Press release -
Atomhawk, the games industry's award-winning concept art studio, announces theme for 2021 Art Competition
Thursday, 1 July – Atomhawk is proud to announce ‘The Return’ as the theme for the fifth annual “Atomhawk Art Competition”. Submissions will open on Wednesday 7th July, with artists of all skill levels across the globe encouraged to create and submit a piece using this designated theme. Artists will be able to submit their entries at www.atomhawk.com, with entries closing on Saturday 7th August 2021 at 11.59pm local time.
Atomhawk is a leading concept art studio with a successful record of working on major film and video game projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Elder Scrolls: Legends, Mortal Kombat 11 and PUBG. Based in Gateshead UK and Vancouver, Canada, Atomhawk boasts a team of leading industry professionals with years of experience in bringing the best of human imagination to the screen in stunning visual form. The Atomhawk Art Competition aims to inspire artists of all skill levels from all around the world to create a truly unique piece demonstrating their artistic ability.
Five winners will be selected by a panel of Atomhawk artists, with prizes for first, second and third placings including a portfolio review or paintover by an Atomhawk artist, a Nintendo Switch, and more. This year, Atomhawk has also created two new award categories; the Rising Star mentorship, and the Hawks’ Choice Award.
The winner of the Rising Star mentorship will receive four one-on-one sessions with a Senior Atomhawk artist. Similar to the studio’s internship programme, this mentorship opportunity will allow one intermediate level artist to truly hone their skills under the watchful eye of an industry professional.
The Hawks’ Choice Award is decided by the Atomhawk team, who will pick their favourite piece from the full list of submissions with a focus on use of the brief, and not technical skill which is required to place in the top three. Among other prizes, this artist will receive their choice of a portfolio review or paintover by an Atomhawk Senior Artist, allowing them to receive feedback on their work from an industry professional and further their own artistic career.
“To see artists of all skill levels from all over the world connect and create is truly amazing,” Atomhawk Managing Director Tim Wilson explains. “As there is often tough competition within the industry, we want to open up the Atomhawk Art Competition to everyone of all abilities; With the Hawks Choice Award and the Rising Star mentorship, we hope to encourage a new generation of developing artists to enter this year’s competition, and we look forward to helping them hone their skills and find their feet within the industry.”
“We love looking at all the submissions each year – it’s always fun to see how individuals take the theme and run with it in their own unique styles,” adds Lead Artist Charlie Bowater. “‘The Return’ is such a broad title, it could mean anything the artists would like it to, from the return of something sinister like zombies or monsters, to more simple, everyday actions like returning an item to the shops. We can’t wait to see what everyone creates!”
A full list of prizes, alongside terms and conditions for this year’s competition, can also be found on the Atomhawk website. The competition is proudly supported by Adobe, Escape Technology, Sumo Digital, Proko, 3dtotal, ArtStation and Photobash.co.
Entrants will need to prepare:
- One high resolution image of your final artwork (character, environment or key moment) (4MB max)
- One image of work-in-progress artwork to show the development of your entry including thumbnails and progress shots (4MB max)
Entrants will only be assessed on their entry submissions, but are encouraged to share their work as it progresses on social media using the hashtag #atomhawkreturn
For more information about Atomhawk, be sure to follow on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, check them out on Instagram, and visit atomhawk.com.
