Street Fighter art contest winner disqualified for AI-generated work

Capcom has disqualified one of the winning entries from its latest Street Fighter 6 art contest after fans uncovered evidence that the piece was created using AI.

The Street Fighter Art Contest New Challenger Edition gave artists a shot at having their work featured in-game and across Capcom’s official channels. Winners were announced in July, but it didn’t take long for the community to flag one of the top entries for suspicious details.

The artwork in question depicted Akuma in a dramatic pose, but fans quickly noticed signs of AI involvement, with many pointing out warped fingers, inconsistent lighting, and other visual glitches often associated with machine-generated art.

This backlash quickly grew, and now Capcom has confirmed the entry has been disqualified for breaking the rules.

Street Fighter 6 art contest winner disqualified 

After days of mounting community scrutiny, Capcom issued an official statement addressing the controversy on July 25.

“Unfortunately, we have determined that one of the winning entries violated contest rules,” the publisher wrote, citing Section 5 on “Entry Submission and Design Requirements.” Capcom added, “After careful review and discussion, we have decided to disqualify the entry in question.”

Despite the disqualification, Capcom confirmed the artwork will still be visible in the Battle Hub until the current voting period ends. “We want to thank those who participated in voting for the entry in question,” the company said. “While the entry in question has been disqualified, we will provide a replacement illustration for the featured character at a later date.”

Although the publisher didn’t directly mention AI, the timing and nature of the statement make it clear that the disqualification was due to AI use—a direct violation of contest rules that required all entries to be original, human-made work.

The incident has reignited debate over AI-generated art in fan competitions, with many calling for stricter vetting processes in future events.