The Toy Industry Association kicked off the 103rd American International Toy Fair with the sixth annual T.O.T.Y. (Toy Of The Year) Awards. The Feb. 11, 2006, ceremony was attended by almost 700 industry leaders and innovators. The T.O.T.Y. Awards (pronounced Toh-Tee) are designed to salute the creativity, success and playful spirit of the toy industry by honoring the best toys developed by the international toy industry for North American consumers.
Ziff Davis Media Game Group presented the third annual 1UP Awards during a special ceremony in San Francisco, California. The 1UP Awards honored videogame publishers and developers who have made a powerful impact on American culture and the entertainment industry.
Nickelodeon's 19th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, which will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2006, from 8-9:30 pm ET/PT, has announced this years nominees.
MADAGASCAR topped the list this year, accruing three nominations for favorite animated movie and favorite voices from an animated movie (Chris Rock and Ben Stiller), and ROBOTS received two for favorite animated movie and favorite voice from an animated movie (Robin Williams).
Actress Rachel McAdams will present the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards on Feb. 18, 2006, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
McAdams, who stars in the romantic comedy, THE FAMILY STONE, made her film debut in PERFECT PIE, which was based on a work by Canadian playwright Judith Thompson. Her films include roles in MEAN GIRLS, THE NOTEBOOK, RED EYE and the 2005 summer hit, WEDDING CRASHERS.
The Imagina Awards hands out it prizes on Feb. 2, 2006, in Monte Carlo.
Supinfocom Arles nabbed the Grand Prix for Aurélie Fréchinos, Victor-Emmanuel Moulin and Thomas Wagners CLIK CLAK. Oscar-nominated short GOPHER BROKE nabbed the Prix du Court-Métrage. Visual effects films receiving awards included CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and BATMAN BEGINS. Foxs ROBOTS took home the Prix du Long-Métrage.
Members of the Visual Effects Society around the globe have until Feb. 10 to vote online for the 4th Annual VES Awards, to be held Feb. 15, 2006, at the Hollywood Paladium.
The online voting system was launched last year, and the new site went live at the end of January with the help of consultant and VFXWORLD contributor Marty Shindler. Some 1,350 members from 16 countries can screen nominated clips along with before-and-after sequences and written material.
Despite the surprising omission of STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, Industrial Light & Magic received two of the three nominations in the Best Visual Effects category yesterday for the 78th Annual Academy Awards.
ILM was nominated for its contributions to WAR OF THE WORLDS and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. To date, ILM has received 35 Oscar nominations since its founding in 1975, an industry record for visual effects companies. For its work, ILM has received 13 Academy Awards.
At the New York Festivals Awards, Animal Logic was awarded a Gold Medal World for Best Special Effects for its work on Fosters Australia Big Ad and VooDooDog won a Silver Award for Best Main Titles for its end credit sequence on NANNY MCPHEE.
The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) will present the 53rd Annual Golden Reel Awards, honoring the finest work in the various areas of sound and music editing in motion pictures and television, on March 4, 2006, during a black tie ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The MPSE Career Achievement and Filmmaker's Awards will also be presented.
The gala stars with cocktails at 5:30 pm, dinner at 7:00 pm and the awards at 8:30 pm, plus dancing. For tickets phone 818-506-7731 or e-mail office@mpse.org.
The Awards Entry Deadline for both Promax/BDA Europe and Arabia Awards has been extended by one week from Friday, Jan. 20, 2006, to Friday, Jan. 27.
This is the final deadline and will not be extended further. Entries and Marketing Objectives must be submitted online. Entrees will not be able to edit the marketing objectives after this date. Tapes must be sent direct to the Promax/BDA offices. Payment must be received either directly. Entries, tapes and payment must reach us by 27th January 2006.
A talented and eclectic group of presenters are scheduled to share the stage with host Tom Kenny at the 33rd Annual Annie Awards on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California (216 N. Brand Blvd.).
The 37th NAACP Image Awards Nominations were announced during a press conference at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Randy Jackson, Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise, James Pickens Jr., and Kevin Frazier joined NAACP president/ceo Bruce Gordon, chairperson, NAACP Image Awards Committee Clayola Brown, and Vicangelo Bulluck, exec producer, NAACP Image Awards to announce 38 categories, which included a new award for Directing.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 6th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the most prestigious honors in game development. Entries can be submitted through www.igda.org/awards up until Jan. 13, 2006. The awards ceremony, produced by the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and presented by the International Game Developers Assoc. (IGDA), will take place Wednesday, March 22, 2006 during the GDC. The gala, held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival, will be hosted at the San Jose Civic Auditorium.
