The results are in for our Back in Time: Antique Props Challenge, and we’re excited to reveal the winners and honorable mentions.
Over the course of five weeks, 200 artists took on one of our most technically demanding challenges yet. Their task was to recreate an antique from the 1800s to the mid-1920s as a game-ready asset, working with a maximum polycount of 25K triangles, a single texture set, and no 3rd party assets.
These limitations made an already difficult subject even more challenging. Antiques from this time period often feature intricate details, elaborate craftsmanship, and years of wear, making them particularly difficult to recreate accurately. Artists had to get creative and think carefully about their workflows to produce a high-quality, optimized game asset while staying within the technical constraints.
We were incredibly impressed by the quality of the final submissions and the work artists put in throughout the challenge. With so many strong entries to consider, selecting this year’s winners and honorable mentions was no easy task. We’re very grateful to our panel of industry judges for taking the time to review each submission and lend their expertise to the challenge.
Thank you to everyone who participated, shared their progress, exchanged feedback, and supported one another along the way. Now, we’re very happy to introduce the winners and honorable mentions of Back in Time: Antique Props Challenge.
CHALLENGE WINNERS
1ST PLACE: Rajan Verma – ICA Dresden Antique Folding Plate Camera
Going back in time to a war-torn era, Rajan Verma created a beautiful composition with strong storytelling, while keeping the camera as the true hero of the scene.
Judges’ Notes:
“The storytelling and narrative are super effective here. Attention to details, material responses, and surface level details are amazing!” – Gabriel Cervantes
“This is an excellently created prop. There’s a fantastic sense of realism and attention to detail with in the textures and the model itself is meticulously constructed with a high degree of accuracy.” – David Paget
“The first thing that stood out to me with this asset was the camera bellows. It reads really well, and the layering of details, height variation, wear and tear, creases, and folds really help push the asset to the next level. The other areas of the camera are executed really well too, with a good amount of attention to the smaller details. What really ties everything together are the final renders. They add a lot to the overall presentation and bring some nice storytelling to the asset.” – Niels Couvreur
“Great modelling and overall texturing. Approaching something that is predominately dark in texture value is a challenge for most professional artists and I particularly like the technical execution and presentation of the piece.” – Ben Keeling
“Attention to detail is what really sells this asset, the dust, edge damage, and general wear layer up to create an asset that is believable. Nice UVs too!” – Samuel Winter
“Wow…. Funny to say that the final renders look like a photo, considering the asset is a camera haha. It came out wonderful! The optimization on the camera body is impressive. Use of bakes, normals, and knowing right where to put the geometry really made this piece stand out. A master of the craft!” – Jacob Norris
“The details on the camera were amazing, lots of thought put into the tiny areas and wear and tear all over the piece. Love the breakdowns and the progression GIFs as well. Overall very good piece!” –Miroslav Baev
“Really thoughtful wear and tear. It feels old and aged with lots of nice material definition.” – Jon Arellano
2ND PLACE: Bhavin Barbhaya -19th Century European Dagger
For this challenge, Bhavin drew inspiration from the highly ornamental European daggers of the 19th century. Rich in intricate details and history, they offered the perfect opportunity to turn a beautiful antique into a game-ready asset.
Judges’ Notes:
“This is already an interesting asset to work on, and Bhavin executed it really well. The sculpt feels nicely balanced, with good attention to the smaller details, wear, and surface texture. All of that adds some nice variation across the asset, which should bake well and help with the texturing process. The materials are reading really well overall too. The aged metal look came through nicely and feels convincing. Everything comes together nicely in the final renders.” – Niels Couvreur
“Love the cohesiveness. Not only to the asset itself but the environment its presented in.” – Javier Perez
“Bhavin did a great job creating a story with their scene. The dagger’s details are crisp and easy to read and the hilt design is really unique.’ – Frannie Turner
“Amazing!! Beautiful design, excellently executed, well optimized, and great storytelling in the texturing as well. A wonderful work of artistic skill and attention to detail. Great breakdown also!” – Jacob Norris
“Its a beautiful piece that shows masterful knowledge of materials, composition and modeling in real time.” – Sarah Swenson
“Presentation, sculpt complexity, good believable material.” – Jeryce Dianingana
3RD PLACE: Pedro Marin – Memento Mori
Pedro’s submission is a highly unique memento mori, meaning “remember you must die.” Inspired by an actual skull-shaped pocket watch from the early 19th century, this unusual antique made for a fascinating game-ready prop.
Judges’ Notes:
“The materials look on point, great use of subsurface scattering and wonderful detail from the high poly bake.” – Samuel Winter
“Pedro’s submission brings together strong modeling, thoughtful texturing, and a very effective final presentation. It immediately caught my attention through its unusual design and strong visual identity, but more importantly, the execution supports the concept rather than relying on the concept alone.
