The Darkest Night of the Year

1. Key Dates 
Submission Opens: October 30, 2025
Submission Deadline: November 30, 2025 (Midnight AoE)
Winners Announcement: December 15, 2025

2. Eligibility & Originality

• Entrants must be 18 years or older as of the challenge start date (October 28th, 2025).
• This challenge is open to individual artists. Team entries are not eligible.
• Entries must be new, original work created specifically for this challenge. Work cannot be significantly based on the art of another living artist.
• No purchase is required to enter this challenge.

3. Deliverables (What to Submit)
All submissions must include the following items:

1. Final Render: A single, completely original render that captures the gloomy, cold atmosphere of the theme. Resolution: Must be high resolution (at least 1920×1080 or 1080×1920).
2. Work-in-Progress (WIP) Screenshots (2 Total): You must include two distinct screenshots showing your progress: one from Shapelab and one from Blender. The final artwork must be clearly recognizable from these WIP shots.

Software Usage: You must use both Shapelab (any version) and Blender for your submission. Additional software can also be used in your workflow, but the majority of your work must be done in these 2 software. The judging criteria focus heavily on the quality and originality of your own modeling/sculpting work. However, you may use pre-made, external assets for non-focal, supporting environment elements (e.g., background rocks, simple foliage, dirt) to help stage your final render.
Generative AI is Forbidden: Generative AI of any kind is strictly prohibited for creating models, textures, or final compositions.

4. Submission Instructions
Please submit your work and deliverables via email to: [email protected]
Your email must include:

Subject Line:  Shapelab x Blender Challenge 2025 submission

Body Content:

• Your full name.
• Your email address (for contact).
• The Title of your artwork.
• A short introduction or description of your work.

If your total file size exceeds the standard email attachment limit, please use a file-sharing service (such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer) and ensure the shared link is accessible to us.
Confirmation: You should get a confirmation that we have received your submission within one week of sending.

5. Judging Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated by the Jury panel based on the following criteria:

• Creativity & Originality: The uniqueness of your concept and how well it interprets the “The Darkest Night of the Year” theme.
• Technical Execution
• Visual Appeal & Presentation
• Complexity: Taking into consideration the difficulty and effort involved in the overall execution of the work.

6. Disqualification & Rights

• Submitted work may not infringe upon any third-party intellectual property rights.
• Any image deemed by the Shapelab team to contain inappropriate racial, political, religious, or inflammatory material will be disqualified and removed at the team’s sole discretion.
• The Shapelab team reserves the right to verify the eligibility qualifications of any winner and to declare incomplete entries void.
• You are free to share your final work on your platforms and social networks. Please remember to tag us (@shapelabvr on platforms like X/Instagram and @Shapelab or @shapelabvr on LinkedIn/Facebook) so we can like and share your amazing work!