Every world begins with the sky.
Create an alien world through matte painting, 3D, or Unreal Engine workflows.
Header artwork credit: Ian Vicknair
Welcome to Worlds Above, a creative challenge focused on alien skyboxes, immersive world-building, and real-time environment design.
This challenge invites artists to imagine a world beyond our own and the sky that defines it. Whether you choose to create a cinematic concept piece through matte painting and digital art, or build and present your vision inside Unreal Engine using real-time workflows, Worlds Above is an opportunity to combine creativity and technical skill in a project that showcases your strengths.
From distant planets and colossal structures to strange weather systems, celestial phenomena, and playable environments, the possibilities are as broad as your imagination.
Throughout the challenge, participants will share work-in-progress images and final submissions on ArtStation using the hashtag #mattepaintchallenge, allowing artists to build their portfolios, share their process, and connect with the wider environment art, matte painting, and game art communities.
Entries will be reviewed by industry professionals Stephanie Daly, Ian Vicknair, and Ashton Scally.
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Join the challenge! Register here
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1st Place
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Second Place
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Third Place
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Judges' Commendations
For the first time, we’ll be awarding entries selected by each of our three judges for outstanding creativity, technical execution, storytelling, or innovation.
These entries will be included in a Judges' Commendations Showcase on the MattePaint blog and social channels.
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