Calver School Presets a Global Blender Community Challenge and Collaborative Short Film.
This unique initiative invites participants to create imaginative worlds and contribute to a collaborative animated short film, with opportunities to win empowering tools, software and gain industry recognition.
Challenge Timeline:
- Challenge Start & Template Release: June 8, 2025
- Submission Deadline: July 6, 2025
- Winner Announcement & Film Premiere: July 20, 2025
How It Works:
Participants will receive a pre-designed Blender template featuring a first-person character opening a mysterious door and stepping into a new world.
Using this framework, artists are encouraged to unleash their creativity by designing unique environments, modifying animations, and customizing camera movements. Each submission must loop seamlessly, adding to the flow of the final film.
Prizes & Sponsors:
Generous support from Blender community partners such as BlenderKit, Fox Renderfarm, Reallusion, GeoScatter, Shapelab, Flip Fluids, and polygoniq has made it possible to offer a substantial 12000$ prize pool.
The Collaborative Short Film:
The top 50 submissions will be woven into a compelling short film that tells the story of a father inventor whose portal door accidentally sends his son into unknown dimensions. The father’s journey through these worlds and eventual reunion with his son, forms the emotional core of this community-driven project.
The final film will premiere on YouTube and be submitted to international film festivals to represent the creativity and strength of the Blender Community.
Submissions don’t necessarily need to play into this story, as the context will be made clear through the into & outro segments created by the Judges.
Live Streams and Social Media:
As the challenge progresses, the community will be kept engaged with regular updates, countdowns, behind-the-scenes highlights and collaborative live streams.
Artists are encouraged to share their works-in-progress using the hashtag #WorldsNextDoor for a chance to be featured. After the deadline, standout creators will be spotlighted, celebrating the incredible talent within the Blender community.
Judging Panel:
A panel of esteemed artists and creators will evaluate the entries, including:
- Calvin Serrano (Video Artist & 3D Generalist)
- Luciano Muñoz (Director & 3D Character Animator)
- Phil Flock (Cinematographer, Filmmaker & YouTuber)
- Israel Soteldo (3D Generalist & Lighting Artist)
- Tom Cowles (3D Generalist & Community Manager at ActionVFX)
- Yurei (3D Artist, Character Designer)
- Saumya Shukla (3D Generalist)
For full details and to participate, visit the official challenge page:
