ASIFA-Hollywood Announces ‘Call for Judges’ for the 48th Virtual Annie Awards

BURBANK, Calif. (November 30, 2020) – ASIFA-Hollywood announced today its ‘Call for Judges’ for the 48th Virtual Annie Awards™. Applicants must have an established career in animation and exemplary professional credentials in at least one of the Annie Award categories. Individuals in the animation community, who are interested in being a nomination committee judge, will find the application at members.asifa-hollywood.org/judge-application.

“I’d like to encourage members from the animation industry to participate who can help us increase the diversity in our judging panels,” said ASIFA-Hollywood President-Elect, Sue Shakespeare. “It has been an ongoing initiative within ASIFA-Hollywood to increase the diverse voice of our judges, and this year’s goal is to have the most diverse group ever!” Annie Judge candidates do not have to be members of ASIFA-Hollywood but, whether they have applied in the past or are applying for the first time, need to submit a new application.

“We are doing more to reach out to animation organizations including Women In Animation, Black N’ Animated, LXiA (LatinX in Animation), as well as other under-represented members of our community,” commented Frank Gladstone, ASIFA-Hollywood’s executive director. “Increasing diversity in the Annie Award judging population is perhaps a small step in broadening our industry, but it is a necessary one.”

Key Dates for the 48th Annie Awards™ Ceremony Include:

  • Call for Judges – Monday, November 30, 2020;
  • Call for Judges Deadline – Monday, December 14, 2020;
  • Call for Entries – Monday, January 4, 2021;
  • Annies Submissions Deadline – 5 p.m. (PST), Monday,    February 1, 2021;
  • Nominations Announced – 8 a.m. (PST) on Wednesday, March 3, 2021;
  • Deadline to Become an Annies Sponsor & Advertiser, Monday, March 22, 2021;
  • Online balloting begins Monday, March 29, 2021 and ends Friday, April 9, 2021;
  • 48th Annie Awards™ Friday, April 16, 2021.

All other important dates, details and the 48th Annie Awards™ Rules are located on the official Annie Awards™ website – www.annieawards.org.

Entries submitted for consideration will be from animated productions that were released in the United States between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Exceptions are commercials, short subjects, special projects and student films, which can qualify with or without United States releases. Submissions close on Monday, February 1, 2021 at 5 p.m. (PST)

Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, and in whose name the philanthropic June Foray Award was established, the Annie Awards™ have grown in scope and stature for the past four decades. ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it.

Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, Animation Educators Forum, animated film preservation, special events, scholarships and screenings.

For up-to-the minute details and information on the 48th Annie Awards™, please visit www.annieawards.org. For information on ASIFA-Hollywood, please visit www.asifa-hollywood.org.

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