Enter the CGTrader Halloween 3D Art Challenge 2026

Maybe there's a monster. Maybe there's something else hiding, lurking, spreading, or coming. The room is the limit, not what you put in it.

That's the challenge. Build a room, make any royalty-free CGTrader model central to the scene, and shoot six seconds that make people feel uneasy.

TLDR;

• A Halloween challenge for 3D artists. Build a room. Make it unsettling. Win Cash Prizes.
• Entries open October 1 and close October 31, 2026.
• Results judged by 3D artists: Pedro J.S. Hernando, Florian Renaux, and Trey Cochan.
• How to enter: post your reel on Instagram, tag @cgtrader and #CGTraderRoomChallenge

The brief

Create one enclosed interior. A bedroom, basement, hallway, bathroom, attic — whatever interior space you want. Then make it scary.

It can be obvious or barely there. A creature, a figure, a strange shadow, something out of proportion, something under the bed, a door that shouldn't be open. You can show us exactly what's happening or leave us wondering.

That's it. Everyone gets the same basic constraint: one room, one CGTrader model, one continuous vertical shot, six seconds.

What happens inside is entirely up to you.

Prizes

Five places, and every one of them comes with a prize package: cash or store credit, plus a feature across our channels and our judges' feeds. Read the entry requirements and judging criteria below carefully before you start building. Getting them right is the first thing standing between you and a prize.

Plus:

• A feature on our channels. A still from your scene goes out across our social media, blog, and newsletter, read by thousands of 3D artists and buyers.
• Winners announcement shared by the judging panel. Florian Renaux, Pedro J.S. Hernando, and Trey Cochran all share the announcement with their audiences.
• A place in the montage. We're compiling the best entries into a community film in November. First place opens it.

How to enter

1. Set your scene in a room. Any enclosed interior.
2. Use any royalty-free CGTrader model as the focal point of your scene. Get creative.
3. Build the room yourself. Use as many individual models as you like, but not a ready-made complete interior scene.
4. Vertical, 9:16, 1080x1920 minimum.
5. Six seconds, single take. Shortlisted entrants will be required to share a short screen recording of their scene in their 3D software.
6. Post publicly to Instagram, follow and tag @cgtrader, and use #CGTraderRoomChallenge.
7. In your caption, credit the model, like this: "I used [model name] by [designer] from CGTrader" and add at least one line explaining the idea behind your submission.
8. Original work only, and your own work. No licensed IP, no fan art, no recognizable characters or sources.
9. No gore, blood, or graphic violence.
10. One entry per person.
11. By entering, you allow CGTrader to feature, repost and share your entry across our channels as well as by our judging panel, with credit.

How winners are chosen

We've brought in three inspiring 3D artists to decide this one, and not just any three. Between them, they've built the kind of dreamlike, unsettling, impossible spaces that stop you mid-scroll, and they've spent years learning exactly how light and composition make a scene feel.

They know how hard this brief is, because it's what they do. Your work will be in front of all three.

Florian Renaux (@florenaux)

Florian Renaux, known as Florenaux, is a self-taught 3D artist specializing in fantasy, nature and environment rendering with Blender. He teaches his process through online courses and shares his work on CGTrader, Patreon, YouTube, and Instagram. See more of his process in our recent YouTube videos.

Pedro J.S. Hernando (@piscode_)

Pedro is a 3D environment artist focused on atmospheric, surreal and cinematic imagery in a dreamlike world. His work sits squarely in horror, liminal and dark art. Pedro is also behind the artwork for this challenge, so his feed is the clearest picture of the kind of atmosphere we're hoping to see. Worth a scroll before you start building.

Trey Cochran (@treycochran3d)

Trey Cochran is a self-taught 3D environment artist from Colorado Springs, CO, specialized in creating cinematic environments with a sense of mystery, discovery, and storytelling, mainly using Blender. He also works in fantasy environments, breathing life into the surreal through digital art.

The selection process

1. The CGTrader 3D team reviews every entry and shortlists the top 10.
2. Each judge on the panel scores the shortlist independently, against the criteria below.
3. We combine the scores. The five highest become first through fifth place.
4. Winners are announced on November 6.

What we're looking for

Timeline

The challenge runs from October 1-31, 2026. Submit your entry at any point during this time. Winners will be announced on November 6, 2026.

FAQ

Do I have to buy a model?

No. There are plenty of free models on CGTrader and you can filter for them.

Can I use furniture and props from the marketplace?

Yes, as many as you like. What you can't use is a single ready-made interior scene. Build the room yourself.

What if I used more than one model?

Credit the one you consider the centerpiece. Crediting others is optional.

Can I use AI tools?

Yes, including our own AI generator, CGTrader AI, for generating models, textures, or anything else in your workflow. What we're judging is the scene you built, so shortlisted entrants will need to show us their project file or viewport. An AI-generated video with no 3D scene behind it can't be shortlisted.

Does it have to be scary?

Scary is subjective. The entry should tie in with the Halloween theme, which could be scary, eerie, unsettling, or something else. But importantly, no gore or blood.

What counts as a room?

Anything enclosed. An attic interior or storage room counts. A wide-open field or inside of a car doesn't.

Can I enter more than once?

No, one entry per person.

I'm not on Instagram.

Post on TikTok with the same hashtag and mention @cgtrader_official, and we'll count it.

When exactly does it close?

October 31, 23:59 UTC. We go by your post timestamp.

What happens if I'm shortlisted?

We'll get in touch and ask for a short screen recording of your scene in your 3D software, your original video file, and a still frame you'd like us to use. Winners are announced November 6.

What happens if I win?

Cash prize winners will need to provide the following personal details — Name, Surname, Date of birth and full address — and issue an invoice via PayPal to receive payment. Store credit winners will need to provide us with their CGTrader account details to receive the credit.

Six seconds. One room. Something in it.

Entries open October 1. Follow @cgtrader on Instagram and use #CGTraderRoomChallenge.