Young Animator of the Year UK Schedules Opening for Submissions

Young Animator of the Year UK (YAY UK) will open for submissions of short 2D, 3D or stop-motion animated films from young animators on May 12.

Submissions will be open through September 1, at which point over 30 animation industry experts will select projects across three age categories—11 to 14, 15 to 18 and 19 to 22—to be presented at the Manchester Animation Festival in early October.

A special awards ceremony will take place during the Manchester Animation Festival, with winners in each age category to be presented with trophies, the opportunity to meet the expert judges and invitations to private tours of Aardman Animations, Blue Zoo and Wildchild’s animation studios.

Alongside the Manchester Animation Festival, HUE is also a partner for YAY UK this year. HUE is a supplier of animation products and creative, educational resources.

YAY UK is an initiative of ACCESS:VFX, an organization dedicated to building a more inclusive and representative U.K. animation industry by nurturing talent at the grassroots level.

“We are incredibly excited to announce that due to popular demand, the competition has expanded to include a new 19-to-22 age category,” said Tom Box, co-creator of YAY and co-founder of Blue Zoo. “This significant development allows us to support young adults who are pursuing animation studies or are in the early stages of their careers. We believe this will provide a crucial stepping stone for this demographic, alongside continuing to champion the fantastic talent within the younger age groups.”

Ruth Barrett, head of animation at HUE, commented, “At HUE, we’re passionate about sparking creativity in young minds through HUE Animation Studio and HUE Clay. That’s why we’re so excited to support the YAY Awards, a fantastic celebration of the rising stars of animation and the power of imaginative storytelling.”