September 17th, 2019 
Jerry Beck 
Women in Animation’s ongoing WIA Scholarship Program is being enhanced this year with the addition of two new partners – Animation Mentor and Toon Boom — who are granting workshops and software packages to add to the usual cash prize. The WIA Animation Scholarship is an annual award committed to furthering deserving animation students who demonstrate artistic talent, a passion for animation, a financial need, and a promising future in the field of animation. Student members of WIA are encouraged to apply, no matter in what region of the world they are academically pursing their animation career interests.
Animation Mentor will offer one WIA Animation Scholarship winner a 6-week workshop (a $699-$899 value) and will allow that awardee the choice of several courses. Considering an array of classes such as Maya Workshop/Animation Basics for Beginners to Game Animation Fundamentals to Intermediate Storyboarding to Pre-Viz Basics for Animators as just a few examples, the student winner will have options to best personalize this educational opportunity.
Additionally, Toon Boom will be supporting this year with giveaways and scholarship funds totaling over $16,000. One-year bundled licenses of Storyboard Pro and Harmony Premium will be awarded to each of the finalists as well as a unique package for the winners of the scholarship who will receive the base licenses package as well as one-on-one remote training and $2000 (an additional contribution to the WIA scholarship fund, which will be split amongst the three winners).
“WIA is so excited to have Animation Mentor and Toon Boom partner with us on our scholarship program. Animation Mentor is the premium mentoring program for our industry, providing years of success in training a new source of talent that can expand WIA’s own mentoring program. We’re so fortunate to have Animation Mentor bring their vast teaching experience to our student membership in this way,” said Marge Dean, President of Women in Animation. “We’re also very excited to partner with ToonBoom and greatly appreciate their support of our scholarship fund as well as their innovative software and training access, which demonstrates their commitment to the education and training of new and diverse talent.”
“Animation Mentor is excited and honored to be partnering with Women in Animation to bring our two great communities together,” added Bobby Beck, Co-founder of Animation Mentor. “We share so many of the same values, and the talent of our global student base reminds us how important it is to have diverse storytellers in our industry. Because WIA has so many great resources, and such a worthy mission, we see this partnership as an opportunity for our amazing students to connect and grow in different ways, adding to the solid foundation they receive from us. Any chance to bring artists together to imagine and create, we’re all in!”
“Toon Boom Animation is excited to be working with WIA on yet another project to further promote and support a female presence in animation arts, science and business. Projects such as WIA Vancouver’s B.C.’s Five in Focus: Animation and now this WIA scholarship are truly helping to shape the future of animation, and continues our focus on the creative community worldwide,” stated Stephanie Quinn, Director Marketing, Toon Boom.
The deadline to submit applications for the WIA Animation Scholarship is October 10, 2019. More details can be found on the WIA website here. Scholarship winners will be announced in January 2020.
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