YOUTUBE KIDS ANIMATION DINGLE STUDENT AWARD 2020 WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT CLOSE DOOR EVENT IN JAM MEDIA
Although Animation Dingle 2020 which is presented by JAM Media each year came to a halt last week when it was decided to cancel the Festival for this year in respect of health and safety and in the wake of Coronavirus, the Festival wants to assure those students who submitted this year, that selections were made and winners were announced.
The Festival was due to run 20-21 March, so it is no surprise that 99% of the work leading up to the Festival was already completed and ready to kick off. Amongst this was the adjudication process and the selection of winners in a variety of categories. Although Animation Dingle is refunding ticket costs to all students, true to the spirit of community that Animation Dingle so prides itself on, a special production and broadcasting of the announcement of the winners was made on Friday 20th March – a date that had been set aside for the YouTube Kids Animation Dingle Awards night in the Dingle Skellig Hotel. All students who submitted work were encouraged to watch the streaming of the awards announcements in order to celebrate virtually if not in close proximity.
The YouTube Kids Animation Dingle Student Awards was presented by Alan Shanahan and Mark Cumberton of JAM Media. Thank you to all of the colleges who would have made the trip to Dingle and for entering their films for the awards. Films were representative from IADT Dun Laoghaire, Ballyfermot, Coláiste Dhúlaigh, IT Tralee, Limerick School of Art and Design, Letterkenny IT, University of Ulster and the University of Dundee, LIT Clonmel and Athlone IT.
The 2020 YouTube Kids Animation Dingle Student Award winners are as follows:
BEST IRISH – Beekeeper, Robyn Conroy, (IADT)
Sponsored by RTE
BEST INTERNATIONAL – Shergar, Cora McKenna, (Denmark)
Sponsored by CBBC
Best DIRECTOR – Home, Méabh Gilheany & Rhea Hanlon, (Ulster University)
Sponsored by Brown Bag Films
BEST WRITER – How to Rob a Witch, Liam Fahy, (IADT)
Sponsored by Darrell Macqueen
BEST DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – Outside the box, Janet Grainger, (Colaiste Dhulaigh)
Sponsored by JAM Media
BEST ANIMATION – Fish for Life, Kerstin Blätterbinder, Lisa Gierlinger, Lukas Mathä, Victoria Wolfersberger, (Austria)
Sponsored by Milkshake
BEST 2D – How to Rob a Witch, Liam Fahy, (IADT)
Sponsored by Cartoon Saloon
Best 3D/CGI – Don’t Croak, Daun Kim, (Ringling College of Art and Design, United States)
Sponsored by Boulder Media
BEST STOP MOTION – Daughter, Daria Kashcheeva, (Czech Republic)
Sponsored by Aardman Animations
BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN – Legend Has It, Ciara Johnson, (BCFE)
Sponsored by Enterprise Ireland
Inaugural Best Sting – In Pursuit of BigFoot, Eoin O’ Keane (LYIT)
Sponsored by EGG Post Productions
Inaugural Best Irish Professional Short – An Gadhar Dubh, Director Padraig Fegan, Paper Panther Productions.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Studios
As well as the YouTube Kids Animation Dingle Student Awards, the Festival also runs their annual YAOTY (Young Animator of the Year) competition sponsored by Disney Channels. The winner of the YAOTY Award was also announced in the broadcast. The three categories of winners of these very prestigious Awards are as follows:
YAOTY winner
Sponsored by Disney Channels
Life in Plastic by Katie Elger from Colaiste Muire, Ennis
Orion Ross, Vice President, Original Programming Animation, Media Networks Europe & Africa, The Walt Disney Company said “A complete environmental story with an emotional punch”
Silver went to Save Our Souls by Aaron Gillespie, from Summerhill College, Sligo; whilst Bronze went to Starfish by Kellie Flaherty from Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Suir
All 9 finalists will be receiving a gift bag from the Disney Store in the post over the coming weeks.
Animation Dingle are committed to transparency and each year a panel of experts are approached for the adjudication process. For 2020, Animation Dingle would like to take this opportunity to thank all those judges who gave of their time…
Student Judges:
Suzanne Kelly – Group Head of Children’s & Young People’s Programming, RTE
Eimear O’Mahony – Executive Producer, Children’s and Young People’s Programming, RTE
Louise Bucknole – VP Programming, Viacom International Media Networks Kids, UK & Ireland, Cecilia Persson – Vice President of Programming and Content Strategy Turner EMEA Kids, Acquisitions and Co-production International
Professional Judges:
Peter Lord – Co-founder and Creative Director of Aardman Animation
Darragh O’ Connell – Group Creative Director of Brown Bag Films and 9 Story Media Group
Nicole Rivera – Vice President of Cartoon Network
Sting Judge
Chris Dicker – Head of Development at JAM Media
YAOTY Judges
Shortlisted finalists were selected by Mark Cumberton, COO/Producer JAM Media and Marty Boyland, Lecturer at IT Tralee, Shauna Cullen, JAM Media. The final winner was selected by Orion Ross, Vice President, Original Programming Animation, Media Networks Europe & Africa, The Walt Disney Company.
Students awaiting news of the broadcast announcements got to watch a daily upload of the wonderful Animation Dingle Stings on Social Media during the countdown. Thanks to BCFE, IT Tralee and Letterkenny IT for their sting submissions. This year’s theme was In Pursuit!
Animation Dingle were delighted that despite the current coronavirus climate, YouTube Kids held true to their sponsorship promise.
Co-founder and Director of Animation Dingle, Maurice Galway said: “Animation Dingle are delighted to have YouTube Kids as title sponsor to our Student Awards and I want to congratulate every student who entered, was shortlisted and who won an award this year! Viewing all of your work was an absolute pleasure and an honour, thank you!”
Animation Dingle would like to assure all those who missed the Festival this year that they will be back in 2021 with a not-to-be-missed event. Meanwhile, all at Animation Dingle wish everyone well and hope that the current crisis will be over as soon as is humanly possible.
Animation Dingle would like to thank all those who make it possible to bring the festival over the line each year. In 2020 particular thanks goes to
Presented by JAM Media
Main Funders Screen Ireland and Enterprise Ireland;
Sponsors YouTube Kids, Disney Junior, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Boulder Media, Cartoon Saloon, Brown Bag Films, Lighthouse Studios, RTÉ Jr, Animation Ireland, Toon Boom, Nickelodeon, CBBC, CBeebies, Darrall Macqueen, EGG, Channel 5/Milkshake, Dingle Gin, Dingle Skellig Hotel, Brian de Staic; Dingle Peninsula Tourism.
Funders Animation Skillnet, Screen Skills Ireland, BAI, IDA;
Cultural Partners: ACE, the French Embassy, IT Tralee, YIFM;
Ends
Further information Contact:
Maurice Galway
087 9139962