Rookie Awards 2021 | Rookie of the Year
Game Development
Projects entered should include content specifically with the intention of contributing to a computer game. This includes models, environments, animations, fx elements, code and more. The judges will be looking for the best creative and/or technical submissions for this massive category.

Winners
On behalf of the sponsors and judges, The Rookies would like to congratulate the following category winners.
Winner

curlscurly
Germany | TH Cologne Game Lab
Games like Animal Crossing sparked my interest from a young age in colorful worlds that are interactive. I have a huge passion for stylized visuals and fantasy themes, which I mostly focus my 3D works on. Since early 2017, I began to dive deeper into 3D and self-studied Blender. While going to university, I dedicated my free time to learning new workflows, while also working for studios such as Square Enix, Airborn Studios and Monomi Park. Currently, I work full-time at Airship Syndicate.
Runner up

Highly Commended

SilkevdSmissen
Belgium | Howest University of Applied Sciences - Digital Arts and Entertainment
When I was younger, one of my favorite things to do when I got home from school was play Crash Bandicoot on our PS1 with my sister and my dad. We'd each take turns and pass around the controller. From there my love for videogames grew. I've always been really interested in art as well. After studying fine arts for 3 years, I realized I could simply merge my love for art with my love for games. So I went to study DAE in Kortrijk, which is what's brought me here! I hope you enjoy some of my work!
Highly Commended

clementmoreau
France | Howest University of Applied Sciences - Digital Arts and Entertainment
I started 3D modeling 7 years ago, mainly as a hobby, then slowly started to consider it a viable career possibility. I went to a 3d animation school in Paris, then switched to study game art at DAE Howest in Belgium.
Highly Commended
danilovacaleksandar
Canada | Think Tank Training Centre
For as long as I can remember I wanted to make video games. It was during my college studies that I figured out exactly what I was most interested in.
Highly Commended

iriberri
Spain | The One Academy of Communication Design
Playing video games for as long as I can remember, background in traditional art & graphic design. The journey started back in 2014 when I created my first cube, there is no way back for me now.
People's Choice

shira
Israel | Think Tank Training Centre
I worked for several years in TV productions and after realizing I'd rather be a part of the creation process than an operator, I decided to embark on this path to the 3D world and game development - and have been happy for this decision ever since!
Honorable Mentions
The following winners made a lasting impression on the judging panel and secured highly sought after badges.
Category Brief
This category is for digital artists that love to create content for computer generated games. This category is targeted towards artists creating 3D content for games, using engines to push their creations to the next level. Show how your animation loops make a game scary, how your lighting dynamically change the mood of a scene, how your code can handle AI crowds and even how your models are perfect for high frame-rates. There are many disciplines in this field and the judges will be reviewing all of them equally, with the goal of finding the artist that they would love to have working on their next game.
Important Notes
- 2D Game Art should not be submitted to this category. This category is targeted towards 3D Artists specialising in Game Design and Development. If you have amazing 2D Game Art, Concept Art and Digital Illustrations, please submit it to the Concept Art category.
- You may submit both high resolution assets used in high-end games and ‘cut-scene animations’, and also the more traditional real-time models used for game play. All assets contribute to Game Development and will be judged equally.
- Don’t have pretty pictures? Share a screencast showing your tools in action. Go one better and even share GitHub code snippets that you wrote for your game or plugin.
- Ask questions on our Discord Channel if you need help.
- Review Winning Entries from last year that were selected by our judges.
- Watch this video demonstration that shows how to create a perfect entry.
Requirements & Deliveries
- Read the Rules to make sure you are eligible to enter.
- No team entries allowed for this category.
- Share your process with the judging panel by including supporting material, not only finished artworks.
- Share examples of your work that showcase your related skills to the judging panel.
Judging Criteria
The judges are looking for artists that are ready for employment. They are looking for artists with a passion for this category and have worked hard to hone their skills.
The judges will be considering your overall presentation, technical skills, creative skills, variety of content, and employment potential. Treat your entry like a job interview and share your best work to impress the judges.
How to enter
- Click Submit Entry button to create an entry page.
- Upload your best images, videos and supporting media using our entry page builder.
- Select ‘Rookie of the Year > Game Development’ as your nominated category.
- Add details including a cover image, title, description, tags, and software used.
- Accept rules and confirm eligibility.
- Confirm & Submit your entry to judging panel.