• 

  

  Special judge: Kazuko Shibuya

  Pixel art is a world that begins from a single dot. I look forward to seeing the possibilities of pixels with you again this year.

  CG Designer / Art Director, SQUARE ENIX Co.,Ltd.

  A graphic designer, who has worked on pixel art characters and designs for the "Final Fantasy" and "Romancing Sa Ga" series and was in charge of the opening scene of FF1 that are still impressively engraved in the player's memory, keeps attracting fans as a "master of dots.” In recent years, she has remastered all the main characters in the "FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster" series.

  • 
  • 

  ×

  Kazuko Shibuya

  CG Designer/Art Director, SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.

• 

  

  Special Judge: eBoy

  Shibuya Pixel Art Contest is becoming an institution in promoting the pixel arts. We're honored to have been part of this project and are excited to join again this year!

  Pixel Art Group

  eBoy was formed in Berlin by Kai Vermehr, Steffen Sauerteig and Svend Smital in 1997. Since then, the group has collaborated with adidas, PlayStation, Renault and Google among other companies. Recent projects include artwork for the Japanese edition of Louis Vuitton Travel Book and the cover art for Japanese musician Yuzu’s new album, “YUZUTOWN”. New digital tools and media are what spark eBoy’s imagination – they command pixels by working directly on the screen, and their intricate, rich artwork is born through developments in the module system environment.

  • 
  • 

  ×

  eBoy

  Pixel Art Group

• 

  

  Special Judge: Kazuki Takakura

  The world of pixel art has changed dramatically over the past decade. I am personally ecstatic that pixel art is rarely talked about as a nostalgic art form nowadays. As the only technique that deals with the minimum unit of digital, there are still a lot more possibilities that pixel art can have. I am excited to discover them here at this event. 

  Artist

  Using technology such as 3DCG, pixel animation, 3D printing, VR, and NFT, Kazuki creates art that pursues new values of digital data and replaces the rules of modern art with Eastern philosophy. Recent work centers around Japanese Buddhism. Part-time lecturer at Kyoto University of the Arts. His Buddhism NFT series, “NFT Buddha”, is available on OpenSea.

  • 

  ×

  Kazuki Takakura

  Artist

• 

  

  Special Judge: Klas Benjaminsson

  Thrilled to be judge again for the excellent Shibuya Pixel Art contest - it's an ideal event to inspire new and upcoming pixel artists to show off their art work!

  Entrepreneur / Pixel Artist, handle name “Prowler”

  Creator of “The Masters of Pixel Art Book” series, Klas is a pixel artist with an experience of almost 25 years.

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  ×

  Klas Benjaminsson

  Entrepreneur / Pixel Artist, handle name “Prowler”

• 

  

  Special Judge: APO＋

  Today, pixel art is free from nostalgia and has started to acquire a new position. I look forward to joining you in celebrating the dawn of the new pixel art.

  Illustrator / Pixel Artist

  An artist creating high-resolution pixel art that portrays a unique world view consisting mainly of landscapes. Past works include a variety of productions in music videos and advertisements.

  • 

  ×

  APO＋

  Illustrator / Pixel Artist

• 

  

  Special Judge: waneella

  I really like the concept behind the contest. I think Shibuya is a great representation of so many aspects of life and with such topic you can show almost anything you want. When I participated myself, I remember that I was a bit confused that animated GIFs, games and animated shorts was judged all together, in the same category. I’m not sure if it is still like that, so maybe this is not relevant already!

  Pixel Artist

  The main direction is animated pixel art environments. Creates futuristic, everyday and post-apocalyptic themed illustrations. Worked with Valve, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Deep Silver, WayForward etc.

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  ×

  waneella

  Pixel Artist

• 

  

  Special Judge: Hattori Graphics

  Pixel art seems simple – after all, it is about art using pixels – and yet it has a chaotic power containing various isms and methods. I would like everyone to join this chaotic festival and show their ideas about pixel art. Let’s break down the feeling of entrapment, anxiety, and mood that is spreading across our society. I want to see sensational art that makes me feel as if my brain has been knocked out by pixels.

  Low Resolution GIF Artist

  Born in 1977. Originally from Yokosuka city in Kanagawa prefecture and studied product design at Tama Art University. Works as a game graphic artist as well as a low-resolution GIF artist. Defining pixel art as the most freeing and primitive painting material that has transcended the boundaries of computer games for digital natives, Hattori searches for new possibilities of expressions in motion images through a limited number of pixels.

