3Dami Summer Camp and Young Animator of the Year UK is back for 2023!
The hugely popular residential 3Dami Summer Camp for young animators and the Young Animator of the Year programme is back and it’s time to find the next generation of animation talent!
We are thrilled to announce the suite of activities coming this summer for the Young Animator of the Year UK (YAY UK) programme. Teenage animators can join the 3Dami 10-day Summer Camp — supported by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund using contributions from animation productions — as well as entering a competition for the chance to be crowned the Young Animator of the Year UK 2023!
Run by ScreenSkills, ACCESS:VFX, 3Dami, and NextGen Skills Academy, YAY UK encourages young people to pursue creative skills to help build the talent of tomorrow. The aim of the programme is to empower young people to create an amazing animation to set them up to have the creative career of their dreams.
Giving new talent a leg up in the industry!
Winners of previous year's YAY UK competitions have had quick career success. Josh Palfrey, the winner of the 3D category in 2020, got onto the internship programme at a major UK character animation studio, Blue Zoo. Josh exceeded all expectations in the internship, which quickly led to a full-time job, where he became the studio's youngest ever 3D artist.
3Dami Summer Camp
Applications are now open for the 3Dami Summer Camp where students work together in the same room as animation experts to create every part of a 3D animated film in just 10 days. 3Dami works with industry mentors to give students all the help and support they need to learn about 3D-asset creation and animation. This free residential camp will run across 10 days from 25th July to 3rd August at the University of Bath and is open for 13-18 year olds. Students may arrive the day before, to avoid travelling early on the 25th. The first round of applications close on Sunday 2nd July, with a final deadline closing date of Sunday 16th July.
Previous students of the 3Dami Summer Camp have gone on to work at major studios including ILM, The Mill, Blue Zoo, MPC, DNEG and more!
YAY UK Competition and Studio Challenges
YAY UK is hosting a competition challenging teenage artists across the UK to make their own short animated films in 2D, 3D, and stop-motion styles. Awards will be given for the Best Young 2D Animator, 3D Animator, and Stop-Motion Animator across age groups 11–14 and 15–18. The winning films will be screened at Manchester Animation Festival in November! Entries for the competition can be submitted via the YAY UK website from 1st July 2023 until the deadline of 30th September 2023.
Throughout the summer, YAY UK will also be giving teenagers a range of short creative animation challenges set by some of the UK’s biggest animation studios. These challenges will help the artists learn tricks and techniques to devise their stories and create their own animations.
"The UK is world renowned for producing the very best animation, and the YAY UK initiative is here to inspire, nurture and celebrate the next generation of talent to uphold that reputation through inclusive opportunity. There’s such an abundance of eager, young creative animators out there from all backgrounds and we want to champion their talents! I can’t wait to see what films they make this year, and who will be crowned Young Animator of the Year!" said Tom Box, Co-founder of Blue Zoo Animation Studio and Chair of the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Council.
Get involved on the YAY UK Website
For young animation artists, the YAY UK website has built a community which is safe to share their work and develop their animation skills. Animators can create a profile, upload their work and build an online portfolio where industry professionals can comment and feedback on their work. All posts are moderated to ensure safety and enjoyment for everyone.
Apply for the 3Dami Summer Camp via the YAY UK website and submit competition entries via the website competition page. Follow YAY UK on Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn to keep up to date with the YAY UK programme. Happy animating!