Following AI Cheating Allegations, The Pokemon Company Announces New TCG Illustration Contest Winners

For a number of years, The Pokemon Firm has held an annual illustration contest for the Pokemon Buying and selling Card Sport. The grand prize for this yr’s competitors was $5,000 and the chance for the winner to have their artwork featured as an official Pokemon TCG card, however the 2024 event was mired by allegations of an entrant submitting AI-generated pictures and utilizing a number of identities.

In an announcement in June, The Pokemon Firm acknowledged that it had disqualified “entrants in violation of the foundations” and that it might fill these areas with deserving artists. The highest 300 finalists within the Pokemon Illustration Contest have been introduced, with the grand prize going to first-time entrant Kazuki Minami for his or her Pikachu illustration.

“I wasn’t positive what to attract and the way to attract it. That is when my canine got here into my sight being cute–I used to be impressed to attract Pikachu in such a manner that jogs my memory of my canine,” Minami stated on the Pokemon TCG website. “So the prize belongs to my canine as a lot because it does to me, and we’re each extraordinarily blissful and honored.”

Whereas Minami gained the grand prize, The Pokemon Firm additionally highlighted winners from a number of different classes. Illustrator Acorviart gained “Greatest Customary Card Illustration” for his or her calm Feraligatr and Anderson gained “Greatest ex Card Illustration” for his or her energetic Toxtricity. The remainder of the runner-ups highlighted by the judges embrace a number of elegant and charming designs, from an Absol having a massive stretch to a Melmetal enjoying a quick nap.

Followers of the Pokemon Buying and selling Card Sport–and stunning art–can sit up for a cellular model of the sport subsequent month. Pokemon Buying and selling Card Sport pocket is coming to cellular units on October 30, and developer DeNA is aiming to replicate the feel of card-collecting with “immersive” playing cards that can let gamers discover the illustrations in all their inventive glory.