We launched Paris Reborn with one question: what would Paris look like if the 1900 Grand Exhibition had never ended?

Six weeks later, we have an answer. Or rather, three of them.

Over 300 artists entered the challenge. Each picked three categories (Environment, Character, Creature, Keyframe, Vehicle, Prop) and built a coherent universe around their reimagined city. Our jury of 10 industry leaders shortlisted 10 finalists, then ranked them using a 3-2-1 points system.

These are the three artists who climbed to the top.

Big thanks to Huion for sponsoring this challenge and gifting a brand-new Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) to our 2nd-place winner.
👉 Check out the tablet here: https://dub.sh/aqbfmoU

1st Place: Luka Kunakh

Categories: Character, Creature, Vehicle

Luka, 25, originally from Ukraine and currently based in Poland, built a Paris gradually overtaken by otherworldly chimeras, brought through portals opened by a ringmaster. His circus-meets-magic worldview won over the jury for its consistency, art direction, and mood control.

"This one really struck me with the unique choice of angle to tackle the idea of a Parisian Circus and Moulin Rouge references. The execution was really well done, with the snail in particular. A lot of promise and good ideas."

Mike Azevedo, juror

"The most consistent across all three categories. The art direction feels cohesive and well controlled. Values and colors are handled with care, which reinforces the overall readability. It achieves the best balance between strong technical fundamentals and artistic sensibility."

Lea Pinto, juror

Portfolio: artstation.com/kunakh

Prize: A full 2-year scholarship at ConceptCore Academy in Paris (Year 2 and Year 3, a €30,000 value, tuition fully covered).

If, for any reason, the Grand Prize winner cannot attend the on-site program, the scholarship rolls down to the 2nd-place artist, and then to the 3rd if needed.

2nd Place: Joseph Ioseliani

Categories: Environment, Keyframe, Prop

Joseph delivered the cleanest presentation of the finalists. Polished, professional, and visually original, his Paris felt ready to walk into a studio pitch.

"Beyond the impressive technical execution, the presentation is clear, polished, and the ideas are original."

Etienne Hebinger, juror

Portfolio: artstation.com/josephioseliani11

Prize: A brand-new Huion Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) pen display tablet (€600 value), shipping out right away, plus a free ConceptCore Premium Masterclass.

3rd Place: Oscar Butler

Categories: Environment, Character, Prop

Oscar's submission impressed the jury for the rigor of its research and the clarity of its design process. From thumbnails to finals, his world held together as a real, grounded place that you could see existing.

"The research done here feels thorough and extensive. The application of the fantasy on top of a real existing location feels grounded, with cohesive thinking across characters, props, and sketching."

Tahir Tanis, juror

"Loved the thumbnails work that led to a very interesting character design. I would have loved seeing more of that world."

Edouard Caplain, juror

Portfolio: artstation.com/exodysseus

Prize: A free ConceptCore Premium Masterclass of his choice from the ConceptCore website.

Powered by Huion

A massive thank you to Huion, our official hardware sponsor for this challenge. The Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) tablet is the kind of tool that genuinely changes what an artist can produce, and Huion stepping in to back the next generation of concept artists means a lot.

👉 Check out the Huion Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) tablet here

Thank you

Thank you to every artist who entered. We received more than 300 applications, and every one of them was incredible. The jury chose these three, but the choice was genuinely difficult. In the end, it came down to which world and which artwork resonated most with them, and a lot of different people could have won this.

A massive thank you to our jury panel: Jad Saber, Edouard Caplain, Sheng Lam, Even Mehl Amundsen, Mike Azevedo, Lea Pinto, Tahir Tanis, Etienne Hebinger, Alberto Petronio, and Ricardo Padierne. These are industry-shaping artists who took real time to read every submission and write thoughtful feedback.

Thank you again. See you next year for another contest.

Aurel and the ConceptCore team