Today, the Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s professional global honorary society, announced the nominees for the 16th Annual VES Awards, the prestigious yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials and video games and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on artists who bring this work to life. Blade Runner 2049 and War for the Planet of the Apes tie for the most feature film nominations with seven each.  Despicable Me 3 is the top animated film contender with five nominations and Game of Thrones leads the broadcast field and scores the most nominations overall with 11. 

Nominees in 24 categories were selected by VES members via events hosted by 10 of its Sections, including Australia, Bay Area, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, New Zealand, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington. The VES Awards will be held on February 13th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.  As previously announced, the VES Georges Méliès Award will be presented to AcademyAward®-winning visual effects master Joe Letteri, VES. The VES Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to acclaimed producer-writer-director Jon Favreau.  Award-winning actor-comedian-author Patton Oswalt will once again host the VES Awards.

“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create truly remarkable imagery in a variety of media,” said Mike Chambers, VES Chair.  “We are seeing best in field work that elevates the art of storytelling and engages the audience in new and innovative ways.  The VES Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of all our nominees!”

“The Visual Effects Society Student Award recognizes the stellar work of emerging VFX artists worldwide, and we're proud to sponsor the award again. Each year, the submissions grow more impressive, and we’re excited to collaborate with the VES to recognize, applaud and celebrate this year’s talented nominees," said Amy Bunszel, Autodesk Senior Vice President, Design & Creation Products.

The nominees for the 16th Annual VES Awards in 24 categories are as follows:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049

John Nelson

Karen Murphy Mundell

Paul Lambert

Richard Hoover

Gerd Nefzer

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Christopher Townsend

Damien Carr

Guy Williams

Jonathan Fawkner

Dan Sudick

 

Kong: Skull Island

Jeff White

Tom Peitzman

Stephen Rosenbaum

Scott Benza

Michael Meinardus

 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Ben Morris

Tim Keene

Eddie Pasquarello

Daniel Seddon

Chris Corbould

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

Joe Letteri

Ryan Stafford

Daniel Barrett

Dan Lemmon

Joel Whist

 

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Darkest Hour

Stephane Naze

Warwick Hewitt

Guillaume Terrien

Benjamin Magana

 

Downsizing

James E. Price

Susan MacLeod

Lindy De Quattro

Stéphane Nazé

 

Dunkirk

Andrew Jackson

Mike Chambers

Andrew Lockley

Alison Wortman

Scott Fisher

 

Mother!

Dan Schrecker

Colleen Bachman

Ben Snow

Wayne Billheimer

Peter Chesney

 

Only the Brave

Eric Barba

Dione Wood

Matthew Lane

Georg Kaltenbrunner

Michael Meinardus

 

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature

Captain Underpants

David Soren

Mark Swift

Mirielle Soria

David Dulac

 

Cars 3

Brian Fee

Kevin Reher

Michael Fong

Jon Reisch

 

Coco

Lee Unkrich

Darla K. Anderson

David Ryu

Michael K. O'Brien

 

Despicable Me 3

Pierre Coffin

Chris Meledandri

Kyle Balda

Eric Guillon

 

The LEGO Batman Movie

Rob Coleman

Amber Naismith

Grant Freckelton

Damien Gray

 

The LEGO Ninjago Movie

Gregory Jowle

Fiona Chilton

Miles Green

Kim Taylor

 

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Orientation Part 1

Mark Kolpack

Sabrina Arnold

David Rey

Kevin Yuille

Gary D'Amico

 

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall

Joe Bauer

Steve Kullback

Chris Baird

David Ramos

Sam Conway

                 

Legion; Chapter 1

John Ross

Eddie Bonin

Sebastien Bergeron

Lionel Lim

Paul Benjamin

 

Star Trek: Discovery; The Vulcan Hello

Jason Michael Zimmerman

Aleksandra Kochoska

Ante Dekovic

Mahmoud Rahnama

 

Stranger Things 2; The Gate

Paul Graff

Christina Graff

Seth Hill

Joel Sevilla

Caius the Man

 

