The South Zonal round of the WAVES VFX Challenge, part of the upcoming World Audiovisual and Entertainment Summit (WAFX 2025), officially launched at Jain (Deemed-to-be) University in Bengaluru. This initiative, organized by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) in association with ABAI, aims to highlight the best of India’s emerging talent in the visual effects (VFX) space.
In the student division, Soumya Das secured first place, with Gagan HP as runner-up. The professional category winner was Mohamad Javeed, followed by S. Sai Chandan in second. In the enthusiasts category, Gagan Ajai took the top spot. These winners will now move on to the Grand Finale at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai, where they will compete for rewards worth up to ₹5 lakhs and vie for top internship placements with leading VFX studios.
The South Zonal round followed a national online qualifier that attracted over 1,500 registrations. From this pool, 14 standout artists were shortlisted and given the challenge to produce compelling 10–15 second VFX clips within an 8-hour timeframe using a standard toolkit. This marks the first in-person phase of India’s largest national VFX talent search, and it lays the groundwork for the main event — WAVES 2025, scheduled for May 1–5 at Jio World Garden, Mumbai.
The challenge is a flagship component of the ‘Create in India: Season 1’ campaign and is part of a broader effort to position India as a major hub for creative content production. The initiative reflects the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of elevating India’s presence on the global media and entertainment stage.
Participants were asked to create VFX pieces based on the theme ‘Daily Life Superhero’, pushing them to turn everyday experiences into extraordinary moments using creative storytelling and technical precision. Submissions were evaluated by industry leaders Vijay Selvam, DFX Supervisor at MPC Technicolor, and Rakesh Herurkar, FX Lead at The Mill, Technicolor — both recognized for their work with globally respected studios.
Speaking about the event, RK Chand, Secretary of ABAI, said, “This zonal round in Bengaluru is an important chapter in a journey that began four months ago. From over 1,500 applications, we’ve brought the best to this platform. The level of creativity on display today shows just how bright the future of India’s VFX scene really is. Our thanks to Jain University for hosting and to the Ministry of I&B for their support. Special thanks to Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry, for helping drive the ‘Create in India’ mission forward.”
The event also featured strong support from various stakeholders — including ministry representatives, education leaders from ABAI, and senior faculty from Jain University such as Dr Sagar Gulati, Director of the School of CS and IT, and Dr Nelson Mandela, Head of the Animation Department — alongside key professionals from the creative industry.
WAFX is India’s premier national competition for VFX artists and the headline contest of WAVES 2025. Open to students, working professionals, and hobbyists, it offers a dynamic platform to showcase creative skills, earn mentorship opportunities, and connect with major players in India’s fast-growing AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics & Extended Reality) sector. Backed by the Ministry of I&B, this initiative is part of a broader push to nurture content innovation and build future-ready talent under the ‘Create in India’ campaign.
