VES Awards 2025: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Dune: Part Two & The Wild Robot Take Home Top Honors!
The 23rd Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards celebrated the most outstanding achievements in visual effects across film, television, animation, and real-time projects. Held on February 11, 2025, this year’s ceremony saw big wins for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Dune: Part Two, The Wild Robot, Shōgun, and The Penguin.
With 25 categories recognizing groundbreaking VFX artistry, the event honored incredible digital craftsmanship, stunning cinematography, and immersive environments that brought audiences deeper into cinematic and gaming worlds.
Top Winners at the 23rd VES Awards
🏆 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
🎥 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – A massive win for the Apes franchise, showcasing cutting-edge motion capture and digital realism.
🎭 Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature – Civil War
🎨 Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature – The Wild Robot
📺 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode – Shōgun (Episode: Anjin)
🐧 Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode – The Penguin (Episode: Bliss)
Other Major Awards:
🎮 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project – Star Wars Outlaws
📢 Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial – Coca-Cola: The Heroes
🚀 Outstanding Special Venue Project – D23: Real-Time Rocket
Breakthrough Character Animation & Effects
One of the most challenging aspects of visual effects is creating believable CG characters. This year’s winners brought remarkable digital beings to life:
🐵 Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature – Better Man (Robbie Williams’ digital counterpart)
🤖 Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature – The Wild Robot (Roz)
👹 Outstanding Character in an Episode/Game/Commercial – Ronja the Robber’s Daughter (Vildvittran the Queen Harpy)
And when it came to effects simulations, Dune: Part Two delivered breathtaking realism, winning Best Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature for its atomic explosions and wormriding sequences.
Dune’s Cinematic Dominance
While Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes took home the top honor, Dune: Part Two proved its technical brilliance, securing wins in:
🌄 Outstanding Environment in a Photoreal Feature – The Arrakeen Basin
🎥 Outstanding CG Cinematography – Arrakis
💥 Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature – Atomic Explosions & Wormriding
🌟 Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature – Wormriding, Geidi Prime, and the Final Battle
Television & Streaming Highlights
The VES Awards also honored the stunning VFX work in television, with Shōgun and The Penguin emerging as major winners:
🏯 Shōgun‘s Osaka setting won Best Environment in an Episode/Game/Commercial, and its landslide sequence took home Best Effects Simulations in an Episode.
🐧 The Penguin also claimed Best Compositing & Lighting in an Episode (After Hours) and Best Practical Effects (Safe Guns).
A Look Toward the Future of VFX
This year’s Emerging Technology Award went to Here: Neural Performance Toolset, showcasing advancements in AI-driven animation and facial performance capture.
Meanwhile, the Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project award went to Pittura, a short film created by students from ARTFX – Schools of Digital Arts, France.
Final Thoughts: A Night of Innovation & Excellence
The 2025 VES Awards recognized groundbreaking achievements in digital artistry, proving that the boundaries of visual storytelling continue to expand. From photo-realistic digital apes to stunning intergalactic landscapes, this year’s winners set a new gold standard for the industry.
With VFX technology evolving faster than ever, next year’s competition promises to be even more breathtaking!
