Welcome Back: Season 8 MVPs and the Season 9 Warm-Up

Welcome Back, Everyone

After running the Render Weekly Awards and spending some time figuring out where we want to take the next season, we're back, and we're kicking things off with a warm up.

Before we get into that, we want to take a minute to recognize some of the standouts from last season. These are people that Ryan and I have recognized as being major contributors to last season, and just amazing members of the community. To you guys, thank you; you set the bar.

Germain Verbrackel — 100% feature rate (9/9)

Germain came in this season absolutely hitting, with a perfect 100% feature rate across 9 submissions. Every topic got a professional, thoughtful approach, and we were looking forward to seeing what he'd bring each week. The Clock and Roll in particular stood out as especially creative and unique. Check out all of his work on his profile.

Edwin Tanu — 90% feature rate (9/10)

Edwin landed 9 of 10 submissions in the feed this season. His entry for the Render Weekly Derby, the F-Series, showed real attention to detail and a simplicity in the surfacing that made it one of our favorite designs from that whole prompt.

Liam de la Bedoyere — 83% feature rate (10/12)

Liam came in hot on nearly every prompt this season. His take on the tea candle stood out in particular, with an approach that felt grounded in real manufacturing thinking. Across the board, his submissions had that same quality: simple, playful, and considered.

Katherine Lee — 73% feature rate (8/11)

Katherine's pasta prompt response was a highlight for us, a clever use of the boiling process to reshape an existing noodle into something new. Across her 11 submissions this season, there's a real understanding of process that comes through in every design, all building toward a 73% feature rate.

Siddhartha Madhavareddy — 57 submissions

Siddhartha had the most submissions of the season at 57, and a huge number of them landed, perfectly capturing the spirit of Render Weekly. The Spiral Candle was a favorite of ours, a sculptural take that brought real elegance and elevation to a simple form.

Mads Svanegaard — 37 submissions

Mads brought a playful style and a loose approach to design all season, the kind that consistently turns out unexpected and fun results. With 37 submissions, he was one of the most active contributors in the feed.

Borja Dominguez (VANCARTII) — 26 submissions

VANCARTII showed up week after week, putting in 26 submissions over the season. That kind of consistency and volume is exactly the spirit we want to recognize.

Season 9 Warm-Up: Keychain

Now onto the warm-up. This week's prompt is a bit of a Season 9 stretch, something to keep the muscles moving while we get everything together behind the scenes for the new season.

The prompt is Keychain, focused on stretching your form making muscles and making something genuinely desirable. Think small, everyday object, something you'd actually want clipped to your keys.

We've got a keychain starter file here in STEP and OBJ format if you want a jumping-off point. It's not pretty, but it does the job. You don't have to use it, feel free to start from scratch if that's more your speed.

What's Next for Season 9

As we move into Season 9, we're planning out prompts and collaborations for the season ahead. Are there any prompts you'd like to see? Anything from past seasons worth revisiting? Let us know in the discussion below, and maybe we'll throw a few of your ideas in.