Young Animator of the Year (YAY) is a programme of free activities for 11- to 18-year-olds who have a passion for creating animation.
The initiative aims to discover, nurture and celebrate young talent across the UK. It is funded by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund, Access:VFX, 3Dami and NextGen Skills Academy, with extra support from Bafta, the British Animation Awards and the Manchester Animation Festival.
On joining the YAY UK club, young people can access - or apply for - a range of activities, including:
- virtual summer studio: a free online 3D animation camp between 26 July and 6 August during which students will create every part of a 3D film using the software Blender in just 10 days.
- studio challenges: a series of short challenges set by animation studios such as Lupus films and Blue Zoo to help young people practice their animation skills.
- competition: a chance to have work judged by industry professionals with prizes for the best stop motion animation, 2D animation and 3D animation. The winning animations will be screened at the British Animation Awards March and the Manchester Animation Festival.
- a weekly newsletter
Tom Box, co-founder/managing director of Blue Zoo and chair of the Animation Skills Council, said: “Improving ethnic and socio-economic inclusion in our industry largely relies on grassroots initiatives reaching out to young people so they can be made aware of the career opportunities local to them. Young Animator of the Year UK brings studios across the UK together to encourage young artists to get animating and celebrate up-and-coming talent.”