The deadline for entries for the $1,000 Phyllis Craig Scholarship Fund Competition, awarded by Women in Animation International Inc. has been extended until May 30, 2006.
The $1,000 competition is open to any full- or part-time student enrolled in an accredited animation program with a career goal of becoming an animation professional. The student female or male must be a U.S. citizen or a registered alien with the right to work in the U.S. They should submit a portfolio or reel, a 500-word essay out ling their educational and career goals and financial need, a copy of their student I.D. and a recommendation from a teacher or mentor. All the details and an application can be found on the website at www.womeninanimation.org. Entries must be postmarked by May 30 and should be mailed to Women in Animation, Phyllis Craig Scholarhship, P.O. Box 17706, Encino, CA 91416.
The scholarship was set up to honor the memory of Phyllis Craig, a longtime animation professional, who worked at the Film Roman and Hanna-Barbera studios, and mentored hundreds of students and young professionals.
Last year, Tani Murphy entered the competition at the last minute and won. Murphy is majoring in Art at San Francisco State University in the Cinema Department's Animation Program and is graduating this May.
Funds were tight, even though she had a G.I. Bill education grant, worked part-time and her husband worked 75 hours a week. She also had a four-hour roundtrip commute on public transportation (including a ferry) to get to SFSU and back.
Murphy found the scholarship application on the WIA website and, five days before the competition closed, she mailed her entry off to Women in Animation. She is used to short turnaround times for projects. She served five years in the Army and worked at a U.S. military television and radio station in Seoul, Korea, where she created a number of tight turnaround productions.
The judges who awarded Tani the $1,000 scholarship commented that she shows exceptional animation talent, had an excellent portfolio, draws really well and has a wonderful feel for acting.
