Pokémon disqualifies TCG illustration contest finalists over alleged AI use

The Pokémon Company has disqualified several entrants in its Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest, seemingly due to their alleged use of AI.

The contest saw thousands of entrants submitting fan art of their favorite Pokémon, with the winner of the competition set to receive $5000. The winner will also see their illustration printed as an official Pokémon card.

Following the publication of the top 300 cards in the competition, fans were quick to point out that several appeared to have the hallmarks of being created with generative AI. This is expressly forbidden in the competition’s rules, which were published at the start of the competition.

The Pokémon Company has now published a statement on X, in which it said it was “aware that select entrants from the top 300 finalists of the Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest 2024 have violated the official contest rules.” The company has now disqualified them from the competition.

While not said explicitly, the statement comes after numerous fans pointed out the alleged use of AI technology. The Pokémon Company has also said that in order to round out the top 300 entrants, it will select more artists to fill the spots.

While most have pointed to the potential use of AI as the reason for the ban, it’s also been suggested that one participant submitted multiple entries under slightly different names, something also forbidden in the rules, and that this could have also contributed to their disqualification from the contest.