World of Warcraft Student Art Contest 2025 Winners!

Posted 2026/04/03 at 12:02 PM by Jaydaa

Presented by Blizzard Entertainment’s Early Careers and World of Warcraft development teams, the 15th annual World of Warcraft Student Art Contest has drawn to a close. After some fervent debate and impassioned deliberation, our judges sifted through the many remarkable entries and identified the winning entries.

Check out the winners and runners-up below for each of the four categories.

Animation Category

Winner

"Charging Pot Slam"
Adrian Garza
University of the Incarnate Word

Runner-Up

"Ystra the Astral Witch's Bop of the Cosmos"
Dominic Guiddy
Cleveland Institute of Art

Winners from each category will participate in a 1-hour virtual mentorship with a Senior Blizzard Artist and more.

Visit our contest announcement to see a complete list of prizes.

Comment by ShankitHire some of these kids to add in new animations, Blizz. These are awesome.Comment by SugarloafHello War from Darksiders? "Sanguine Strike" by Rosemary Cooper using his model for the showcase... didnt expect that.Comment by NetrunnerRunner-Up? This will not stand! I demand justice for the true winner, King Wilfert Flemming the Fourth!Comment by KerathrasGive Arcane Mages this Arcane Verdict VFX right tf now! 😤😤😤Comment by JinokunSo Galina Wachs had her work pretty much instantly gotten into the game?
I'm not really big into those contests or sth, but if she is the 2025 winner with this environment art, I feel like they took it 1:1 into Eversong woodsComment by CarrionCarcassHello War from Darksiders? "Sanguine Strike" by Rosemary Cooper using his model for the showcase... didnt expect that.Comment by KenjiT28King Wilfert Flemming IV would definitely make for a regal mount, imo. But we'd also need a matching companion pet.Comment by MikeMJGIt seems they now allow AI to be used for these contests. What a shame :/Comment by KithiseHire some of these kids to add in new animations, Blizz. These are awesome.Comment by selkiesidheThose are fun! And the non-animated ones I figured were already in game they are so accurate and good. Nice work everyone!

Love seeing new animations. Makes me hope someday we'll get more.Comment by bluebird91So Galina Wachs had her work pretty much instantly gotten into the game?
I'm not really big into those contests or sth, but if she is the 2025 winner with this environment art, I feel like they took it 1:1 into Eversong woodsComment by sheerIt seems they now allow AI to be used for these contests. What a shame :/Comment by LottI need a 'King Wilfert Flemming IV' mountComment by JimfromstatefarmIt seems they now allow AI to be used for these contests. What a shame :/Comment by Squeaky101Omg the character model used in the last video is based on my character! I certainly was not expecting to see my witch show up in a Blizzard post! Well done to all the students!Comment by edelleaSo Galina Wachs had her work pretty much instantly gotten into the game?
I'm not really big into those contests or sth, but if she is the 2025 winner with this environment art, I feel like they took it 1:1 into Eversong woodsComment by VythikaIt seems they now allow AI to be used for these contests. What a shame :/Comment by addictedtopixelsLooks like AIComment by RowainIf we are not at some point enabled to acquire a "King Wilfert Flemming IV" with appropriate renumeration provided to the artist, I shall be very sad.