Video game company Capcom has disqualified a contender in its Street Fighter 6 art competition after accusations of generative AI usage.
The contest, which began in June 2025, is Capcom’s second Street Fighter 6 art competition. Fans got the chance to have their work immortalized as “New Challengers” screens within the game. These screens show up when players are challenged by online opponents while in-game.
Overall, the official guidelines seemed pretty standard aside from one standout rule, which requested entrants portray currently-playable characters. This excludes the unreleased characters from the game’s third Season Pass. Rules also prohibit the use of AI art, stating that “The design must be the Entrant’s original creative work which has not been previously published or entered into other competitions.”
The opportunity to make art pieces of your favorite characters to be used in-game sounds like a rare chance to showcase fan creativity, but as in many modern-day art competitions, people are starting to point out submissions’ potential use of AI.
After Capcom revealed the 26 finalists who will have their work featured, fans grew highly suspicious of one entrant’s now-pulled piece, created by user @lilithascends on X (formerly Twitter). The user, who has since deleted their digital profiles following repeated public accusations, submitted three separate works.
It wasn’t until their depiction of fighter Kimberly was chosen as a final contender, however, that artists on the platform shared their AI suspicions. One artist, X user @Galena_Bismon, noted AI tells in a comprehensive thread.
In response to these events, Capcom released the following statement via social media and the art contest website:
“We want to extend a big thanks to everyone who participated in the latest Street Fighter Art Contest New Challenger Edition. Unfortunately, we have determined that one of the winning entries violated contest rules, specifically Section 5 pertaining to: Entry Submission and Design Requirements.
“After careful review and discussion, we have decided to disqualify the entry in question.
“Please note that the entry in question will remain available for voting in the Battle Hub until the end of the voting period. We want to thank those who participated in voting for the entry in question. While the entry in question has been disqualified, we will provide a replacement illustration for the featured character at a later date.”
It’s worth noting that @lilithascends’ now-pulled account wasn’t made until the contest started; they had no prior social media activity until the contest. The user submitted three pieces, all in wildly different art styles. Once Galena’s post began to make the rounds, the account disappeared.
Sadly, it seems these issues will continue to plague gaming contests. I remember seeing art contests in gaming magazines in the past, and while not all the pieces were perfect, they were always fun to see. Works drawn in pencil, crayon, and marker, all different styles and levels of experience put on full display.
In the digital age, more “AI slop” will continue to steal the place of real art and demoralize any human artist entering future contests.
Do you think Capcom should disqualify these pieces? How can they stamp out AI works in the future?
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