FICCI BAF Awards 2006Mumbai, IndiaMarch 22-24, 2006Deadline: January 31, 2006
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) hosts an International Animation Festival. This year it will have 14 professional categories, two student categories and Special Jury awards. In addition to Animation & Gaming, it has also introduced Visual Effects. For more information, visit www.ficci-frames.com.
Animation house Brain Zoo Studios and videogame developer High Moon Studios announced their promotional trailer for the DARKWATCH videogame won two platinum Aurora Awards as well as five wins at the Davey Awards.
Promax/BDA Arabia Dubai, IndiaMarch 14 15, 2006Deadline: January 20, 2006
The Promax/BDA Arabia Awards are part of the Dubai conference, awarding Gold and Silver trophies in more than 21 categories. Promax/BDA is the association for those working in broadcast promotions, marketing and design. At the conferences leading figures from around the world, as well as experts from the Arabia region, share their secrets and keep you up to date with the latest advances within the industry.
Topics include:
Annecy award-winner and leading Oscar contender THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO has won director Anthony Lucas the Digital Pictures AFI Award for Best Short Animation at the Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards. The event handed out its honors at a star-studded event on Nov. 26, 2005 in Melbourne.
The Korea Culture & Content Agency (KOCCA) has set Dec. 9, 2005, to launch the organizations annual DARI Awards ceremony, honoring entertainment executives and companies for outstanding contributions in advancing the culture of Korea within the U.S. market. Created by KOCCA and the Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles (KCCLA), the annual DARI Awards (DARI is Korean for bridge) will also showcase work produced by events recipients.
The 2005 DARI Awards recipients are:
Winners were announced on Nov, 19, 2005, during the 3rd annual Spike TV "Video Game Awards 2005" ceremony held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the two-hour "game vs. game" extravaganza will premiere on Spike TV Saturday, Dec. 10 (9:00-11:00 pm, ET/PT).
The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television announced the winners of this year's BAF Awards as part of the 12th Bradford Animation Festival, which took place on Nov. 19, 2005 in Bradford, U.K. The BAF Awards celebrate the very best new animation from around the world, with more than 750 submissions whittled down to 30 films for the official selection.
Below is a complete list of winners.
Grand Prix (overall winner)TREE ROBO Dir, Moon-Saeng Kim
2005 Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) AwardsWorld Wide WebMarch 2006 Deadline: January 31, 2006
The Web Marketing Association announces the launch of its fourth annual Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards. The IAC Awards is the first and only industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising. The competition website is located at www.iacaward.org and the deadline for entry is Jan. 31, 2006.
The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences (AMAS), an organization that provides advocacy, education and community for Machinima, announced the winners of the 2005 Machinima Awards (The Mackies), which were unveiled in an awards presentation during the Machinima Film Festival on Nov. 11, 2005.
At the 25th Golden Rooster Awards, the national film awards in China, Taiwans THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS won the Best Animation award. The surprise winner was released last year by Central Motion Pictures Corp. of Taiwan. The other animation nominees included GELANTE CHUANZHANG DE NURE (CAPTAIN GRAND'S DAUGHTER), HE (LOTUS) and MOBISI HUAN (THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP). The awards were held on Nov. 12, 2005, in Sanya on the southern island of Hainan. For the first time, the Golden Rooster Awards were open to ethnic Chinese cast and crew members in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
With more than 650 works in 2005, the IMAGINA AWARDS is a leading competition worldwide for computer-generated images and special effects. With prizes in 10 categories, three of which are awarded by audience voting, the IMAGINA AWARDS put digital creation within the reach of everyone's mind, enabling an evaluation of international talent, which makes no concessions.
Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics, A Division of Maya Entertainment Ltd., India's leading 3D Animation and Visual Effects house organizes the 24fps Animation Awards. There are two categories of awards. The student category is open to all students of 3D Animation who can submit animated shorts of upto 3 minute duration. The Professional category is open to all professional animators who can submit animated shorts of upto 3 minute duration.
