Lagos Meet announces the conclusion—and winners—of its 3D Billboard Challenge
The Africa 3D Billboard Challenge not only showcased Nigeria's incredible 3D design talent but also created a platform for collaboration, skill development, and cultural expression
Lagos Meet, a community of professional creators in Lagos, has announced the successful conclusion—and winners—of its 3D Billboard Challenge.
In September, Lagos Meet announced what is said to be Africa’s first-ever 3D billboard challenge. In partnership with Alphaandjam, Unreal Engine, Meta, and the Lagos State Council for Arts & Culture, it put out a call for 3D animators and motion design professionals from across Nigeria to tell inspiring 15-second stories inspired by LAGOS, and stand a chance to win up to $5k in cash and other amazing partner prizes.
In its latest announcement, Lagos Meet revealed that it received outstanding submissions from motion designers and 3D artists.
A Campaign for the 3D Billboard Contest
As part of its campaign for the contest, Lagos Meet took contestants on a trip to explore historical landmarks and cultural sites in Epe to inspire their 3D billboard designs. “They met with HRM Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, the Alara of Epeland, and the custodian of the sites on the trail of the tour who shared wise words and spoke of the history behind the sites,” it revealed.
Lagos Meet also had Green Rain Studios, Unreal Engine's premier training partner, provide a comprehensive training program for both experienced and beginner 3D designers covering Unreal Fundamentals, Asset Import Pipeline, and Animation Retargeting. It noted that “This course is available for free to anyone looking to pick up animation for the first time.”
According to Lagos Meet, over 200 3D designers participated in the challenge, with the ‘Best Overall Submission’, ‘Best Technical Execution’, and ‘Most Innovative Entry’—as judged by the creative and technical experts—winning $3k, $2k, and $1k respectively in prize money.
“It [the contest] resonated with the community and inspired the creation of many impressive entries that have gone viral,” the statement reads.
The Top 3 Winning Entries
Following careful consideration of the entries received, the top three winners were announced at the Lagos Meet conference which took place in December.
The announcement stated, “Team Wondermen snagged the top spot, earning the ‘Best Overall Submission’ award. Wisdom Amaechi wowed us with ‘Best Technical Execution,’ while Franklin Fache's entry stood out as the ‘Most Innovative’.”
Best Overall Submission: Team Wondermen (David Ayokanmi, Matthew Isikhuemen)
Lagos Meet wrote: “This entry effectively combines all of the elements of the campaign; creativity, innovation, and Lagos. The entry is a short and fun way to illustrate unity and cooperation in Lagos; amongst the three major tribes. Speaking to the prevailing social and political mood. This entry also won the $3k prize for ‘Best Overall Submission’.”
Speaking on their submission, Team Wondermen, the winner of the Best Overall Submission, said, “Our story is necessitated by the 2023 Lagos gubernatorial elections and the alleged disunity and tension it fermented between certain ethnic groups, especially the Yoruba and Igbo in Lagos. With our experience growing and working around Lagos. Team Wondermen believes that Lagos is not a tribalistic state as it gives room for people of all culture and walks of life to thrive.”
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Best Technical Execution: Wisdom Amechi Onyeokeh
Lagos Meet wrote: “This entry gives that wicked vibe, the execution was also deemed wicked as it took home the $2k prize for ‘Best Technical Execution’. The story shows a conniving Eyo Masquerade admiring a digital catalogue of toys in the form of critical state infrastructure.”
“In creating my entry, I aimed to seamlessly blend the iconic symbols of Lagos, crafting a visually captivating narrative,” said Wisdom Amaechi who won the prize for ‘Best Technical Execution’.
“I carefully integrated key landmarks such as the Eyo, the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge, and the national theatre, with a subtle inclusion of a Lagbus in the background. The concept involves a dynamic interplay among these elements, as if the city itself is staging a captivating performance.”
Most Innovative Entry: Franklin Fache
Lagos Meet wrote: “If you’ve stayed long enough in Lagos, you’ve probably watched a scene like this play out in real life. This entry tells of a future where we have flying Danfos, and determined LASTMA officials. This entry won the $1k prize for ‘Most Innovative Entry.’ ”
Speaking about his entry, Franklin Fache said, “This particular driver decided to follow the wrong lane in an illegal route, "The Ikoyi-Lekki link bridge" as a short cut but a LATSMA officer prevented him from passing so he decided to use his ‘innovative’ Vertical Flight system that he Installed in his Danfo for leaping over the notorious Lagos traffic jam to evade the officer.”
He added: “The Latsma officer, resilient in spirit and tenacious in his disposition to uphold the law decided to leap onto the bus to prevent the driver from making progress.”
While the judges had to choose the top 3 entries who would win the prize, there were other interesting entries like this, this, and this. You can find the full list of other amazing entries in this YouTube playlist curated by Lagos Meet.
Looking back at the campaign, Lagos Meet shared that “The Africa 3D Billboard Challenge not only showcased Nigeria's incredible 3D design talent but also created a platform for collaboration, skill development, and cultural expression”. It added that “The campaign fostered collaboration with the 3D community, industry influencers, and graphic design communities, reaching a wide audience across Nigeria.”
“The winning entries including the 10 highest-rated entries will be shown on the Maslow billboard at Murtala Muhammed International Airport all through the month of February 2024.”
Coker Oluwafemi, convener of Lagos Meet, in a conversation with The Creatives Note, said, “In any matured industry, what you see is that individuals and organisations are connected through collaborations. Everyone works on important problems and serves in their capacity, working together to save time and leverage collective experience. That’s certainly what I believe we must do.”
