Teletoon gives new animators a $70,000 boost

Teletoon continued its support of new talent in Canadian animation with Tuesday's announcement of the winners of the 2007 Teletoon Animation Scholarship.

A launch pad for emerging animators, the Teletoon Animation Scholarship awarded 11 young animators prizes this year totaling over $70,000, with four awards given in three categories. In each category, first-prize recipients are awarded $10,000, second-place receive $7,000, and $5,000 go to the third-place finalists.

New this year, three filmmakers were awarded the Voter's Choice Award, carrying a cash prize of $1,500.

The Teletoon Animation Scholarship awards were presented by Teletoon Canada Inc. president Len Cochrane at a special screening during the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Winning films are currently available to view on The Detour on the Teletoon site at teletoon.com.

Young animators from coast to coast are recognized in the Entrance Category, open to graduating high-school students. First place goes to Aven Fisher, from King's View Academy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Herbert, following the sad yet charming story of a chameleon attending his first 3D movie. Second place is awarded to Ain't What It Used to Be by Chang Dai of Earl Haig High School, Toronto, Ontario. From Burnaby North Secondary, British Columbia, Jordon Chow wins third place for The Adventures of Rocky Rocket.

In the Continuing Education Category, open to students currently studying animation at a post-secondary level, Nathan Boey's experimental short exploring the meaning of family using family photos, Family Picture, is awarded first place. Originally from Winnipeg, Boey is a student of Concordia University in Montreal. The Life and Death of Wriggly Chew, following the rhythmic existence of a piece of chewing gum, by Jacqueline Koehler, a student of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, takes second place. James Higuchi from Sheridan College is awarded third place for his dark comedic story of two feuding grandmothers, Babushki.

In the Most Promising Student Category for students graduating from a post-secondary animation program, the film noir- inspired Key Lime Pie from Sheridan College graduate Trevor Jimenez takes first place. Jimenez also took first place in the Continuing Education Category in 2005. Andrew Ford from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design wins second place for Stillwaters. Also from Sheridan College, Brandon Scott's Cruel Fauna is awarded third place.

New this year, the Teletoon Animation Scholarship invited cartoon fans to watch the 30 final films online at Teletoon.com and vote for their favorite. Over 8,000 votes were received for the Voter's Choice Award, which carries a cash prize of $1,500 for the most popular short animation in each category. The winners of the Voter's Choice Award are Ain't What it Used to Be by Chang Dai; Picture Day from Jeremy Canton of Sheridan College; and The Elixir of Life by Edward Beek, also of Sheridan College.

Since 1997, Teletoon has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships to 107 students across Canada. Developed with key members of the industry to highlight and encourage new talent, the Teletoon Animation Scholarship serves a vital role in the Canadian animation community with many past winners going on to forge successful animation careers and work with such award-winning studios as 9 Story Entertainment, Aardman Animations, Nelvana, Pixar Animation Studios, and Studio B Productions.