# Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project

The Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project is one of the annual awards given by the Visual Effects Society. The award goes to artists whose work in special/practical effects, have been deemed worthy of recognition. The award has been handed out intermittently since the first VES awards. Only twice was it awarded to television broadcasts or commercials (in 2004 and 2008), and was award for film from 2003 to 2009, with the exception being 2006. It was reintroduced in 2020, awarding any photoreal and/or animated project.

## Winners and nominees
### 2000s

| Year | Film | Nominee(s) |
| 2002 | Best Special Effects in a Motion Picture | Best Special Effects in a Motion Picture |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Steve Ingram, Blair Foord, Rich Cordobes, Scott Harens |
| 2002 | Die Another Day | Chris Corbould |
| 2003 | Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a Motion Picture | Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a Motion Picture |
| 2003 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Geoff Heron, Robert Clot, Jason Brackett, John McLeod |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Scott Harens, Chuck Schuman, Sven Harens |
| Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a Televised Program, Music Video, or Commercial |||
| 2003 | Carnivàle: "Milfay" | Thomas L. Bellissimo, Charles Belardinelli |
| 2003 | Carnivàle: "Black Blizzard" | Thomas L. Bellissimo |
| 2004 | Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a Motion Picture | Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a Motion Picture |
| 2004 | The Aviator | Robert Spurlock, Richard Stutsman, Matthew Gratzner, R. Brice Steinheimer |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | John Frazier, Jim Schwalm, Jim Nagle, Dave Amborn |
| 2004 | Van Helsing | Geoff Heron, Chad Taylor |
| 2006 | Outstanding Special Effects in a Feature Motion Picture | Outstanding Special Effects in a Feature Motion Picture |
| 2006 | Casino Royale | Chris Corbould, Peter Notley, Ian Lowe, Roy Quinn |
| 2006 | Superman Returns | Neil Corbould, David Brighton, David Young, Robert Heggie |
| 2007 | Outstanding Special Effects in a Feature Motion Picture | Outstanding Special Effects in a Feature Motion Picture |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | John Richardson, Stephen Hamilton, Richard Farris, Stephen Hutchinson |
| Outstanding Special Effects in a Broadcast Program or Commercial |||
| 2007 | Lexus Hydrant: Actively Safe | David Peterson, Anthony De La Cruz |
| 2008 | Outstanding Special Effects in a Feature Motion Picture | Outstanding Special Effects in a Feature Motion Picture |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight (Overall Effects) | Chris Corbould, Peter Notley, Ian Lowe |
| 2008 | Defiance (Special Effects) | Neil Corbould, Steven Warner, Anne Marie Walters, Alan Young |

### 2010s

| Year | Project | Nominee(s) |
| 2019 | Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project | Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project |
| 2019 | The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: "She Knows All the Secrets" | Sean Mathiesen, Jon Savage, Toby Froud, Phil Harvey |
| 2019 | Aladdin (Magic Carpet) | Mark Holt, Jay Mallet, Will Wyatt, Dickon Mitchell |
| 2019 | Game of Thrones: The Bells | Sam Conway, Terry Palmer, Laurence Harvey, Alastair Vardy |
| 2019 | Terminator: Dark Fate | Neil Corbould, David Brighton, Ray Ferguson, Keith Dawson |

### 2020s

| Year | Project | Nominee(s) |
| 2020 | Fear the Walking Dead: "Bury Her Next to Jasper's Leg" | Frank Iudica, Scott Roark, Daniel J. Yates |
| 2021 | Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project | Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project |
| 2021 | Jungle Cruise | JD Schwalm, Nick Rand, Robert Spurlock, Nick Byrd |
| 2021 | Eternals | Neil Corbould, Keith Corbould, Ray Ferguson, Chris Motjuoadi |
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | JD Schwalm, Brendon O’Dell, Michael Kay, Pau Costa Moeller |
| 2021 | The Tomorrow War | JD Schwalm, Wayne Rowe, Jim Schwalm, Haukur Karlsson |
| 2022 | Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project | Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project |
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water: "Current Machine and Wave Pool" | J. D. Schwalm, Richie Schwalm, Nick Rand, Robert Spurlock |
| 2022 | Black Adam: Robotic Flight | J. D. Schwalm, Nick Rand, Andrew Hyde, Andy Robot |
| 2022 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: "Adrift" Middle Earth Storm | Dean Clarke, Oliver Gee, Eliot Naimie, Mark Robson |
| 2022 | Mad God | Phil Tippett, Chris Morley, Webster Colcord, Johnny McLeod |