Animation Education Forum Selects 2017-18 Scholarship Recipients

BURBANK, Calif. (September 18, 2017) – ASIFA-Hollywood and the Animation Educators Forum (AEF) recently selected seven (7) animation students to receive a total of $31,000 in scholarships for academic year 2017-2018. According to the AEF judges, applications came in from all around the world, and each had their own passionate stories to tell. The AEF scholarships are merit-based and designed to support college students in continuing their education in the field of animation. Each individual student’s proposals, letters of recommendation from faculty, and demo reel/still art were taken into consideration as part of the selection process.

“We received a total of 78 finalized applications from around the world,” said Dori Littell-Herrick for AEF. “A team of seven judges, all with professional and academic experience, gave careful consideration to each application, reviewing the applicants’ personal goals, proposal for the use of the award, and portfolio of work. Applications were considered based on the student’s upcoming year in school, and then evaluated during three intense rounds of judging.”

This year’s awardees include stop motion, traditional and digital artists; documentary and short-film makers; and academic researchers and authors.

The 2017-2018 AEF Scholarship recipients are:

  • Amir Arzanian – $5,000; University of Southern California;
  • Blake Derksen – $5,000; California Institute of the Arts;
  • Isaiah Malnory-Brown – $3,000; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee;
  • Rachel Elese Morales – $5,000; Art Center College of Design;
  • Triet Le – $3,000; Virginia Commonwealth University;
  • Tzu-Hsin Yang (Cindy Yang) – $5,000; California Institute of the Arts; and
  • Vassilis Kroustallis – $5,000; Department of Audio & Visual Arts, Ionian University.
  • Victoria Richards $2500 Sheridan College, Ontario, Canada

All scholarship awardees will also receive a one-year Associate Membership to ASIFA-Hollywood.

ASIFA-Hollywood and the Animation Educators Forum is proud to support these seven students of animation in their journey towards membership in the global animation community. Now more than ever, animation in its many forms provides a way to communicate across cultures and across borders.

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, Animation Educators Forum, animated film preservation, special events, scholarships and screenings.