Student Scholarship

Scholarship Information

The Animation Educators Forum Student Scholarship Program is an opportunity designed to assist students worldwide in completing their education at accredited college-level animation programs. Applications are accepted from undergraduate students entering the sophomore year or above and graduate students working toward completing a thesis/dissertation.

The awards of up to $5,000 US may be applied to tuition, books and supplies, animation equipment (including computer hardware or software), travel, formal academic research, and senior or graduate thesis production.

Please note criteria may change from year to year. We provide this information so applicants can begin planning for next year's scholarship program.

Our scholarships are merit-based awards designed to support college students in continuing their education in animation.

Awards up to $5,000 may be applied to:

• tuition
• books and supplies
• formal academic research (including travel expenses)
• animation equipment (including computer hardware and software)
• senior or graduate projects

In addition, all scholarship award winners will receive a 1-year associate membership to ASIFA-Hollywood.

To be eligible for the scholarship award, the following MINIMUM criteria must be met:

1. Applicants must be undergraduate students entering their second year of study or above. Graduate students at all levels are also invited to apply.
2. Applicants must have a grade point average of 2.5 or above.
3. Applicants must attend a college, university, or trade program in animation that a recognized accrediting agency accredits.
4. Applicants must plan to attend both semesters of the USA standard academic year (Fall: August to December and Spring: January to June). Students planning to attend only a portion of the year (ex., Spring semester) are NOT eligible for the Scholarship. Special considerations may be made for academic institutions, not in the United States.
5. Applications will only be considered for the semester(s) that the student will be actively attending classes. Awards cannot be “reserved” for Spring semester classes nor during a Leave of Absence.
6. To receive the scholarship funds, the awardee must be able to provide proof of registration for the Fall semester of the award year. Special accommodations may be made for award winners attending institutions with academic calendars that do not align with the USA standard Fall/Spring semester schedule.
7. Students cannot be awarded the ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum Student Scholarship for two consecutive academic years. Recipients of the Scholarship in the previous year (2022-23) are ineligible for this year.
8. All applications must be completed by 11:59 PM PST on July 1, 2023.
9. Applications from international students are welcome.

Application materials will include:

1. A short biography (500 words maximum) describing the applicant’s experience as an animation major.
2. A proposal (1,000 words maximum) for the scholarship describing how the award will be used and how it will benefit the applicant’s goals in animation.
3. An estimated budget (500 words maximum) describing how the funds will be spent. For example, the budget might include a list of equipment, itemized travel expenses, or tuition.
4. Still art (10 piece maximum) and/or an animation reel (2 minutes maximum) demonstrating the applicant’s strengths and/or artistic breadth OR a formal abstract for an academic paper. These supporting documents will be based on the type of application (creative animation proposal or animation study/research) – all three are NOT required for any applicant.
5. Two letters of recommendation: one from a faculty member familiar with the applicant's work and one from a current ASIFA member OR an individual with verifiable professional animation experience (see notes below).

NOTE: If the applicant cannot secure a recommendation from an ASIFA member in the area, his/her faculty member may join any ASIFA chapter to fulfill this requirement. If the applicant cannot find a willing party, he/she may substitute a recommendation from an individual with professional animation experience that the Animation Educators Forum may verify.

NOTE: If locating an ASIFA chapter/member or animation professional is too tricky, the applicant should contact Dori Littell-Herrick at aef_scholarships@animationeducatorsforum.org to discuss other possibilities.

A panel of animation educators and professionals will judge the completed applications. Awards will be announced after August 31, 2023. Information on the status of applications will be released by email once the awards have been formally announced. All awardees will receive written notification from the AEF Scholarship Committee after August 31, 2023.

ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum Scholarship Committee members will stay in touch with the awardees throughout the scholarship year. All awardees will be required to provide the following:

1. Permission to use the awardee’s artwork and/or scholarly writings in promoting the Scholarship.
2. Midyear and Final Reports that document how the scholarship was utilized.
3. A brief essay describing how the award supported the student’s educational goals (included with the final report)
4. A reel, collection of still images, or academic paper showcasing the student’s creative and/or scholarly work that the Scholarship Award supported.
5. A photographic image that may be used in promoting the scholarship.