You can sense the excited tension at Animation 09 as schoolchildren wait to see if they are a winner
Hey all.
Just back from judging Animation 10. Wow the standard is high this year. There is no shortage of animation talent lining up for jobs in the years ahead.
As EA are title sponsors again, we are very proud of this event and the effort that Manchester University goes to in ensuring it is a great success.
596 schools registered from all across the UK – from Cornwall to Shetland, with 1234 entries. A total of 36 prizes awarded to 28 winners.
As a reminder of what Animation 10 is all about:
- UK schoolchildren aged 7-19 are invited to create an animated film using their computer, and submit it to the competition.
- Entries can be from individuals, or groups (of up to 4 members).
- All entrants receive certificates, and winners will receive prizes ranging from laptops to gift vouchers.
- Winners will be invited to the exciting Animation Festival and Prize Giving day at The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester.
- Entries are submitted in 4 age categories (KS2, KS3, KS4 and 16-plus).
- The maximum duration of an entry is one minute.
- Animations must not be interactive – they must run as standalone animations.
- Entries must be created using one of the following programs: Alice, Scratch, Adobe Flash, Serif, and Greenfoot.
As you can see the goal is to ensure that schoolchildren see that using computers can be fun. Manchester University has the vision that capturing children’s imagination through competitions like this, will result in more children wanting to study Computer Science at University in the years head. This is a primary reason for EA’s involvement in this great competition.
Well, all the winners are now picked. But I am sworn to secrecy. But what I can say is that it is great to see so many children, particularly at Key Stage 1 and 2, really flourishing in the course of a year. That really gives a great deal of confidence about talent in the future.
So what happens next? The Awards…….
EA have two major awards this year:
- ”Hollywood beckons” ie Overall Best Animated Film
- ‘The one to watch’ ie Best Junior entry (under 12)
Matthew Jeffery of EA Speaking on the future of Animation at Animation 09
So what does Awards day look like?
After an eventful day of festivities hosted at the Museum Of Science and Industry in Manchester (MOSI) in 2009, the Animation10 Awards Festival and Computer Science Day promises to be yet another activity-packed event at The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester, on Friday 9 July 2010.
In the morning, all winning animations will be featured in the Animation10 Film Show followed by the Awards Ceremony, at which the winners receive their prizes. 
Last year 42 awards were won by both groups and individuals. See the 2009 winners in the Animation09 Winners Gallery.
In the afternoon, there’ll be exciting hand-on activities to inspire children about Computer Science (see below for details).
All Animation10 prize-winners will be invited, and may bring their teachers, family and friends.
The event is also open, free of charge, to all schools, subject to space. An on-line booking form will be available shortly.
What’s happening on the day?
In the morning:
- - 0900-1000: Registration opens
- - 1015: Film Festival of winning animations, and prize-giving
- - 1115: Morning break
- - 1130: Film Festival of winning animations, and prize-giving
- - 1230: Lunch break (please bring your own packed lunch)
In the afternoon:
- - 1315: “Computers and Brains”, an inspirational talk by Prof. Steve Furber, CBE (suitable for 11-19 year-olds)
- - 1315: Hands-on Computer Science activities workshop (suitable for all ages), including: BBC-21CC green-screen technology; meet RoboThespian; University of Manchester Flight Simulator; cs4fn presents “Computer Science and magic”; Tales of Things; Augmented Reality.
- - 1415: The above two activities are repeated, so everyone has the opportunity to attend both activities.
- - 1445: Finish
EArl
I attended the awards last year. A great day. Thank you EA & Manchester University for this great competition
I missed out entering this year. I will ensure that I put something together and win next year.
Very interesting article. Keep writing dude !!
baidu
I entered this year and recently found out that I’m in the winners list so I’ll be there I hope it’s good