The Visual Effects Society announced winners of its 24th Annual VES Awards on February 25, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Avatar: Fire and Ash secured seven awards, including the top prize for photoreal visual effects, while KPop Demon Hunters claimed three in animation categories. Other projects like Sinners and Zootopia 2 also received honors.
The 24th Annual VES Awards, presented by the Visual Effects Society—an organization of over 5,500 VFX professionals—celebrated excellence in visual effects across film, television, animation, commercials, video games, and special venues. Held at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, the ceremony highlighted groundbreaking work in the industry.
Avatar: Fire and Ash emerged as the evening's dominant force, winning seven awards out of 10 nominations. These included Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, credited to Richard Baneham, Peter Litvack, Eric Saindon, Nicky Muir, and Steve Ingram. Additional victories encompassed Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature for Varang (voiced by Oona Chaplin), Outstanding Environment in a Photoreal Feature for Bridgehead Industrial City, Outstanding CG Cinematography, Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project for The Windtraders’ Gondola, Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature for Simulating Pandora, and the Emerging Technology Award for the Kora Fire Toolset.
In animation, Netflix and Sony Animation's KPop Demon Hunters, an international sensation with over 11 billion soundtrack streams and 482 million views reported by Deadline, won three awards. These were Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature (Joshua Beveridge, Jacky Priddle, Benjamin Hendricks, Clara Chan), Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature for Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), and Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature. According to sources close to the production, the film's success has led to a sequel announcement for 2029 or 2030, despite initial undervaluation by Sony.
Sinners took Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, while Zootopia 2 won Outstanding Environment in an Animated Feature for Marsh Market. Television highlights included Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode (episode "The Big Freeze"), The Last of Us for compositing and lighting, and Andor for environment and practical effects. Ghost of Yōtei earned Outstanding Visual Arts in a Real-Time Project.
Film producer Jerry Bruckheimer received the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by director Joseph Kosinski. Wētā Workshop's Sir Richard Taylor was honored with the VES Visionary Award, presented by Adam Savage. In the student category, French short film Azimuth by ARTFX alumni won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project.
The awards underscore strong contenders for the Oscars, with Avatar: Fire and Ash positioned as a frontrunner in visual effects.
