VES Awards Highlights: ‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’ Takes Home Six Wins, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Earns Two – Live Updates
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash Leads 2026 VES Awards with Ten Nominations
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash secured a prominent spot at the 2026 Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards with ten nominations. The film, part of the 20th Century Studios franchise, has already clinched six awards, including wins for Emerging Technology and Outstanding Model, Environment, Character, Effects Simulations, and CG Cinematography.
Despite its initial dominance, Fire and Ash faced a setback when Apple Original Films’ F1 took home the award for Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature. This particular category saw Fire and Ash competing against itself.
Meanwhile, the film Sinners, which leads the Oscar race with a record 16 nominations, captured the VES Award for Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature. Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters also made a mark, winning two awards for Outstanding Effects Simulations and Character (Rumi) in an Animated Feature.
The evening commenced with Zootopia 2 receiving the first award for Outstanding Environment in an Animated Feature. The sequel ranks as the highest-grossing Hollywood film to date, entering the ceremony with five nominations, tied with KPop Demon Hunters and Disney/Pixar’s Elio.
An unusual highlight of the night was the win by The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, an 87-year-old film that took home the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project, marking a nostalgic moment for the audience.
In the television category, Disney+’s Andor and Apple TV/BBC Studios’ Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age were the only shows to earn multiple awards, each winning two. Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age notably secured the top honor for Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode. Other series that received VES Awards included The Residence, IT: Welcome to Derry, The Last of Us, and Ghosts of Yōtei.
Despite strong competition, Netflix’s Stranger Things, which recently concluded, did not win any awards despite receiving four nominations, tying with Prehistoric Planet and The Last of Us. In the commercial category, BMW won two VES Awards for its project titled “Heart of Joy: Meet Okto the Octopus.”
The ceremony also featured an In Memoriam segment, honoring VES professionals who passed away over the past year, including Roger Allers, Greg Cannom, and Vince Zampella, among others.
This year’s special honorees were prominent film and TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who received the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, and Wētā Workshop’s Richard Taylor, awarded the VES Visionary Award.
Historically, the VES Awards and the Oscars have diverged in recent years, with only five films that won the marquee VES award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature taking home the FX Oscar since 2013.
The following are some of the highlights from the 2026 VES Awards:
Winners
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; “The Big Freeze”
Russell Dodgson, Tracey Gibbons, Francois Dumoulin, Gavin McKenzieOutstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Sinners
Michael Ralla, James Alexander, Nick Marshal, Espen Nordahl, Donnie DeanOutstanding Character in an Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters; Rumi
Sophia (Seung Hee) Lee, Andrea Matamoros, Marc Souliere, Joshua BeveridgeOutstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature
F1: The Movie; Modern Race and POV Footage
Hugo Gauvreau, Chris Davies, Raushan Raj, Amaury RosparsOutstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
Ben Grossmann, Tamara Watts Ken, Dr. Irfan Essa, Matt Dougan, Glenn Derry
Nominees
- Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Richard Baneham, Peter Litvack, Eric Saindon, Nicky Muir, Steve Ingram
As the awards celebrate innovation and creativity in visual effects, the event sets a high standard for future productions in both film and television.
