ACM SIGGRAPH officially announced the opening of submissions for FJORG!, the International Animation Contest taking place at the upcoming SIGGRAPH conference, August 11-15 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
FJORG! is an "iron animator" event in which competing teams from around the world have 32 hours to create a 15-second, character-driven animation while adhering to at least one of two themes and facing multiple distractions. The online submission system is now open, and submission and uploaded materials are due by May 7 2008.
Submissions are open to the public. The competition will be structured similar to the 2007 event, with some exciting changes in the submission process. Judges will select the most qualified 16 teams of 3D and 2D animators from a pool of animation reels submitted from around the globe.
The FJORG! 2007 documentary can be viewed on AWNtv (
www.awntv.com ).
New for 2008 is the addition of a submission category known as "Pot Luck," where solo animators also have the opportunity to qualify for the competition and will be organized into additional teams. Another new addition is "Viking vs. Pirates." Pending sufficient teams, the judging will be split into professional and student categories to create two divisions of competing teams.
In 2007, 16 teams participated in the competition and the feedback was fantastic. "The entire competition was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience," stated W. Jacob Gardner, Cycles Animator from DreamWorks, a member of the FJORG! 2007 winning team. "Professionally, I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without the experience and connections my team and I gained through the FJORG! competition."
Similar to 2007, the teams chosen to compete in FJORG! will be selected based upon criteria set forth in the FJORG! Official Rules (
http://www.siggraph.org/s2008/submissions/late/fjorg/rules.php )
These teams will compete before a live audience and a panel of expert judges that will include leading talent from top graphics, feature film, animation, and gaming companies.
