The World Audiovisual and Entertainment Summit (WAFX 2025) WAVES VFX Challenge, a landmark initiative by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) in collaboration with ABAI, officially commenced today with the South Zonal round held at Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, Bengaluru.
In the Student category, Soumya Das emerged as the winner, with Gagan HP as the runner-up. The Professional category saw Mohamad Javeed as the winner, followed by S. Sai Chandan in second place. Gagan Ajai was declared the winner in the Enthusiasts category. All category winners will now advance to the Grand Finale at WAVES Summit 2025 in Mumbai, where they will compete for prizes worth up to ₹5 lakhs and gain access to prestigious internship opportunities with leading VFX studios. These finalists were tasked with producing high-impact, 10–15 second VFX clips within an 8-hour window using a standardized creative toolkit. Following a rigorous online qualifier round that saw over 1,500 registrations from across India, 14 of the most promising VFX artists were shortlisted for the South Zonal finale.
The event marks the first on-ground leg of India’s largest VFX talent hunt, launched as a flagship event of the upcoming World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), scheduled to take place from May 1–5 at Jio World Garden, Mumbai. The WAFX-WAVES VFX Challenge is a nationwide celebration of creative excellence, forming a key pillar of the ‘Create in India Season 1’ campaign. Aligned with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of positioning India as a global content creation powerhouse, the initiative aims to spotlight the country’s burgeoning VFX talent and empower a new generation of digital storytellers.
Centered around the theme ‘Daily Life Superhero’, participants were challenged to reimagine everyday moments through the lens of visual effects, blending imagination with technical mastery. Their work was evaluated by a distinguished jury panel comprising Mr. Vijay Selvam, DFX Supervisor at MPC Technicolor, and Mr. Rakesh Herurkar, FX Lead at The Mill, Technicolor — both veterans from globally renowned creative studios at the forefront of immersive storytelling.
Speaking at the event, Mr. R.K. Chand, Secretary of ABAI, said, “Today’s zonal round in Bengaluru is a vital milestone in a national journey that began four months ago with the launch of WAFX. From over 1500 entries, we’ve brought the best talent to this stage. The level of creativity displayed reflects the bright future of India’s VFX industry. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jain University for their partnership and to the Ministry of I&B for their continued support in making this initiative a reality. I would like to thank Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, for his invaluable support in bringing the ‘Create in India’ Challenge to fruition.”
The zonal challenge also featured participation and support from stakeholders, representatives from the Ministry of I&B, the Director of Education from ABAI, senior academic leadership from Jain University including Dr. Sagar Gulati, Director, School of CS and IT, Dr. Nelson Mandela, Head of the Department of Animation, and leading creative professionals. The upcoming zonal rounds include:
· North Zonal – April 17–18, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
· West Zonal – April 25, Aptech Centre, Andheri West, Mumbai
· East Zonal – April 25, SRFTI, Kolkata
Winners from each zonal contest will be flown to Mumbai to compete at the WAVES 2025 Grand Finale—an elite 24-hour VFX Marathon in front of a Grand Jury of National Award-winning VFX supervisors. The WAFX Challenge continues its journey across India, identifying and celebrating the next wave of VFX innovators who will shape the future of India’s creative economy.