Flinders University and CDW Studios School of Visual Effects and Entertainment Design students are once again proving they are top of the class contenders for the 2018 Rookies Awards, with 31 students announced as finalists over the weekend.
The Rookies is an international awards and mentor platform for young designers, creators, innovators and artists in film, animation, games, virtual reality and architecture visualisation.
The 2018 competition attracted 9,971 digital projects created by 2,914 students from all over the world. These students will battle for Rookie of the Year, Game of the Year and Film of the Year titles, as well as Studio Internships and Scholarships.
In 2017, Flinders and CDW Studios were awarded #1 in Best Digital Illustration Schools from the competition, which involves entrants from more than 87 countries each year.
Over the past nine years, the competition has become a right-of-passage for all graduates as they start their careers and is considered the highest honour for creative media and entertainment students all over the world.
“It always seems so cliché to keep saying each year that the quality and standard of entries keeps getting better, but it just keeps happening,” says The Rookies co-founder Andrew McDonald.
The finalists are the best entries selected by the official judging panel within each category. The judges select the most impressive student work based on a range of technical criteria, creative skills and employment potential.
Over 580 academic facilities submitted student work to the competition and will compete for the hotly contested School of the Year title.
“Skills in visual illustration and effects are becoming increasingly in demand,” says Flinders Screen and Media digital media lecturer Katie Cavanagh, who helped establish the Bachelor of Creative Arts (Digital Media) course at Flinders.
“We are experiencing a boom for industry-ready graduates in the visual effects and entertainment design space. The career opportunities are as diverse as film, gaming, advertising, illustration, concept art, and more, and our graduates are regularly being snapped up for work at global companies.
“The 2018 finalist results for our students is a true testament to their talent and hard work, we’re very proud of them. “ Ms Cavanagh says.
The 2018 Rookies winners will be announced 16 July 2018. Browse all finalists here.
Flinders and CDW students are finalists in the following 2018 Rookies categories:
| Digital Illustration – 2018 Rookie of the Year | ||
| Amy Tho Nguyen
Anthony Robinson Duncan Li |
James Ross McNab
Jay Blencowe
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Ryan Mugan Thbuy-Anh Le
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| Game Development – Oceania Internship | Winners will receive a fully-paid 4 week internship at Plastic Wax, a leading Australian game and animation company. | |
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Anthony Robinson Courtney Paech Ehsan Sultani Fabbio Timpano |
Jack Beven Joseph Chalmers Loi Huynh
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Michelle Fedornak Rose Swincer Thuy-Anh Le
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| Digital Illustration – Oceania Internship | Winners will receive a fully-paid 4 week internship at Weta Digital, a leading New Zealand visual effects company. | |
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Amy Tho Nguyen Angela Garnaut-Jager Anthony Robinson Anthony Wyndham |
Duncan Li Fabbio Timpano James Ross McNab Joseph Chalmers |
Michelle Fedornak Ryan Mugan Thuy-Anh Le
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| Visual Effects – Oceania Internships | Winners will receive an internship at either Weta Digital, a leading New Zealand visual effects company, or Method Studio, an award-winning visual effects company. | |
| Aden Beaver
Rose Swincer |
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| CG Spectrum Scholarship | Winners will receive a one-to-one mentoring program for 10 weeks, from CG Spectrum, an online school for animation, visual effects and game design. | |
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Alexander Tuma Emma Wittwer
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Rose Swincer Ryan Mugan
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| Flinders University and CDW Studios Scholarship | ||
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Aaron Prideaux Angela Garnaut-Jager Anthony Robinson Courtney Paech Ehsan Sultani Fabbio Timpano Jackson Bosley
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Jay Blencow Joseph Chalmers Katherine De Groot Michelle Fedornak Naomi Foo Penny Parker Rosanna Lam
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Ruby Trumble
Ryan Mugan Thuy-Anh Le Tom Murton Xavier Praxar Yi Jong
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| Rising Sun Pictures and University of South Australia Scholarship |
Winners will receive a 12-week scholarship valued at over $11,000.
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Aden Beaver Anthony Robinson Courtney Paech Emma Wittwer Fabbio Timpano |
Joseph Chalmers Michelle Fedornak Naomi Foo Rosanna Lam
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Ruby Trumble Ryan Mugan Thuy-Anh Le Yi Jong
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