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode

Black Sails; XXIX

Erik Henry

Terron Pratt

Yafei Wu

David Wahlberg

Paul Dimmer

 

Fear The Walking Dead; Sleigh Ride

Peter Crosman

Denise Gayle

Philip Nussbaumer

Martin Pelletier

Frank Ludica

 

Mr. Robot; eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00

Ariel Altman

Lauren Montuori

John Miller

Luciano DiGeronimo

 

Outlander; Eye of the Storm

Richard Briscoe

Elicia Bessette

Aladino Debert

Filip Orrby

Doug Hardy

 

Taboo; Pilot

Henry Badgett

Tracy McCreary

Nic Birmingham

Simon Rowe

Colin Gorry

 

Vikings; On the Eve

Dominic Remane

Mike Borrett

Ovidiu Cinazan

Paul Wishart

Paul Byrne

 

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project

Assassin's Creed Origins

Raphael Lacoste

Patrick Limoges

Jean-Sebastien Guay

Ulrich Haar

 

Call of Duty: WWII

Joe Salud

Atsushi Seo

Danny Chan

Jeremy Kendall

 

Fortnite; A Hard Day's Night

Michael Clausen

Gavin Moran

Brian Brecht

Andrew Harris

 

Sonaria

Scot Stafford

Camille Cellucci

Kevin Dart

Theresa Latzko

 

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Shaun Escayg

Tate Mosesian

Eben Cook

 

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial

Beyond Good and Evil 2

Leon Berelle

Maxime Luère

Dominique Boidin

Remi Kozyra

 

Kia Niro; Hero's Journey

Robert Sethi

Anastasia von Rahl

Tom Graham

Chris Knight

Dave Peterson

 

Mercedes Benz; King of the Jungle

Simon French

Josh King

Alexia Paterson

Leonardo Costa

 

Monster; Opportunity Roars

Ruben Vandebroek

Clairellen Wallin

Kevin Ives                 

Kyle Cody

 

Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich

Diarmid Harrison-Murray

Tomek Zietkiewicz

Amir Bazazi

Martino Madeddu

 

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project

Avatar: Flight of Passage

Richard Baneham

Amy Jupiter

David Lester                 

Thrain Shadbolt

 

Corona; Paraiso Secreto

Adam Grint

Jarrad Vladich

Roberto Costas Fernández

Ed Thomas

Felipe Linares

 

Guardians of the Galaxy; Mission: BREAKOUT!

Jason Bayever

Amy Jupiter

Mike Bain

Alexander Thomas

 

National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey

Thilo Ewers

John Owens

Gioele Cresce

Mariusz Wesierski

 

Nemo and Friends SeaRider

Anthony Apodaca

Kathy Janus

Brandon Benepe

Nick Lucas

Rick Rothschild

 

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire

Ben Snow

Judah Graham

Ian Bowie

Curtis Hickman

David Layne

 

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049; Rachael

Axel Akkeson

Stefano Carta

Wesley Chandler

Ian Cooke-Grimes

 

Kong: Skull Island; Kong

Jakub Pistecky

Chris Havreberg

Karin Cooper

Kris Costa

 

War for the Planet of the Apes; Bad Ape

Eteuati Tema

Aidan Martin

Florian Fernandez

Mathias Larserud

 

War for the Planet of the Apes; Caesar

Dennis Yoo

Ludovic Chailloleau

Douglas McHale

Tim Forbes

 

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature

Coco; Hèctor

Emron Grover

Jonathan Hoffman

Michael Honsel

Guilherme Sauerbronn Jacinto

 

Despicable Me 3; Bratt

Eric Guillon

Bruno Dequier

Julien Soret

Benjamin Fournet

 

The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Garma Mecha Man

Arthur Terzis

Wei He

Jean-Marc Ariu

Gibson Radsavanh

 

The Boss Baby; Boss Baby

Alec Baldwin

Carlos Puertolas

Rani Naamani

Joe Moshier

 

The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Garmadon

Matthew Everitt

Christian So

Loic Miermont

Fiona Darwin

 

Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project

Black Mirror: Metalhead

Steven Godfrey

Stafford Lawrence

Andrew Robertson

Lestyn Roberts

 

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Zombie Polar Bear

Paul Story

Todd Labonte

Matthew Muntean

Nicholas Wilson

 

Game of Thrones; Eastwatch; Drogon Meets Jon

Jonathan Symmonds

Thomas Kutschera

Philipp Winterstein

Andreas Krieg

 

Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Drogon Loot Train Attack

Murray Stevenson

Jason Snyman

Jenn Taylor

Florian Friedmann

 

Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial

Beyond Good and Evil 2; Zhou Yuzhu

Dominique Boidin

Maxime Luère

Leon Berelle

Remi Kozyra

 

Mercedes Benz; King of the Jungle

Steve Townrow

Joseph Kane

Greg Martin

Gabriela Ruch Salmeron

 

Netto; The Easter Surprise; Bunny

Alberto Lara

Jorge Montiel

Anotine Mariez

Jon Wood

 

Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich

David Bryan

Maximilian Mallmann

Tim Van Hussen

Brendan Fagan

 

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049; Los Angeles

Chris McLaughlin

Rhys Salcombe

Seungjin Woo

Francesco Dell'Anna

 

Blade Runner 2049; Trash Mesa

Didier Muanza

Thomas Gillet

Guillaume Mainville

Sylvain Lorgeau

 

Blade Runner 2049; Vegas

Eric Noel

Arnaud Saibron

Adam Goldstein

Pascal Clement

 

War for the Planet of the Apes; Hidden Fortress

Greg Notzelman

James Shaw

Jay Renner

Gak Gyu Choi

 

War for the Planet of the Apes; Prison Camp

Phillip Leonhardt

Paul Harris

Jeremy Fort

Thomas Lo

 

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature                 

Cars 3; Abandoned Racetrack

Marlena Fecho

Thidaratana Annee Jonjai

Jose L. Ramos Serrano

Frank Tai

 

Coco; City of the Dead

Michael Frederickson

Jamie Hecker

Jonathan Pytko

Dave Strick

 

Despicable Me 3; Hollywood Destruction

Axelle De Cooman

Pierre Lopes

Milo Riccarand

Nicolas Brack

 

The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Ninjago City

Kim Taylor

Angela Ensele

Felicity Coonan

Jean Pascal leBlanc

 

Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project

 

Assassin's Creed Origins; City of Memphis

Patrick Limoges

Jean-Sebastien Guay

Mikael Guaveia

Vincent Lombardo

 

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake

Daniel Villalba

Antonio Lado

José Luis Barreiro

Isaac de la Pompa

 

Game of Thrones; Eastwatch

Patrice Poissant

Deak Ferrand

Dominic Daigle

Gabriel Morin

 

Still Star-Crossed; City

Rafael Solórzano

Isaac de la Pompa

José Luis Barreiro

Óscar Perea

 

Stranger Things 2; The Gate

Saul Galbiati

Michael Maher

Seth Cobb

Kate McFadden

 

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project

Beauty and the Beast; Be Our Guest

Shannon Justison

Casey Schatz

Neil Weatherley

Claire Michaud

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; Groot Dance/Opening Fight

James Baker

Steven Lo

Alvise Avati

Robert Stipp

 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Crait Surface Battle

Cameron Nielsen

Albert Cheng

John Levin

Johanes Kurnia

 

Thor: Ragnarok; Valkyrie's Flashback

Hubert Maston

Arthur Moody

Adam Paschke

Casey Schatz

 

Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project

Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Headquarters

Alex Funke

Steven Saunders

Joaquin Loyzaga

Chris Menges

 

Despicable Me 3; Dru's Car

Eric Guillon

François-Xavier Lepeintre

Guillaume Boudeville

Pierre Lopes

 

Life; The ISS

Tom Edwards

Chaitanya Kshirsagar

Satish Kuttan

Paresh Dodia

 

US Marines; Anthem; Monument

Tom Bardwell

Paul Liaw

Adam Dewhirst

 

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature

Kong: Skull Island

Florent Andorra

Alexis Hall

Raul Essig

Branko Grujcic

 

