Women in Animation - Canada will host a fundraising, summer social on August 27, 2003. Broadway Art from the animation community will be on display and for sale at the event. Attendees to the event will have the chance to take home various door prizes. The fundraiser will support and promote the ongoing activities of WIA

The National Post Design Exchange Awards competition is Canada's only awards program to judge design by balancing function, aesthetics and economic success. These awards are designed to: expand national understanding of design as an essential resource, demonstrate that investment in design impacts overall business success, celebrate effectiveness in all design disciplines, highlight the critical role of design in enhancing quality of life, reinforce the value of strong client/designer partnerships and promote the critical role of design in sustainability. A jury of leading business executives, designers and community leaders will select up to three winners in each of seven categories. This year's National Post Design Exchange Awards program is sponsored by Apple Canada,Volvo, JBM Resources Network, Karo International Group Inc. and the Crowne Plaza Toronto Centre. For more information visit www.dx.org/whats_on/national.html.

The NFB Animation studio in Montreal is producing Talespinners 2, a follow-up to the NFB's highly successful Talespinners collection of short animated films for children. One priority of the collection is to give voice and access to under-represented visible minority writers and animation filmmakers, but with an emphasis in this second collection on stories from the many variegated and transforming edges of the Canadian multicultural mix in the 21st century. The deadline for submission is October 24, 2003. For more information visit www.nfb.ca/talespinners2.

The National Film Board of Canada has announced the creation of a short film competition for Yukon filmmakers, entitled Northern Sights. Modeled on film development programs in other regions, the competition is designed to encourage creative filmmaking in both the documentary and animation fields.

Rina Fraticelli, executive producer of the NFB

The fifth annual Leo Awards is where the best and brightest film and television talent and programs in British Columbia will be honored for their work. The event believes that honoring and rewarding individuals for their efforts goes a long way towards fostering a strong future for British Columbia film and television. The deadline for films completed between January 2003 and June 2003 is January 16, and films completed between July 2003 and December 2003 is January 30. For more information, visit http://www.leoawards.com/index.php.

Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for children presents the best of international and Canadian films for children and youth aged 4-18 including shorts, features, documentaries, live-action and animation. Sprockets is a competitive festival and is pleased to host a number of guests including filmmakers, programmers and buyers each year. Sprockets promotes contacts between industry professionals to assist in the development of the role cinema plays in the education and enrichment of young people. Sprockets Awards include two audience awards: one for favorite feature and one for favorite animation, and three young people's jury awards, two for feature films and one for short films. There is no fee to submit work. The festival also screens work created by students grades 3 through 12. Submissionsare viewed by a panel of experts and finalists have their films screened during Sprockets. For more information, visit http://www.bell.ca/sprockets.

The Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival, now in it's 57th year, is the longest running festival of its kind in Canada. Over the years, the festival has garnered an esteemed reputation as one of the country's top film and video festivals; a reputation that attracts outstanding entries and personalities from across Canada. Established in 1947 as the Yorkton Film Council, the first festival was held in 1950, making it Canada's first Short Film & Video Festival. The very first Golden Sheaf Award was introduced in 1958 and was presented to the most outstanding film entry in the festival. The Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival has undergone many changes since the first festival and is now celebrating more than 56 years of great shorts and currently presents Golden Sheaf Awards in 17 genre categories, 10 craft awards categories, cash and specialty awards. The festival is held every spring and includes: Canada's Golden Sheaf Awards, mini cinema, workshops and social events. For more information contact the festival at 49 Smith Street East, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada S3N 0H4; tel.: (306) 782-7077; fax: (306) 782-1550; e-mail: info@yorktonshortfilm.org; or Web: www.yorktonshortfilm.org.

The eighth annual Visual Arts Development Awards (VADA) assists British Columbia's emerging or mid-career visual artists and artisans. The initiative is to encourage the development of new skills and techniques. Grants range in size from $3,000 to $5,000. Last year 13 visual artists and artisans from across B.C. received awards. Their projects included: traveling to China to apprentice with a master ceramicist; learning underwater photography and exploring the loss of salmon in ancient fishing grounds; apprenticing with a tailor to learn costume making; and working with a mathematician to learn advanced systems of mathematics to generate patterns and manipulate results. BC visual artists and artisans from all cultures working in traditional or contemporary methods or mediums are eligible. VADA offers opportunities for non-institutional learning; to learn from a senior artist, mentor or elder; or a self-guided program. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of merit and quality of their proposals. Deadline for receipt of completed applications is Sunday May 30, 2004 at 5:00 pm. VADA was initiated and is funded by the Vancouver Foundation and is administered by the Contemporary Art Gallery. Applications can be downloaded from www.vada-awards.org or picked up at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver at 555 Nelson Street. For further information contact: vada@contemporaryartgallery.ca; or call: 604-681-2700.

Canadian National Expo is Canada

Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival Group, is considered one of the most important children's film festivals in the world. Sprockets, programmed for children and youth, 3-18, offers the best in contemporary Canadian and international children's cinema. In addition to two public weekends of programming, Sprockets also includes the hugely popular behind-the-scenes film workshops, and a week-long school program with support materials for teachers. Numerous awards are presented at the end of the festival. Further information and submission forms can be found on the official Website at www.bell.ca/sprockets.