The nominees for the third annual ELAN Awards were announced Wednesday at a press conference. The awards will be given out April 25 at the Fairmount Hotel Vancouver. Tom Kenny will host.
The 3rd Annual ELAN Awards opened the online voting for their three Honorary Awards on IGN.com and your vote is needed to determine the winners.
Voting online for the Winners of these Honorary Awards is open to the media and the industry only. Voting closes on Friday, March 27 at 12 noon PDT in order to give the winners enough notice to attend the awards ceremony in Vancouver on April 25.
Go to
IGN.com for a list of the nominees and to vote.
A full list of the nominees is as follows:
Video Game Nominees
Video Game Of The Year
GEARS OF WAR 2
Epic Games/Microsoft -- Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director Epic Games; Ray Davis, Lead Programmer Epic Games; Chris Perna, Art Director Epic Games
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks -- Todd Howard, Game Director; Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Gavin Carter, Lead Producer
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Games -- Peter Molyneux, Lead Designer; Louise Copley, Executive Producer; Dene Carter, Creative Director
LEFT 4 DEAD
Valve
Best Console Game
GEARS OF WAR 2
Epic Games, Microsoft -- Epic Games: Rod Fergusson, Senior Producer; Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director; Ray Davis, Lead Programmer; Chris Perna, Art Director
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks -- Todd Howard, Game Director; Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Gavin Carter, Lead Producer
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Games -- Peter Molyneux, Lead Designer; Louise Copley, Executive Producer; Dene Carter, Creative Director
LEFT 4 DEAD
Valve
Best PC Game
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks -- Todd Howard, Game Director; Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Gavin Carter, Lead Producer
CRYSIS WARHEAD
Crytek/Electronic Arts -- Peter Antovszki, Sound Director; Gabor Mogyorósi, Art Director; Bernd Diemer, Producer
LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: MINES OF MORIA
Turbine, Inc. -- Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer
LEFT 4 DEAD
Valve
Best Casual/Arcade Game
MYSTERY CASE FILES: RETURN TO RAVENHEARST
Big Fish Games -- Pat Wylie, Adrian Woods, Chris Campbell, Producer
DEFEND YOUR CASTLE
XGen Games -- Skye Boyes, Executive Producer; Jordan Dubuc, Project Lead; Robyn Dubuc, Design & Marketing; Taylor Schaerer, Visual Arts Lead
4 ELEMENTS
Playrix Entertainment
Best Mobile/Handheld Game
CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE (Handheld)
1st Playable Productios/Disney Interactive -- Tobi Saulnier, Founder & CEO, 1st Playable Productions; Zhenelle Falk, Producer/ Designer; Andrew Carroll, Lead Programmer; Ian McConahey Stead, Lead Artist
PLANET RESCUE: OCEAN PATROL (Handheld)
Magic Pockets/Ubisoft -- Eric Zmiro, President/Technical Director; Eltienne Jacquemain, Creative Director
HOOKED ON: CREATURES OF THE DEEP (Mobile)
Infinite Dreams/Nokia -- Brandon Crick, Marketing Manager
PARTY ISLAND BOWLING (Mobile)
Digital Chocolate -- David Fruin, Studio Director; Mike Saperstein, Director of Game Development; Paul Abbassi, CTO; Trip Hawkins, CEO
Best Sound in a Video Game Production
Mike Larson, Audio Director; Steve Jablonsky, Composer; Jamey Scott, Sound Designer; Joey Kuras, Sound Designer
GEARS OF WAR 2
Epic Games, Microsoft
Brian Tuey, Lead Sound Design
CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR
Treyarch/Activision Publishing
Mark Lampert, Audio Director
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks
Russell Shaw, Composer; Kristofor Mellroth, Audio Lead
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Games
Best Art Direction
Chris Perna, Art Director
GEARS OF WAR 2
Epic Games/Microsoft
Istvan Pely, Lead Artist
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks
Denis Dyack, President & Executive Producer; Carman Dix, Art Director
TOO HUMAN
Silicon Knights/Microsoft Games Studio
John McCormack, Art Director; Mark Smart, Lead Environment Artist; Jon Eckersley, Lead Creature Artist; Adam Sibbick, Lead FX Artist
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Games
Best Game Design
Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director; Rod Fergusson, Senior Producer; Lee Perry, Senior Gameplay Designer; Dave Nash, Lead Level Designer
GEARS OF WAR 2
Epic Games/Microsoft
Todd Howard, Game Director; Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks
Peter Molyneux, Lead Designer; Dene Carter, Creative Director; Iain Wright, Lead Level Designer; Mike West, Lead Scripter
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Games
Gabe Newell
LEFT 4 DEAD
Valve
Outstanding Technical Innovation
Tim Sweeney, Technology Director; Daniel Vogel, Engine Team Lead; Unreal Engine Technology Team
GEARS OF WAR 2
Epic Games, Microsoft
Todd Howard, Game Director;Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Guy Carver, Technical Director
FALLOUT 3
Bethesda Softworks
Simon Carter, Load Game Architect and Technology Director; Guilloume Portes, Lead Tools & GUI Programmer; Jonathan Shaw, AI Director; Alex Dowdeswell, AI Director
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games
Gabe Newell
LEFT 4 DEAD
Valve
Animation Nominees
Best Feature-Length Animated Production
Winner: WALL-E
Disney/Pixar
(Selected by children's votes)
Best Animated Television Production
TOOT & PUDDLE
Mercury Filmworks/National Geographic Kids Entertainment -- Clint Eland, Executive Producer; Tara Sorensen, Executive Producer; Marianne Culbert, Supervising Producer; Jerry Popowich, Creative Producer
