Encounter in the Wilds Challenge: Winners & Honorable Mentions Revealed
- Sierra Division
- Nov 18
- 5 min read
That’s a wrap for the Encounter in the Wilds Environment Art Challenge. From September 8 to November 8, artists from around the world took on the mission to create imaginative scenes inspired by the Wilds using our Industrial Infrastructure and Modular Corridors Asset Pack. Submissions ranged from desolate facilities to cave systems and cliffside villages, demonstrating impressive creativity, skill and originality.
Continue reading below to find out who the winners are, what the judges had to say, and see all the incredible work created for our challenge.
JUDGING
First and foremost, we would like to thank our incredible judges for their time, expertise and careful evaluation of every submission: Alex Beddows, Doru Bogdan, Gabriel Cervantes, Inka Sipola, Javier Perez, Jon Arellano, Jacob Norris, Jonjo Hemmens, Robin Mariančík, Miroslav Baev, Niels Couvreur, Sebastian Bielecki, and Sarah Swenson.
When reviewing submissions, they took into consideration the following:
Creativity & Originality – How unique and imaginative is the environment? Does it stand out from other submissions?
Use of Provided Assets – How well are the assets integrated and reimagined into something new?
Composition – Framing, focal points, and overall visual balance.
Storytelling – How well does the environment convey a sense of place, mood, and narrative?
Technical Execution – Skillful use of assets and attention to detail.
Presentation – Consistency of style and quality of final renders.
CHALLENGE WINNERS
We are proud to announce the winners of the Encounter in the Wilds challenge.
Congratulations to:
1ST PLACE
IRONVEIL SANCTUARY - DANI LATORRE
Dani greatly impressed the judges with both his submission and the evident passion and care behind it. From early hand-drawn sketches to a full cinematic trailer, Ironveil Sanctuary was a pleasure to review and experience.
Artist's Description: Beyond the rusted corridors and hollow bunkers lies the Ironveil Sanctuary... a place where steel and stone intertwine. Here, forgotten rituals echo through fractured machinery, and nature claws its way back into the wounds of industry. A shrine once hidden, now revealed, suspended between reverence and ruin.
Judges Feedback:
"Dani went ABOVE AND BEYOND and almost started to create an entire world for this challenge. The most impressive thing about it wasn't the scale of the environment, but that the full environment maintained such a high level of quality throughout all of it. That is such a tough achievement to pull off. This entry has a full story tied to it, world map layout, and highly creative uses of all of the modular set pieces here. Amazing work, great lighting, and I can't compliment this piece enough. Well done!!"
"Wow, incredible submission! The cinema work is great and I love the mix of both exterior and interior shots!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed all of the thought and storytelling that went into this. Also, the video was so perfect and made me impressed with the effort and love put into it."
"A very well planned out environment that has quite a bit of storytelling elements. These elements reflect in the different parts of the environment, all coming together in one coherent piece that flows well. If this were to be a game environment where I could walk through, a lot of places would spark my curiosity, encouraging me to keep on going until I figure out what's really going on with this place."
"I feel like even without the backstory or synopsis, I, as a player, would understand what's going on."
Congratulation Dani for taking 1st place!
2ND PLACE
CROSSROADS - NIBIR KHAN
We loved how Nibir approached his environment project. He set ambitious goals from the start, while also building in backup plans to ensure he could finish and submit on time. He experimented with composition throughout, looking for the strongest way to shape an engaging narrative.
Artist's Description: Days without food and water, lost in the forest. A single building stands in the middle of the clearing. In front of a building, a vehicle waiting in silence. Behind the building a mysterious purple light piercing through the dark, foggy night. In the far distance the shadow of a factory long abandoned. What will you do? Get in the car? Step into the building? Or will you give in to curiosity and see what is behind?
Judges Feedback:
"The demonstration of kits, scale and making a scene that at first glance is readable, interesting, and really well done. No one element stands out above the rest, making it an immediately believable space. They did a great job with this piece."
"I Love all the work put in, including the vehicle."
"Great facility, vehicle looks dope! Almost feels like a cool exploration game that I'd love to play!"
Congratulation Nibir for taking 2nd place!
3RD PLACE:
THE NEST - ANDREI PENCIU
Andrei did a wonderful job repurposing the assets to create a captivating post-apocalyptic environment. The use of color and lighting is very well done, adding to the mood and atmosphere of the scene.
Artist's Description: Long after cities sank and the old world was reclaimed by the tides, survivors built The Nest. A cliffside refuge overlooking the endless sea. Crafted from salvaged containers and broken industry, it stands as both home and monument, a place where echoes of the past weave with the rhythm of the waves. In the rust and salt, life endures quietly as a memory that refuses to fade.
Judges Feedback:
"A very unique entry here and the assets were used in such fun ways! Creating such a colorful cliffside community here was never something I would have considered, but it worked perfectly. The composition of the environment with the atmospheric lighting show the skill that Andrei has in crafting an environment with storytelling and interest. Great work here!."
"Very nice use of assets provided, built something realistic and grounded with them, with a nice variety in buildings, making every single part feel and look unique."
"This concept was so lovely to see put together and done so well!! My favorite shot was the night version. Would love to see a video fly through of this environment! Loved the house kit breakdowns as well."
HONORABLE MENTIONS
We had too many incredible environments submitted, and would like to extend Honorable Mentions to two artists for their exceptional work.
HONORABLE MENTION
YUTING CHEN - CAVE
HONORABLE MENTION
DAGMAWI TSEGAYE - UNEARTHLY DISCOVERIES
PRIZES
Challenge winners will be receiving awesome hardware and 1-year subscriptions from our sponsors. See the full list of prizes.
CHALLENGE SHOWCASE
Every participant did great work with their submission and should be very proud of what they accomplished within a short time period and challenging requirements.
Swipe through our gallery and check out the environments created for Encounter in the Wilds.
