In the face of global competition, Elio Humbert, Noémie Layre and Felix Gourlaouen won over the jury with the strength of their visual worlds and their mastery of the competition’s technical requirements, turning in a performance that was as rare as it was remarkable.
Pixar’s RenderMan Art Challenge: an international benchmark competition
Organised every year by the teams at Pixar, and more specifically by those behind the RenderMan rendering engine, the RenderMan Art Challenge is now considered to be one of the most recognised artistic and technical competitions in the field of 3D. Open to artists from all over the world, it is a veritable creative laboratory where visual innovation, storytelling and technological mastery come together.
For its 2025 edition, the competition proposed a theme entitled “First Contact”, centred on the universe of extraterrestrials. The theme was directly inspired by Elio, Pixar’s latest feature film, but also by some of the iconic characters from the Toy Story saga, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025. A strong nod to the studio’s heritage, inviting artists to reinterpret the encounter with the unknown through their own sensibilities.
A free theme with demanding technical constraints
While the theme left plenty of scope for creativity (realistic or stylised images, invasion or peaceful encounter, futuristic science fiction or more poetic imagination), the technical framework of the competition was particularly demanding.
Participants had to use RenderMan, the rendering engine developed by Pixar, which is compatible with software such as Maya, Blender and Houdini. Using 3D models supplied by renowned partners such as Adobe, KitBash3D, Greyscalegorilla, Ozone3D and Pixar, they were tasked with designing the entire shading, lighting and final rendering of their scene.
As well as artistic recognition, the competition offers prestigious rewards: professional equipment, including a Dell Pro Max 16 equipped with an NVIDIA GPU, software licences (Nuke, Houdini), mentoring, Xencelabs pen displays, rendering credits and lots of Pixar goodies. All of which makes this challenge a real springboard for emerging artists.
A remarkable feat: a podium entirely won by ESMA alumni
With around forty international finalists, the 2025 edition of Pixar’s RenderMan Art Challenge produced an exceptional result: 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes were all won by ESMA alumni.
A rare hat-trick of awards, which testifies both to the high level of training provided at the school and to the ability of its graduates to stand out on the most demanding stages of the animation and visual effects industry.
3rd prize: Elio Humbert (class of 2024) – The Patient X
Third prize went to Elio Humbert, who graduated from ESMA in 2024, for his project The Patient X.
2nd prize: Noémie Layre (class of 2022) – Starry Eyed
Second prize went to Noémie Layre, a graduate of the class of 2022, for her Starry Eyed project.
Noémie had already distinguished herself in the previous edition, winning 3rd prize in the competition. A repeat performance that confirms the consistency and maturity of her artistic work.
1st prize: Felix Gourlaouen (class of 2022) – Something’s Fishy
Last but not least, the top prize in Pixar’s RenderMan Art Challenge 2025 went to Felix Gourlaouen, who graduated from ESMA in 2022, for his Something’s Fishy project.
A source of immense pride for ESMA
By winning the entire podium in Pixar’s RenderMan Art Challenge 2025, Elio Humbert, Noémie Layre and Felix Gourlaouen have put in a remarkable performance in a particularly demanding international competition. Their success testifies to their great artistic maturity, solid technical mastery and ability to propose strong visual universes, capable of seducing a jury made up of leading professionals.
Each in their own way, they have made the First Contact theme their own, offering a unique interpretation and brilliantly meeting the shading, lighting and rendering challenges imposed by RenderMan. This recognition confirms their place among the emerging talents in 3D creation. Congratulations to our three alumni on this exceptional achievement, which marks an important step in their professional careers.