The ACM SIGGRAPH Sydney Chapter invites current students to participate in our first community-driven animation challenge! Create and share your interpretation of “Falling Between Worlds” in a 3-10 second animated short. And here’s the exciting part: the winner will receive a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (valued at $599, sponsored by Wacom) to power their creative journey! Showcase what you’re learning, explore what makes you curious – learn, collaborate, experiment and challenge your storytelling in a medium of your choosing to explore the possibility of emerging technology and tools.
Challenge Brief
Participation
- Eligibility: Open to all students currently studying or have graduated after January 2024 in animation, VFX, film, media arts, or related fields.
- Submission Length: 3 to 10 seconds.
- Theme: “Falling Between Worlds.” Interpretations can be stylistic, narrative, abstract, or experimental.
- Medium: Any style of animation is accepted (2D, 3D, stop-motion, experimental).
- AI Usage: All participants must declare whether AI tools were used in the creation process. Submissions using AI are welcome, but transparency is required.
- Original Work: Only original work made specifically for this challenge will be accepted.
- Social Media: Use the hashtag #SSCStudentChallenge25 on any posts and work in progress as you create your short, we’d love to see your process and would love you to discover other students’ works!
Submission
- Platform: Participants will upload their finished animation to YouTube (Unlisted) or Vimeo.
- File Specifications: A high resolution version (.mov) with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, at a framerate of 24 fps must also be available for the committee to download. The file will be downloaded for judging and compiled for a community screening upon conclusion of the Challenge.
- You will then submit the link via this Google Form (provided by SIGGRAPH Sydney).
- Submissions must include:
- Name, place of study, program of study
- Animation link(s)
- Short description of concept/ Title
- AI declaration (Yes/No, and if Yes – how it was used)
Deadline
- The challenge will begin from 30 September 2025
- Submission of entries will close 31 October 2025 11:59 PM AEST
- UPDATE (30/10/25): Submission deadline has been extended to Monday 2nd February 11:59 PM AEST
Judging and Awards
- A panel of SIGGRAPH Sydney members and invited industry professionals will judge submissions
- Winner for Best in Show will receive a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (valued at $599)
- Prize and winner will be announced at the Screening at a later date (TBA at the conclusion of the challenge).
This event is brought to you by Sydney ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter and sponsored by Wacom.
Cover art created by Cassandra Karam and Angela Sae-Lam.
Sydney ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter: https://sydney.siggraph.org
Wacom: https://www.wacom.com/en-au