The Andreas deja Scholarship award Program 2024/2025

Description of the Program

The Andreas Deja Scholarship Award is an assistance program designed to support and recognize the talents and creative endeavors of aspiring 2D animation artists. As a direct descendant of the original Walt Disney Nine Old Men, this program plays a crucial role in supporting the techniques of the 'Illusion of Life' and full animation while nurturing the creative talents of 2D animation artists from around the world, helping them pursue their artistic dreams, and contributing to the enrichment of the animation arts and culture in society.

Applications will be reviewed by Andreas Deja who will assess each entry on animation merit, commitment to the assignment, and potential for growth.

We look forward to receiving your submission and learning more about your animation journey. The Andreas Deja Scholarship Award is an opportunity to support your passion and talent in animation. We encourage all eligible artists to apply and wish you the best of luck in your application.

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Award

The different awards can include a cash amount to be used for education, plus one-on-one or group Mentoring time with Andreas Deja with regular assignments in Classical 2D Animation. Each one-on-one and group session is 1 hour. A minimum of 6 sessions, and a maximum of 12 sessions during the year. (Number of sessions subject to change, based on the schedule of Andreas Deja.) Sessions scheduled and organized through the CTN Foundation. Awarded at the CTNX24 event and includes a 4-day Premiere ticket to CTNX24 held November 21-24, 2024.

Full Scholarship Awards:

One year of critiquing a NEW animated project with Andreas.
Cash Prize
Complimentary 4-day Premiere ticket to CTNX24
Exclusive Group In-Person Meetup at CTNX24
Award Ceremony at CTNX24
Award is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Runner Up with Distinction Scholarship Awards:

One group meeting with Andreas (and CTN). Andreas reviews and elevates your program submission animation, so they can use it in their portfolio.
Complimentary 4-day Basic ticket to CTNX24
Exclusive Group In-Person Meetup at CTNX24
Award Ceremony at CTNX24

Partial Scholarship Awards:

One group meeting with Andreas (and CTN). Andreas reviews and elevates your program submission animation, so they can use it in their portfolio.
Complimentary 1-day Basic ticket to CTNX24
Exclusive Group In-Person Meetup at CTNX24
Award Ceremony at CTNX24

Honorable Mentions:

Complimentary 1-day Walk Around ticket to CTNX24
Exclusive Group In-Person Meetup at CTNX24
Award Ceremony at CTNX24

Eligibility

You must produce and create the animation assignment.
You do not need to be involved in (enrolled in, or a graduate of) a university/scholastic program, but must have a basic knowledge of art training.
Must be 16+ years of age.
A driving passion to be an animator.
May require travel to Burbank, California, USA.
You will need to speak and read English.

Locations and Important Dates

Upload Window Opens July 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time
Upload Window Closes September 27, 2024, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time
Recipients Notified by October 25, 2024
Award Ceremony November 2024, at CTNX24, Burbank, CA 91505 USA

UPLOAD HERE

Submission Specifications

We recommend taking your time to show your best work.

1. Resume Submission Specifications: Applicants will submit a PDF.

2. Submit a short video selfie expressing what animation means to you and why you want to receive this scholarship. (mandatory)

3. Submit an animated scene of a character putting on a jacket/coat (See application assignment image with details below from Andreas Deja himself.)

Scene Submission Specifications:

Upload your animated scene of the assignment in video format.
Video files must be an mp4 or mov.
File names should not contain any other characters, other than a-z, A-Z, and 0-9, and shouldn’t have any blank spaces.

Evaluation and Review

Your work will be evaluated by Andreas Deja for animation with the following in mind:

Creativity
- The idea/concept.
Storytelling
- Is the animation readable. Is it clear.
Technique
- Shows skill and handling of the animation you are working in.
Style
- Design.
Originality
- Your voice. Your signature.

Notes:

Please do not submit anything other than what is asked for.

You will be asked to register for Survey Monkey prior to using the CTN Foundation Application Portal.

The Andreas Deja Scholarship Award Details

Additional Information

Geared toward up and coming animators 16+ with an interest in pursuing 2D Classical Animation and creating the Illusion of Life. (Not for working or experienced professionals.)

Can be your own character or one that exists.
Can be done on paper with pencil or on a Tablet using Digital Drawing tools like Procreate or Photoshop or other digital drawing tools.
Must demonstrate promising skills in drawing, animating, and basic art skills.
Must be fully inbetweened.
The .mp4 or .mov file must show the correct timing.

APPLICATIONS OPEN

MEET YOUR mentor andreas deja

Andreas Deja first applied for a job as a Disney animator at the age of 10. Born in Poland and raised in Germany, he remembers writing to the studio immediately after seeing "The Jungle Book." "I'd never seen a Disney feature before," he recalls "It was one of those key experiences because I just couldn't believe what I'd seen. All those drawings moving, thinking and acting so real." The Studio wrote back to Deja explaining that there were no openings but they were always on the look-out for new talent. This offered him the encouragement he needed and the motivation to work hard towards that goal.

At the age of 20, after completing his studies, he applied again and this time he was accepted. Working with Eric Larson, one of Disney's legendary "nine old men," Deja completed several tests and went on to do early character design, costume research and animation for "The Black Cauldron." His next assignment was on "The Great Mouse Detective," for which he animated the mouse queen and her robotic twin. Deja helped design many of the characters for "Oliver & Company" and did some animation before spending a year in London as a lead animator on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," under the direction of Richard Williams. On "The Little Mermaid," Deja oversaw the animation of Triton, a powerful figure that required expert skills in draftsmanship and acting ability. For Disney's Academy Award-winning animated musical "Beauty and the Beast," he served as the supervising animator for the first of his many Disney villains, the very pompous and narrow-minded Gaston.

Deja continued to explore his darker side by designing and animating the evil vizier, Jafar for Disney's animated-musical hit, "Aladdin" (1992). He went on to supervise the animation of the power-hungry villain, Scar, in "The Lion King," which has become not only The Walt Disney Studios' most successful film, but quickly earned a place as one of the industry's biggest films of all time. For his next assignment, Deja relocated to Disney's Paris animation facility for a stint overseeing the animation of Mickey Mouse in "Runaway Brain," the Studio's first new Mickey short since 1953 and an Oscar nominee in 1996 for Best Animated Short. Following that, he returned to Burbank, where he took on the challenging assignment of bringing life and personality to the title hero in Disney's 35th full-length animated feature, "Hercules."

He went on to design and supervise the animation for the charming and unpredictable little Hawaiian girl, Lilo, in “Lilo & Stitch,” which has been hailed as one of the Studio’s most entertaining and imaginative features. Deja contributed animation for several characters in Disney’s live-action/animated musical “Enchanted,” and served as one of the supervising animators on Goofy’s big-screen return in the short film, “How to Hook Up Your Home Theatre.” He was a supervising animator on Disney’s hand-drawn animated feature, “The Princess and the Frog”, released in 2009. Deja supervised the animation of Tigger for a new Winnie the Pooh feature, which was released theatricaly in 2011.

In 2007, he was honored with the Winsor McKay Award from ASIFA (the International Animated Film Association). In 2015, he was named a Disney Legend by the Walt Disney Company. At present time Andreas Deja is working on his own independent animated short films. He also contributes regularly animation related material on his blog “Deja View”.