The AEAF Awards 2026 Finalists are now listed below.
Gold, Silver, Bronze and Special Merit award winners in each category will be announced
at the AEAF Awards on 23 July.
The entries are in, the projects are fantastic and the team here at AEAF has started the challenging task of judging. On this page, all finalists are listed in each category. Many artists and studios have submitted projects for the first time this year, which is exciting to see, and we have also welcomed familiar teams back again. Abundant, top quality entries are what make it possible for AEAF Awards to continue, and every year we look forward to seeing what you have been working on.
As well as skill and talent, you will see a lot of innovation here. VFX teams are under pressure to work efficiently, calling for combinations of AI tools with traditional techniques, and scale with real diversity – all without losing their creativity. Once again, a huge amount of excellent Feature Film and TV Series work has been entered, so please enjoy the huge variety, talent and skill on display here, and find your inspiration.
Finalist Projects by Category
Feature Film VFX
Predator: Badlands, Feature Film VFX from WETA FX
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale - BlueBolt
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War - BlueBolt
The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Digital Domain
Play Dirty - DNEG
Mercy - DNEG
Eden - DNEG
Megan 2.0 - FIN VFX
The Bluff - FIN VFX
War Machine - FIN VFX
Send Help - FIN VFX
War Machine - Framestore
The Sheep Detectives - Framestore
Mortal Kombat II - Framestore
Superman - Industrial Light & Magic
Wicked: For Good - Industrial Light & Magic
Troll 2 - One of Us
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man - One of Us
Hamnet - One of Us
The Lost Bus - Outpost VFX
Sinners: Double Trouble - Rising Sun Pictures
The Bluff: RSP Goes All in on The Bluff - Rising Sun Pictures
Mickey 17: The Tale of Two Mickeys - Rising Sun Pictures
The Running Man - Rodeo FX
Cold Storage - The Mill
Predator: Badlands - The Yard VFX
Predator: Badlands - Trixter
Avatar: Fire and Ash - WETA FX
Predator: Badlands - WETA FX
Superman - WETA FX
Feature Film Sequence
The Bluff – The Final Fight, Feature Film Sequence from FIN VFX
The Wrecking Crew - DNEG
Megan 2.0 - Rebuilding Megan - FIN VFX
Megan 2.0 - AI Conference - FIN VFX
Megan 2.0 - Fight Scene - FIN VFX
The Bluff - The Final Fight - FIN VFX
War Machine - Ambush - FIN VFX
War Machine - Chopper Roll Out - FIN VFX
Send Help - Plane Crash - FIN VFX
Send Help - Raft Escape - FIN VFX
Together - Body-Merge - Framestore
Superman vs Superman - Industrial Light & Magic
Wicked: For Good - No Good Deed - Industrial Light & Magic
Heads of State - La Tomatina - Milk VFX
The Lost Bus - Trailer Park - Outpost VFX
Play Dirty - Snow Day - Rising Sun Pictures
The Bluff - SLATEVFX
Predator: Badlands - Cave Fight Sequence - The Yard VFX
Avatar: Fire and Ash - Mangkwan Raid on Windtraders Gondola - WETA FX
Feature Film Animation
Lilo & Stitch Feature Film Animation from Industrial Light & Magic
Animal Farm - Cinesite
The Pout-Pout Fish - Cosmic Dino Studio
Lilo & Stitch - Industrial Light & Magic
Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! - Stretchy
TV Series
Andor S2 TV Series from EYELINE
Outlander Season 8 - BlueBolt
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - El Ranchito
Wednesday S2 - EYELINE
Andor S2 - EYELINE
Monarch: Legends of Monsters S2 - FIN VFX
Alien: Earth - FIN VFX
Murderbot - FIN VFX
IT: Welcome to Derry - Ep 7 The Black Spot - FOLKS
Ted S2 - Framestore
Man vs Baby - Framestore
Twisted Metal S2 - Framestore
The Diplomat S3 - Framestore
One Piece S2 - Framestore
Stranger Things S5 - Industrial Light & Magic
Walking With Dinosaurs - Lola Post
The Witcher S4 - One of Us
Bridgerton S4 - Outpost VFX
Foundation S3 - Outpost VFX
Silo S2 - Rodeo FX
The Sandman S2 - Rodeo FX
Foundation S3 - Rodeo FX
Wednesday S2 - Rodeo FX
Peacemaker S2 - Rodeo FX
IT: Welcome to Derry - Rodeo FX
Pluribus - Rodeo FX
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 - Rodeo FX
Man on Fire - SSVFX
Stranger Things S5 - The Yard VFX
Peacemaker S2 - WETA FX
Stranger Things S5 - WETA FX
TV Series Children
Flower and Flour Season 1 TV Series - Children from Cheeky Little Media
Tales from Outer Suburbia - Flying Bark Productions
Flower and Flour - Cheeky Little Media
Vegesaurs S4 - Cheeky Little Media
Commercials - Animation
2Degrees - Turning Blue Commercials Animation from Alt.vfx
AIDA - the Lemur - FABLEfx
Petro Canada - No Time to Hibernate - FABLEfx
An Impossible Life - VANDAL
Discovery Parks - Meet Bruce - Goodman Brothers
EA Skate - Drop In - Electric Theatre Collective
Genesis - No Old Ideas - Electric Theatre Collective
Netflix - Discover Your Future 2026 - Electric Theatre Collective
Lexus - Details - Electric Theatre Collective
Pepsi - The Choice - Framestore
2Degrees - Turning Blue - Alt.vfx
Bud Light - Keg Super Bowl 26 - Electric Theatre Collective
Fragile Oceans - Collider
Commercials - VFX
Alpine A390 in Commercials VFX from The Mill
McDonalds - Mini Showdown - Freefolk
Arnold Thomas Becker - The System - Atmos Studios
Voyages - Just Wow - VANDAL
The Chanel 25 Handbag - Rodeo FX
Target x Stranger Things - Rodeo FX
AIB Ireland - For The Life You’re After -Freefolk
Alpine A390 - The Mill
Columbia Sportswear - Engineered for Whatever - Framestore
Kia - EV Range - Alt.vfx
Netflix - Discover Your Future 2026 - Electric Theatre Collective
Audible - Romance - Electric Theatre Collective
Allianz: Care Never Gives Up - Rising Sun Pictures & Alt.VFX
D11 Project Jay - Heckler
Live Event Installations & Projections
Badu Gili: Story Keepers from VANDAL in Live Event Installations and Projections
The Live Event Installations and Projections category attracts projects that prove that being there still counts. These productions are immersive and engaging, created on a grand scale. Resolution, image quality, animation and compositing combine to transform environments to places where viewers become participants.
