Every year experts from the fine art world and the interactive entertainment industry bestow upon video game artists the highest honor they can receive — inclusion in the Into the Pixel art collection. Let's take a look at the seventeen pieces that made the cut this year.

The Into the Pixel collection is a joint effort between the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and the Entertainment Software Association to highlight the fine work of the countless video game artists working in the industry today. From concept art to marketing pieces, countless works of striking visual art are crafted each year in the name of gaming. Into the Pixel seeks to give the creators of this work their due.

"Into the Pixel is the industry's premier showcase for the art of computer and video games and celebration of the artists whose talent creates these stunning images," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers and the owner of the E3 Expo. "ESA is proud to partner with AIAS to facilitate this valuable intersection between the traditional and digital art worlds."

This year's winners hail from all corners of the industry, from smaller games like Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull to the big-budget blockbusters Dragon Age II, God of War III, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Each piece will be inducted into the collection, now in its eighth year, and will be on display in a place of honor during E3 2011.

Click through the gallery to discover this year's winning artists and the games that inspired them.