
Announced
May 22, 2026
Submissions Opened
Mar 9, 2025
Submissions Closed
Apr 16, 2025
Judging
Apr 16 - 20, 2025
Weapon art by Niels Couvreur (Sierra Division - Inferno's Edge)
From March 10th to April 17th, 3D artists from around the world are invited to join the Apocalyptic Weapon Challenge, to design and build the most impressive, battle-ready weapons fit for a post-apocalyptic world.
This is your chance to push your skills in modeling, texturing, and presentation, while creating a weapon that looks as deadly as it is functional. With feedback from a panel of expert judges, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase your talent, learn, and win great prizes.
Head over to our Challenge Lobby on Discord to meet other participants until the challenge launch
JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER BY CLICKING HERE
With the upcoming launch of Sierra Division Academy this Spring, we are excited to announce our grand prize for this challenge will be a scholarship to any one of our Substance Painter texturing courses. More details on courses to come soon!
In addition to Sierra Division Academy Scholarships, we will also have awesome prizes generously provided by our sponsors: Adobe Substance 3D, Marmoset, Dash, Fox Renderfarm, Rizom-Lab, and ArtStation.
The Apocalyptic Weapons Challenge will be reviewed by an incredible panel of 10 expert judges, including Sierra Division artists, Industry pros, as well as mentors and Instructors from our upcoming Sierra Division Academy.
With years of experience across game art, design, and education, our judges will be on the lookout for standout apocalyptic weapons that excel in modeling, texturing, presentation, and functionality. Show them your best work - these are the eyes you’ll want to impress!
Winners Announced
May 31, 2026
Work-in-Progress: Throughout the challenge, you are required to actively share your process. This includes regular updates showcasing key stages such as reference gathering, blockouts, sculpting, texturing, and final detailing. Screenshots and brief descriptions are encouraged to document your progress.
Beauty Render: Submit a high-quality final render of your Apocalyptic Weapon (one weapon only!). This should present your weapon in the best possible lighting and composition, highlighting its design, materials, and overall presentation.
(Optional) - Beauty Render w/Stats Card: Provide stats for your weapon describing its Damage, Range, Durability and Attack Speed.
Wireframe View: Provide a wireframe render of your weapon to demonstrate your modeling techniques.
Breakdown View: Include a detailed breakdown of your textures and materials. This should showcase your texture maps (such as albedo, normal, roughness, etc.)
Specifications: Minimum resolution of 1920x1080px in JPEG format. All submissions must include your legal name, the title of your work, and Challenge logo. Download template & logo here.
To participate in the Challenge, start by joining our Discord server, which is required to log into our community forum. Once you're in and the challenge has started, head to the APOCALYPTIC WEAPONS CHALLENGE section and start a new Discussion for your submission.
For the complete list of rules, terms & conditions, eligible countries, and specifications please review the Terms & Conditions.