ZEKE'S PAD
My Pad Prod's/Avrill Stark Entertainment; Bardel Entertainment Inc./Flying Bark Productions -- Delna Bhesania, Producer; Liz Scully, Producer; Leonard Terhoch, Producer; Avrill Stark, Producer
WAPOS BAY: THE SERIES
Wapos Bay Studio National Film Board of Canada -- Dennis Jackson, Producer;Melanie Jackson, Producer; Anand Ramayya, Producer; Derek Mazur; Exc. Producer
DEX HAMILTON: ALIEN ENTOMOLOGIST
March Entertainment/SLR Productions; Parthenon Kids -- Daniel Hawes, Executive Producer/Producer; Ryan Lussing, Creative Producer/Visual FX Supervisor
Best Animated Short Subject
WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WRATH OF THE LICH KING (intro cinematic)
Blizzard Entertainment -- Jeff Chamberlain, Director; Phillip Hillenbrand, Producer
TURBO DOGS
RacerDogs Productions Inc./Hultu Studios; CCI Releasing Inc. -- Kristine Klohk, Producer; Rodney MacDonald; Arnie Zipursky, Executive Producer; Christopher Waters
Best Director for an Animated Production
Christian Larocque
TOOT & PUDDLE
Mercury Filmworks/National Geographic Kids Entertainment
Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson and Cam Lizotte
WAPOS BAY: THE SERIES
Wapos Bay Studio National Film Board of Canada
Best Voice Over in an Animated Production (All genres)
Winner: Tom Kenny
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
Nickelodeon
Best Character Animation
Winner: Graham MacDonald, Animation Director; Emma Gignac, Animation Director; Kim Buck, Animation Supervisor; Justin Sels, Animation Supervisor
TOOT & PUDDLE
Mercury Filmworks/National Geographic Kids Entertainment
Best Art Direction
Teo Kiriakov, Art Direction; "Diamond" Dave Merritt, Art Direction
TOOT & PUDDLE
Mercury Filmworks / National Geographic Kids Entertainment
Zoe Evamy, Senior Art Director; Patricia Atchison, Art Director
ZEKE'S PAD
My Pad Prod's/Avrill Stark Entertainment; Bardel Entertainment Inc./Flying Bark Productions
Visual Effects Nominees
Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effect Driven Feature Film
MAX PAYNE
Spin VFX/20th Century Fox
Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor; Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor; Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator; Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD
IRON MAN
The Embassy VFX, Inc./Ironworks Prod's, Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures
The Embassy: Winston Helgason, Visual Effects Supervisor; Charlie Bradbury, Visual Effects Producer; Stephen Pepper, Compositing Supervisor; Michael Blackbourn, CG Lead
Best Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series, Miniseries or MOW
SUPERNATURAL
"It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester"
Ivan Hayden, VFX Supervisor; Grant Lindsay, VFX Producer; Mark Meloche, Lead Artist; Colin Jenken, Lead 3D
TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
Bartleby Co. and The Halcyon Co. in assoc. with Warner Bros. Television
Jim Lima, VFX Supervisor; Steve Galich, SFX Coordinator
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: A NEW BEGINNING
Pix Ray VFX/Sullivan Entertainment
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer
Best Visual Effects in an Independent/Short Film
Winner: ROCK GARDEN: A LOVE STORY
Pix Ray VFX/Gloryous Production, 2.8 Pictures
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer
Best Visual Effects Shot
Winner: MAX PAYNE
Spin VFX/20th Century Fox
Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor; Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor; Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator; Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD
Best Digital Environment
MAX PAYNE
Spin VFX/20th Century Fox
Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor; Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor;Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator; Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: A NEW BEGINNING
Pix Ray VFX/Sullivan Entertainment
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer
ROCK GARDEN: A LOVE STORY
Pix Ray VFX / Gloryous Production, 2.8 Pictures
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer
Best Animated Character
Winner: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
MPC/Walt Disney and Walden Media
Greg Fisher, Animation Supervisor; Peta Bayley, Lead Animator; Julio del Rio Hernandez, Lead Animator; Tom Reed, Head of Rigging
Student Nominees
Best Student Video Game
ORIGAMEE
Blue Skies/The University of Abertay, (Dundee, Scotland)
Richard Barlow, Programmer & Team Lead; Alberto Fustinoni, Programmer; Aby Cox, 2D Artist; Kevin Dunlop, 3D Artist
THE BOOTY BANDIT MASTERS OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Centre for Digital Media, GNW, (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Brian Ford, Christine Jung, David Marhal, Ken Pratt
DEGUIYU MASTERS OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Centre for Digital Media, GNW, (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Bryant DJ Davey, Xbox Director; Su Yon Sohn, Web Presence Director; Liam Kelly, Support
NUMBER 6
Six Studios/Universitat Pompeu Fabra-IDEC (Barcelona, Spain)
Carles Salvany Pedro, Artist/Animator; Albert Aguilar, Programmer; Fernando Suarez Pena, Programmer; Rodrigo Santoro Rojas, Artist
Best Student Animated Production
MIDNIGHT BALLET
Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Jin Xie
NUTTY THE NEUROTIC NINJA SQUIRREL
California State University Fullerton (USA)
Jason Haniuk
SNARED
Algonquin College Animation Program (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Best Visual Effects in a Student Project
Winner: SPACE BAR
Lost Boys Learning (Comox, British Columbia, Canada)
George Kyparissous
