The winning entries from the Young Animator of the Year programme saw the premiere of their films at Manchester Animation Festival on Sunday 14 November. Funded by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund, the initiative sought to uncover and showcase the talent of animators aged 11-18 in the UK.
Those on the programme received help, tutorials and expert advice from UK animation studio professionals alongside challenges and the chance to attend a virtual summer studio. The winners were selected across six categories divided by age and animation mediums before receiving a premiere at the UK’s largest animation festival.
The winning films were:
Best Stop-Motion Animator Aged 11-14: ‘Rebirth’ by Finlay, 14 from East Sussex
Best 2D Animator Aged 11-14: hand-drawn short film by Freya, 14 from West Midlands
Best 3D Animator Aged 11-14: ‘Companions’ by Noah, 14 from Dorset
Best Stop-Motion Animator Aged 15-18: ‘Insomnia’ by Ben, 16 from Bedford
Best 2D Animator Aged 15-18: ‘Future Therapist’ by Amelie, 17 from Edinburgh
Best 3D Animator Aged 15-18: ‘Flight of the Odonates’ by Luke, 18 from Buckinghamshire
Read more about one of last year’s winners, Joshua Palfrey, here.