Autodesk is once again on the lookout for the most impressive VFX work of the year created with Flame software. For those of you unfamiliar with the Flame Award, we launched it last year to formally recognize and celebrate outstanding artistry and technical talent within the worldwide Flame community.

If you are a Flame artist who continually pushes the boundaries of VFX to deliver stellar visuals – or this description reminds you of someone you know, submit your nomination today via AREA: http://area.autodesk.com/flameaward. Nominations will close on June 20, 2014, and in July we’ll open up the polls for voting.

The judging panel will comprise Autodesk followers like you, the Flame community and a specialized committee of independent visual effects and industry experts, along with Autodesk representatives – all of whom will ultimately decide who takes home the title this year. We plan to announce the nominees on July 7 for voting, and will host a celebration in their honor at IBC 2014 in Amsterdam, where the winner will be unveiled.

Last year, we introduced the Flame Award at NAB 2013 and quickly received nominations from artists across the globe. Shortly after in July, our team announced the nominees and opened up voting. At IBC 2013, we hosted a special ceremony, where we named Flame Artist (and The Artery VFX Right-Brain) Vico Sharabani the first-ever recipient of the award. Several other Flame artists were also recognized that evening for their achievements and contributions to the community.

Our team recently caught up with Vico to see what he’s been up to since winning the award. Continuing to push the creative limits of Flame, his latest work include Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest,” commercial spots for Mercedes and Victory Motorcycles and interactive music videos for artists like Bob Dylan. When asked about his experience as a Flame Award winner, Vico shared, “It is truly an honor. A recognition of that magnitude has multiple positive impacts across the board – with your peers, clients and even internally.”

He added, “It’s often through celebrating, sharing and learning from each other’s successes, that we arrive at new innovations. The Flame Award gives us time as a community to gather in one place, acknowledge and recognize our peers and their work, which is something we all benefit from.”

Don’t forget to submit your nomination today, and be sure to visit http://area.autodesk.com/flameaward on July 7, to see the complete list of nominees.