So finally, we have the pleasure of announcing the challenge winners at last

On behalf of SimplyMaya & SimplyLightwave we want to say thank you to everyone that participated, there were so many brilliant entries and it was a lot of fun to follow. In fact they were all pretty brilliant so calling the winner on this one was really hard but as things go someone has to win in the end so here goes the verdict from the jury:

Winner 1st Place - otacon (SimplyLightwave)

Vintage Tricycle
"A very simple but yet effective render which brings a sense of nostalgia with its subtle details and fits the challenge brief perfectly. This texturing and lighting work is well executed and a lot of thought went into the presentation which has given a piece which is both artistically and techniclly strong with focus on the toy itself. It is interesting to look at as a CG render as well as from a photography standpoint and for this reason it is the winning entry."

https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309864932
https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309864948
https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309864969


2nd Place - jonamar (SimplyMaya)

Toy Car
"This piece is full of fun and we love the creativity that went into the presentation which makes it stand out amongst so many brilliant entries in this challenge. As we asked for a toy and not a toy in an environment we've left environments out of the judging process to a large extent, but with this piece we feel it's within the spirit of the challenge as the wooden men have been integrated to be part of the toy itself. Very clever take and a great final render."

https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309551513
https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309551513
https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309551513



3rd Place - Shared between two entries;
serzz (SimplyMaya)

Helicopter Toy
"Perfect photorealistic render which looks almost identical to the initial reference posted. We liked the photograph as a product shot and the final render displays excellent skills in modeling, shading and lighting work."

https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309409843

Daveido (SimplyMaya)

Thinktoy Buzz
"Great modeling and texture work, very true to the original Buzz in both presentation and style. Playful and fun. We couldn't choose between these two as they were so different in style but both great toy renders in spirit with the challenge, hence the shared 3rd place on this one"

https://simplymaya.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1309378646

All the final challenge entries can be found here. Now time to shoot the messenger if you disagree with the judges Or join the next challenge which we will post up within the hour. Congratulations to the winners!