  • 

  ×

  Hattori Graphics

  Low Resolution GIF Artist

• 

  

  Special Judge: Nelson Wu (ONIONLABS)

  My hope is that this year we'll see pixel art transform on another level!

  Illustrator / Pixel Artist / Shibuya Pixel Art Contest 2021 Grand Prize Winner

  Nelson Wu is a Chinese Canadian artist who creates pixel art and illustration. Graduating from OCAD University, he is currently working in the video game and entertainment industry. He has produced a variety of illustrations, pixel art, and animations. He is inspired by his experiences in Asia; a sense of nostalgia and surrealism are often themes present in the work. 

  • 
  • 

  ×

  Nelson Wu

  Illustrator / Pixel Artist / Shibuya Pixel Art Contest 2021 Grand Prize Winner

• 

  

  Special Judge: Yusuke Shigeta

  In recent years, new expressions related to pixel art have been born one after another, such as the discovery and invention of new techniques that treat the unit of pixel as one drawing material, and I feel the accumulation and expansion as a culture. We are really looking forward to meeting new works and writers through this festival.

  Videographer

  A videographer living in Kanagawa prefecture. Works on a vast range of media art deriving from an interest in animation using installations including phenakistoscopes, zoetropes, and slide projectors. Creates experiential work that displays animation spatially using multiple projectors and monitors. His recent works include the giant pixel art folding screen "Sekigahara Sansui Folding Screen" and the permanent exhibition "Changing the world if you pile up dust" at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. Currently, he is holding a solo exhibition "Shikakui Keshiki" at the Funabashi Andersen Park Children's Museum. The exhibition period is until July 18, 2022 (Monday holiday).

  • 
  • 
  • 

  ×

  Yusuke Shigeta

  Videographer

• 

  

  Special Judge: Joo Jaebum

  As far as I know, this is the biggest pixel art event and I feel very grateful to be joining the contest. Today pixel art is gaining attention worldwide and Shibuya Pixel Art has long worked to appeal its art form to the mass. As a result, pixel art of different spectrums has begun to appear. I sincerely hope that pixel art continues to thrive in art and other fields. I will always be a big supporter of Shibuya Pixel Art.

  Pixel Artist

  Co-founder of a motion image and graphics company that was created with a group of friends during university. Jaebum then began solo activity using pixels and promoted it through social media, which gained attention from overseas. Now a freelance, Jaebum works as a pixel artist and promotes work through various media outlets. Starting with a solo exhibition in 2019 at Jamsil Lotte gallery, activities include exhibitions and events at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul City public art projects, collaborations with corporate brands (Instagram, Google, GENTLE MONSTAR, NEXON, STARBUCKS, Dior, NIKE, etc), and collaboration with domestic and international artists such as YG ent., SM ent., and AOMG. Jaebum’s delicate touch can be seen on various platforms including NFTs.

  • 
  • 
  • 

  ×

  Joo Jaebum

  Pixel Artist

• 

  

  Special Judge: gnck

  I look forward to seeing artwork that expands pixel art into new territories of aesthetics.

  Art Critic

  Art critic and researcher of characters, images, and the internet. Born in Tokyo in 1988, gnck studies web illustrations and modern art on the aesthetics of the computational aspect of images. First prize winner in Japanese art journal Bjutsu Techo’s 15th call for art criticism. Published work includes “The Era of the Digital medium”. 

  • 

  ×

  gnck

  Art Critic

• 

  

  Special Judge: Toyoya

  I hope this event can connect more diverse pixel and 8-bit communities, and more authors with design and art styles can join this interesting Shibuya pixel art festival. A possible addition would be to have pixel artists collaborate with other artists of different styles.

  Animator / Pixel Artist

  Animator & Pixel artist, from Beijing in China, based on the creation of low-quality output format. The author of independent comics , likes to portray my reflection on the real life environment through science fiction works. I am keen to collect digital hardware equipment from the 80s to 90s, and it has influenced my pixel art creation.

  • 
  • 
  • 

  ×

  Toyoya

  Animator / Pixel Artist

After a final round of evaluation by the judges, prizes will be awarded based on originality, sociality and story-telling capability.

* The nominated works will be exhibited at "8 / CUBE" on the 8th floor of Shibuya Hikarie from September 21 to September 28, 2022.
* Each award will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, September 25, 2022 from 15:00 to 16:30 (JST).
* From this year, the Excellence Award has become the Judge’s Award and the Audience Award has been newly established.