| Saxxy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | "Recognizing excellence in combat filmmaking" |
| Location | Bellevue, Washington, United States |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Valve |
| First awarded | June 8, 2011 |
| Last awarded | March 15, 2017 |
| Website | http://sourcefilmmaker.com/ |
The Saxxy Awards was an annual worldwide competition for 3D-animated films, hosted by video game developer, Valve. The first competition was held in 2011 and included 20 competition categories. In 2012, the number of categories was limited to five, and the contestants are required to use Valve's Source Filmmaker software to create their animations.
Each year, winners receive an in-game melee weapon for Team Fortress 2 named a Saxxy; designed and named after the character Saxton Hale, who was the namesake for the awards. The item resembles an Academy Award. The winner of the 2012 'Best Overall' category was flown to Valve in Bellevue, Washington for a filmmaking session with the company's very own filmmakers, which became a tradition for each of the following years' Saxxy Awards.[1] There have been 26 Saxxy Awards given out to winners since 2012. After 2017, Valve has not held another Saxxy Awards competition, and currently have not said anything about the competition. This has led fans and SFM artists to create the Community Saxxy Awards in 2021 as a response to Valve's inaction.[2]