ASIFA-Hollywood has announced this year’s slate of recipients for its Juried Awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. The Juried award recipients will be honored at the 45th Annie Awards set for Saturday, February 3, 2018 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

The Winsor McCay Award for career contributions to the art of animation are being presented to three recipients – British character animator, James Baxter; SpongeBob SquarePants creator, Stephen Hillenburg and the Canadian animation duo, Wendy Tilby & Amanda Forbis. The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art and industry of animation will be presented to TVPaint for its versatile software for 2D animation.

The Special Achievement Award recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation will be presented to Studio MDHR Entertainment for its 1930s inspired wonder-game Cuphead; and the June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation will be awarded to animation historian, Didier Ghez. The Certificate of Merit award will be presented to David Nimitz, devoted friend and caretaker of veteran voice actress, and ASIFA-Hollywood & Annie Award pioneer, June Foray, who passed away in July at the age of 99.

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, animated film preservation, special events, classes and screenings.

Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards have grown in scope and stature for the past four decades. For tickets and additional information on the Annie Awards, please visit annieawards.org/tickets.