LIWA Short films - Artists In Motion
Sistine Chapel : REVELATIONS - Catalyst XR
Bloom - Eggpicnic
Vivid Sydney 2026 - Circles of Rhythm - ASN Co building - Giles Westley, Anna Fraser, Julian Burgess
LA Clippers 2025 Season - Opening Film - Spinifex Group
Vivid Sydney 2026 - Vaiola - Spinifex Group
TKO/UFC - CANELO Vs CRAWFORD - Spinifex Group
Call of Duty - COD NEXT Black Ops Launch - Spinifex Group
World of Warcraft - Midnight Gamescom 2026 Launch - Spinifex Group
Illuminations at The Peak - t-da
Taking Off Again with Kai Tak - t-da
Beauty Retreat Theatre - t-da
Chiaroscuro Cathedral - Adelaide Fringe - The Electric Canvas
Enlighten Festival – Architectural Projections - The Electric Canvas
Badu Gili: Story Keepers - VANDAL
Game Trailers
WHY WE FIGHT / EGO - Brunch Studio
Lawless - Halon Entertainment
Fortnitemares 0 Halon Entertainment
Path of Exile 2 - Fortress - Heckler
Forza Horizon 6 Announce Trailer - Plastic Wax
Game Of Thrones: Dragonfire - Plastic Wax
Subnautica 2 Cinematic Trailer - Plastic Wax
2XKO - Ties That Bind - Squeeze Studio
Music Video
JUMP - BLACKPINK - Rodeo FX
HVL - 360° Album Trailer - Heckler
Mimesis - Terry Blade
Short Film
Marseilles, a Short Film entry from Miyu Distribution
The intensity of the Short Film format makes this category exciting. Telling dramatic stories in a limited time is the perfect challenge for VFX and animation artists, who use their skills to communicate what can’t be expressed in dialogue alone, as demonstrated in the finalist projects here.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey - Rodeo FX
HUGS - Miyu Distribution
Marseilles - Miyu Distribution
Life of Buddha - The Film - Artists in Motion
Web Viral
HEATHENS (PILOT) - Studio Psycho
Nike Melbourne Marathon 2026 Trailer - Jumbla
McDonald's - Breakfast Productivity Webinar - Electric Theatre Collective
Education & Infographics
An Impossible Life, a Web Viral video by VANDAL
Thales - Undersea Surveillance as a Service - Jumbla
Seeing Machines - VATS - Missing Bits Productions
An Impossible Life - VANDAL
VANDAL Gallery - UNSAID - VANDAL
WWII: Rise of the Tank - WildBear Entertainment
Volcano Countdown - WildBear Entertainment
Superbeast - WildBear Entertainment
Fatal Conflicts Season 2 - WildBear Entertainment
Immersive Experience
pictureDRIFT brought a collection artworks to life, creating an Immersive Experience
Netflix House: Stranger Things - Face the Dark - Rodeo FX
Wander and Dwell - John Power Artist RMIT University
Disruption - pictureDRIFT
Manifesting Marilyn: The Making of an Icon - Electric Theatre Collective
Corporate Video
Thales - Undersea Surveillance as a Service, made by Jumbla
Atlético Dallas Launch - NeverSit Still
One:Day Launch Film - NeverSit Still
Thales - Undersea Surveillance as a Service - Jumbla
Event Openers
The Design Conference Opening Film 2026 entered by Never Sit Still in Event Openers
City of Sydney - New Years Eve 2025 - Calling Country - VANDAL
City of Sydney - Rewild the Night - New Years Eve 2025 - VANDAL
The Design Conference Opening Film 2026 - Never Sit Still
Student
Occupational Hazard, a Student entry from UTS Animal Logic Academy Sydney
Student Institutions
A Princess’ Guide to Fairytale Love - Gobelins Paris
Reaper - École des Nouvelles Images Avignon
La Fille du Lac - École des Nouvelles Images Avignon
The Fall - École des Nouvelles Images Avignon
Occupational Hazard - UTS Animal Logic Academy Sydney
Oniko - UTS Animal Logic Academy Sydney
The Old Stop - Neil Saini & Andrés Mosqueira Lazarte - UTS
Student
After Dark - Amelia Boss - UTS
Ex Astris - Harry Herdman - UTS
Too Close - Kate Maynard - UTS
DECEIPT - Auvishek Rahman - UTS
Homing - Vivian Dong - UTS
When Hati Reaches - Mani Tyron Jung- UTS
In The Eye of God - Ruby Ferrand Cox - UTS
The Orbituary - Areesh Khan - UTS