Only the Brave; Fire & Smoke

Georg Kaltenbrunner

Thomas Bevan

Philipp Zaufel

Himanshu Joshi

 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Bombing Run

Peter Kyme

Miguel Perez Senent

Ahmed Gharraph

Billy Copley

 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Mega Destroyer Destruction

Mihai Cioroba

Ryoji Fujita

Jiyong Shin

Dan Finnegan

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

David Caeiro Cebrián

Johnathan Nixon

Chet Leavai

Gary Boyle

 

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature

Cars 3

Greg Gladstone

Stephen Marshall

Leon JeongWook Park                 

Tim Speltz

 

Coco

Kristopher Campbell

Stephen Gustafson

Dave Hale

Keith Klohn

 

Despicable Me 3

Bruno Chauffard

Frank Baradat

Milo Riccarand

Nicolas Brack

 

Ferdinand

Yaron Canetti

Allan Kadkoy

Danny Speck

Mark Adams

 

The Boss Baby

Mitul Patel

Gaurav Mathur

Venkatesh Kongathi

 

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake

Manuel Ramírez

Óscar Márquez

Pablo Hernández

David Gacituaga

 

Game of Thrones; The Dragon and the Wolf; Wall Destruction

Thomas Hullin

Dominik Kirouac

Sylvain Nouveau

Nathan Arbuckle

 

Heineken; The Trailblazers

Christian Bohm

Andreu Lucio Archs

Carsten Keller

Steve Oakley

 

Outlander; Eye of the Storm; Stormy Seas

Jason Mortimer

Navin Pinto

Greg Teegarden

Steve Ong

 

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature

Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Approach and Joy Holograms

Tristan Myles

Miles Lauridsen

Joel Delle-Vergin

Farhad Mohasseb

 

Kong: Skull Island

Nelson Sepulveda

Aaron Brown

Paolo Acri

Shawn Mason

 

Thor: Ragnarok; Bridge Battle

Gavin McKenzie

David Simpson

Owen Carroll

Mark Gostlow

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

Christoph Salzmann

Robin Hollander

Ben Morgan

Ben Warner

 

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode

Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake

Óscar Perea

Santiago Martos

David Esteve

Michael Crane

 

Game of Thrones; Eastwatch

Thomas Montminy Brodeur

Xavier Fourmond

Reuben Barkataki

Sébastien Raets

 

Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Loot Train Attack

Dom Hellier

Thijs Noij

Edwin Holdsworth

Giacomo Matteucci

 

Star Trek: Discovery

Phil Prates

Rex Alerta

John Dinh

Karen Cheng

 

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial

Destiny 2; New Legends Will Rise

Alex Unruh

Michael Ralla

Helgi Laxdal

Timothy Gutierrez

 

Nespresso; Comin' Home

Matt Pascuzzi

Steve Drew

Martin Lazaro

Karch Koon

 

Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich

Michael Gregory

Andrew Roberts

Gustavo Bellon

Rashabh Ramesh Butani

 

Virgin Media; Delivering Awesome

Jonathan Westley

John Thornton

Milo Paterson

George Cressey

 

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project

Creature Pinup

Christian Leitner

Juliane Walther

Kiril Mirkov

Lisa Ecker

 

Hybrids

Florian Brauch

Romain Thirion

Matthieu Pujol

Kim Tailhades

 

Les Pionniers de l'Univers

Clementine Courbin

Matthieu Guevel

Jérôme Van Beneden

Anthony Rege

 

The Endless

Nicolas Lourme

Corentin Gravend

Edouard Calemard

Romaric Vivier

 

About the Visual Effects Society
The Visual Effects Society is a professional global honorary society dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to upholding the highest standards and procedures for the visual effects profession. It is the entertainment industry's only official organization representing the extended global community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives.  VES’ more than 3,700 members in 35 countries worldwide contribute to all areas of entertainment – film, television, commercials, animation, music videos, games and new media.   To learn more about the VES, visit www.visualeffectssociety.com and follow us on Twitter @VFX Society.