The Irish Animation Awards Are Coming

The first annual Irish Animation Awards are fast approaching. The (sold out) inaugural ceremony, celebrating the best in Ireland's booming industry, is taking place on Friday March 13th at the Dingle Film Festival. The awards will be handed out across twelve categories, which recognise achievement in animation, visual effects and gaming and App design. Thanks to its unique zoetrope design, it also boasts what has to be the coolest looking award we've ever laid eyes on. Seriously, what animator wouldn't want that on their shelf?

There's no feature category yet- the industry isn't quite at the stage where it's producing multiple features a year. Which means that Cartoon Saloon are noticeably absent, but there's still plenty of other talent in the Emerald Isle worthy of recognition.  Several studios have managed to snag multiple nominations- notably Brown Bag Films, Boulder Media and Geronimo Productions.

The full list of nominees follows.

Best Animated Preschool Series (Up to 6 years)

Bing (Brown Bag Films/ Acamar Films)
Nominees:Production Team
Henry Hugglemonster (Brown Bag Films)
Nominees: Production Team
Colm Tyrrell (Producer)
Norton Virgien (Supervising Director)
Lily’s Driftwood Bay (Sixteen South)
Nominees: Production Team

Kids Choice Award For Best Animated Series

Brain Freeze (Kite Entertainment)
Nominees:Colm Tobin (Prodcuer)
Ian Benjamin Kenny (Director)
I’m a Creepy Crawly (Monster Entertainment)
Nominees: Deirdre Barry (Producer)
Andrew Fitzpatrick (Executive Producer)
Andrew Crotty ( Director/ Designer)
Planet Cosmo (Geronimo Productions)
Nominees: Production Team
Punky (Geronimo Productions)
Nominees: Gerard O’Rourke (Producer)
Randy Cunnighman: 9th Grade Ninja (Boulder Media)
Nominees: Gillian Comerford (Animation Director)
Paul O’Flanagan (Animation Director)
Stephen McGann (Animation Director)

 

Best Animated Short Film

Deadly (Kavaleer)
Nominees: Aidan McAteer (Director)
Shannon George (Producer)
Fresh Cut Grass (Boulder Media)
Nominees: Robert Cullen (Director/Writer)
MACROPOLIS (Flickerpix)
Nominees: Production Team
Joel Simon (Director)
David Cummings (Producer)

Best Animated International Short Film

Bait (Dane Winn)
Nominees: Dave Winn (Director)
Matthew Footit
Chasing Sunlight (Alexandria Kwan)
Nominees:Alexandria Kwan (Director)
Outlines (Daisy Gould)
Nominees: Daisy Gould (Director)

Best Writer For Preschool Animation (Up to 6 Years)

Lily’s Driftwood Bay (Sixteen South)
Nominees: Writing Team
Planet Cosmo (Geronimo Productions)
Nominees: Jason Tammemagi
Punky (Geronimo Productions)
Nominees: Andrew Brenner

Best Writer For An Animated Series

Brain Freeze (Kite Entertainment)
Nominees: Colm Tobin
Aidan O’Donovan
Roy (Jam Media)
Episode: Snookered
Nominee: Trevor J. Colgan
Roy (Jam Media)
Episode: Roy on Film
Nominee: Mark Hodkinson

Best Animation For Apps and Gaming

Dino Dog – A Digging Adventure with Dinosaurs! (Storytoys)
Nominees: Jason Tammemagi
Ciara Moore
Emmet O’Neill
Dan Spencer
Five Fables (Flickerpix)
Nominees: Dean Burke (Animation Director)
Joel Simon (Supervising Director)
Tim Bryans (Producer)
David Cumming (Executive Producer)
ShipAntics: The Legend of The Kikibeast (Studio PowWow)
Nominees: Production Team

Best Design/ Art Direction

Bing (Brown Bag Films & Acamar Films)
Nominees: Stephen O’Connor (Art Director)
Stephen Robinson (Art Director)
Doc McStuffins (Brown Bag Films)
Nominees: Derek Horan (2d Designer)
Bronagh O’Hanlon (Art Director)
Henry Hugglemonster (Brown Bag Films)
Nominees: Bronagh O’Hanlon(Art Director)

Best Director Of An Animated Series

Bing (Brown Bag Films)
Nominees: Nicky Phelan (Director)
Jeroen Jaspaert (Series Story Director)
Brain Freeze (Kite Entertainment)
Nominee: Ian Benjamin Kenny (Director)
Peter Rabbit (Brown Bag Films)
Nominee: David McCamley (Director)

Best Animation

Bord Gais Networks ‘Tommy McAnairney’ (Piranha Bar)
Nominees: Gavin Kelly ( Director)
Simon Burke (Lead 3D/Character Design/ Lighting)
Sam Boyd (Rigging/ Lead Animator)
Last Hijack (Piranha Bar)
Nominees: Piranha Bar Team
Lily’s Driftwood Bay (Sixteen South)
Nominees: Animation Team

Best Music/ Sound Design

Lily’s Driftwood Bay (Sixteen South)
Nominees: Music and Sound Design Team
The Travels of a Young Marco Polo (Magpie 6 Media/ Monster Entertainment)
Nominees: Production Team
Wildernuts
Nominees: Darren Hendley

Best Student Film

Daisy Chain (IADT)
Nominees:  Thomas Young(Writer/ Director/ Animation)
Produced by IADT
Vertical Horizons (IADT)
Nominees: Anita Gaughan (Director/ Animator)
Produced by IADT
Wounded (BCFE)
Nominees: Julie Rush (Director)
Produced by BCFE

[source]