The modeling is particularly successful in the skull. There is a convincing sense of anatomy while still allowing the artist to adapt the forms to function as a designed object. The open sections of the watch casing, the articulated jaw, gemstone settings, metal edges, and chain all contribute to a silhouette that is interesting from multiple angles. I especially appreciate how the artist balanced organic forms with the more manufactured elements of the pocket watch.
The texturing is another major strength. The bone has subtle tonal variation and translucency that prevents it from feeling like a simple uniform material. The warmer coloration around thinner areas and cavities adds depth, while the metal and gemstones provide strong material contrast. The red stones are an effective focal point and give the piece a distinctive character without overwhelming the rest of the asset.
The rendering and presentation also played an important role in my decision. The dark background, controlled depth of field, and dramatic lighting give the prop a strong sense of atmosphere. The lighting does a good job of revealing the forms and material transitions while maintaining the mysterious character of the object. The chain also helps frame the composition and reinforces the scale and function of the piece.
What makes this entry stand out to me is that the modeling, texturing, and rendering all work toward the same idea. It feels cohesive and memorable rather than simply technically accomplished. There is a clear artistic intention behind the asset, and the final presentation gives it personality and presence.
Overall, this is a very strong piece with an excellent combination of technical skill, material work, creativity, and presentation. It is an asset that I remembered after looking through the entries, and that combination of craftsmanship and visual impact is why I picked it.” – Sarah Swenson
HONORABLE MENTIONS
We also wanted to recognize the artists who came incredibly close to placing. All of our honorable mentions will receive interview coaching from PlayHire to support them as they continue building their careers in the game industry.
Judges’s Notes:
For Bondok: This is a great example of a simple asset that’s been executed really well. The texturing has been thought through nicely, with some good variation in the base color, along with believable wear, tear, and grime buildup. It’s also nicely presented in a fitting environment, which helps sell the asset really well. – Niels Couvreur
For Danil: This asset appears to be meticulously planned. The use of repeating elements, alphas, and overall blend between geometry and texture work is that of a professional. Well done! – Jacob Norris
For Sebastian: What impressed me most is the consistency of quality across the entire prop. This is an extremely ornamented piece, with complex carved forms, layered construction, inlays, decorative motifs, hardware, and many transitions between surfaces. It would have been easy for that amount of detail to become noisy or lose hierarchy, but here everything feels deliberate and controlled. The larger forms read clearly first, while the smaller details reward closer inspection. The modeling is particularly strong. The artist has handled the intricate carvings and repeating ornamental elements without losing the underlying structure of the furniture. The feet, supports, side panels, trim, drawers, and tabletop all feel like parts of the same physically constructed object rather than separate modeling exercises. Even areas that are less immediately visible have received a convincing level of attention, which shows a very complete approach to the asset.
I also appreciate the material and surface work. The wood retains a believable richness without allowing the texture to overpower the sculpted forms. The decorative inlays and celestial motifs provide contrast and visual interest while remaining integrated into the object. The subtle variation across the surfaces helps communicate craftsmanship, age, and material without relying on excessive wear to make the prop interesting. – Sarah Swenson
For Jean-Pierre: The box looks really great, I love that presentation, the fact that it’s presented like it’s in an actual museum is really cool! The sculpting is good and the texturing is really nice. It’s a really great piece! Great work! – Miroslav Baev
For Chris: Good presentation, believable material an details, good PBR response – Jeryce Dianingana
For Sai: Great detail! for me the star of the show here is the material, when looking at these renders nothing about the material betrays realism. – Samuel Winter
For Jacek: Great Sculpting details. Materials are hyper realistic. Love the variations from metals to leather. Amazing job! – Gabriel Cervantes
For Sheila: Great choice of asset, beautiful, clean execution. Great presentation. The textures really make this asset believable. – Robin Mariancik
For Maya: Love all the custom designer files and stamps utilized – Javier Perez
For Gautham: The worn wood is beautifully done and the rendering is great. – Frannie Turner
PRIZES
Our winners will also be taking home some fantastic prizes. First place will receive a Sierra Division Academy 1:1 Environment Art Mentorship with Jeryce Dianingana, while second place will receive a spot in our Game Art Texturing Masterclass: The Complete Pipeline. Our top three artists will also receive Wacom Intuos Pro tablets, career coaching from PlayHire, licenses for professional software and subscriptions, Sierra Division gift cards, and more.
A huge thank you to Wacom, Adobe Substance 3D, RizomUV, Polygonflow Dash, Marmoset, FrameRef, ArtStation, and PlayHire for supporting the challenge and providing prizes for our artists.
THANK YOU
Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who joined us for Back in Time. It was great to follow your progress over the five weeks, see artists sharing feedback and helping each other, and watch so many projects make it across the finish line.
If you didn’t manage to finish your prop before the deadline, keep going! Take the time to finish your project and turn it into a piece you’re proud to add to your portfolio.
And if you’re ready for another challenge, join us on Discord to connect with the Sierra Division community and be the first to hear about our next one.
We hope to see you there!