Cheung
Michael Losure
David Chow
Nyoung Kim
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Shogun; Broken to the Fist; Landslide
Dominic Tiedeken
Heinrich Lowe
Charles Guerton
Timmy Lundin
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Dune: Part Two; Wormriding, Geidi Prime, and the Final Battle
Christopher Rickard
Francesco Dell’Anna
Paul Chapman
Ryan Wing
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Coca-Cola; The Heroes
Ryan Knowles
Alex Gabucci
Jack Powell
Dan Yarcigi
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
The Penguin; After Hours
Jonas Stuckenbrock
Karen Chang
Eugene Bondar
Miky Giron
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
The Penguin; Safe Guns
Devin Maggio
Johnny Han
Cory Candrilli
Alexandre Prod’homme
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Alien: Romulus; Renaissance Space Station
Waldemar Bartkowiak
Trevor Wide
Matt Middleton
Ben Shearman
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT
Pittura (entry from ARTFX – Schools of Digital Arts)
Lauriol Adam
Lassere Titouan
Vivenza Remi
Marre Hellois
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Here; Neural Performance Toolset
Jo Plaete
Oriel Frigo
Tomas Koutsky
Matteo Oliviero Dancy
OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune: Part Two; Arrakis
Greig Fraser
Xin Steve Guo
Sandra Murta
Ben Wiggs
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
D23; Real-Time Rocket
Evan Goldberg
Alyssa Finley
Jason Breneman
Alice Taylor
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
Star Wars Outlaws
Stephen Hawes
Lionel Le Dain
Benedikt Podlesnigg
Bogdan Draghici
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Coca-Cola; The Heroes
Greg McKneally
Antonia Vlasto
Ryan Knowles
Fabrice Fiteni
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dune: Part Two; The Arrakeen Basin
Daniel Rhein
Daniel Anton Fernandez
Marc James Austin
Christopher Anciaume
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot; The Forest
John Wake
He Jung Park
Woojin Choi
Shane Glading
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Shogun; Osaka
Manuel Martinez
Phil Hannigan
Keith Malone
Francesco Corvino
Peter Stubbs
