Gnomon Announces Summer 2025 Best of Term Winners

Gnomon is excited to announce the winners of the Summer 2025 Best of Term competition, celebrating standout student projects from across our full-time programs and individual courses.

This quarterly showcase highlights exceptional work in categories such as character animation, stylized and realistic environments, texturing and shading, effects — demolition, and previz, among others. For the first time, this year’s competition also features runners-up, with 24 additional student projects recognized for their skills developed during the course work.

This term’s grand prize was awarded to Kai Uyekawa for his project in the Effects | Animation category. Created in our Houdini 2 course, taught by Eric Araujo, Kai’s piece features an original concept brought to life using Houdini, Maya, Substance Painter, and Nuke. Kai is currently training in Gnomon’s BFA program and is expected to graduate in Winter 2026.

Kai shared how his lifelong love for science fiction played a key role in shaping the piece:

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been deeply influenced by science fiction. I can still remember the moment my parents introduced me to Star Wars on VHS tapes. It’s safe to say that my love for sci-fi has only grown since then.”

He explained that the project served as both a creative exploration and a technical challenge:

“This piece is a nod to the many unique ways artists and writers have depicted the speed of light and space travel. What did it look like? Was it quiet and elegant? Or maybe it was loud and violent. How much energy would be created, and how would that manifest? At the same time, I am early on in my journey into FX and eager to push my skills in everything from simulations to final rendering. My goal is to create a visually striking and original interpretation of what it might look like to warp out of lightspeed.”

Gnomon Director of Education Max Dayan shared his thoughts on Kai’s work and this term’s submissions:

“Effects work demands not only a technical understanding of simulation tools, but also the ability to make creative decisions that feel cohesive, grounded, and cinematic. Kai presented a fresh visual idea while understanding timing, scale, and impact. This term’s Best of Term entries demonstrate just how committed our students are to pushing their abilities. Whether they were learning new software, refining workflows, or taking on complex creative challenges, the Summer 2025 submissions reflect a community that is consistently evolving.”

Congratulations to all Summer 2025 Best of Term winners and runners-up for their remarkable work!

Summer 2025 Best of Term Category Winners:

• GRAND PRIZE WINNER
• Evgenie Magovski – Character | Games (Concept: Yang Qi)
• Zhengsheng Jim Zhou – Character | Hardsurface (Original Concept)
• Ngan Hoang – Character | Realism (Original Concept)
• Jack Carraher – Character | Stylized (Concept: Devin Platts)
• Nico Gaudino – Character Animation (Original Concept)
• Ryan Donnahoe & Yanina Perez-Masud – Creature (Concept: Stefan Kopinski)
• Lauren Sumner – Creature | Grooming (Original Concept)
• William Lee – Effects | Demolition (Original Concept)
• Conlen Breheny – Effects | Realtime (Original Concept)
• Adrian Darrow – Environment | Animation (Concept: Yoji Shinkawa)
• Tiantian Lin – Environment | Exterior (Concept: Hui-Won-Park)
• Karen Su – Environment | Exterior Stylized (Concept: Nikolai Timmofeev)
• Jacob Cabrera – Environment | Interior (Concept: Aleksey Pollack)
• Tianna Smith – Environment | Interior Stylized (Concept: Christopher Denise)
• Marcus Lee – Previz (Original Concept)
• Daphne Satyo – Props (Original Concept)
• Johnny Huang – Texturing & Shading (Original Concept)
• Anthony Alvarez – Tool Development (Original Concept)
• Julian DeView – Weapons for Games (Concept: Elijah McNeal)

Summer 2025 Best of Term Runners-up:

• Adam Galles
• Alice Chui
• Cara Larracas
• Conlen Breheny
• Desmond Tam
• Eben Schumacher
• Emeran Slane
• Evgenie Magovski
• Fan Bergmann
• Fatima Mai
• Gabrial Conway-Burt
• Garrett Kitchen
• Gregori Stein
• Isaiah Norton
• Jing Chiang
• Kyron Alldredge
• Mauricio Gonzalez Soto
• Nalin Nuphan
• Noah Matos
• Paulina Koubaji
• Riley Simmonds
• Ryan Donnahoe
• Sinjin Mendenhall
• Stacey Kim