The winners of the Young Animator of the Year UK Animation Awards 2024 were announced this week at the Manchester Animation Festival, showcasing extraordinary talent from young animators across the United Kingdom.
The competition, which aims to discover, nurture, and celebrate emerging animation talent, featured outstanding work from creators aged 11-18. This year’s winners demonstrated exceptional creativity and technical skill across multiple animation categories:
- Ptolemy Torney (15) from Exeter won in the Stop-Motion Animation ages 15-18 category.
- James Moody-Jones (12) from New Milton won in the Stop-Motion Animation ages 11-14 category.
- Morgan Vincent (17) from Exeter won in the 3D Animation ages 15-18 category.
- Dixie O’Malley (18) from Kingston won in the 2D Animation ages 15-18 category.
- Vedha Athmanathan (14) from Rugby won in the 2D Animation ages 11-14 category.
The winning films were screened at the 10th Manchester Animation Festival, where the young animators saw their work displayed on the big screen. This unique platform provides vital exposure and recognition for the next generation of British animation talent.
YAY UK works throughout the year to support young animators, with this industry-judged competition serving as a cornerstone of their mission to develop emerging creative voices in British animation. The competition has previously launched the careers of numerous successful animators, with past winners going on to work at animation and VFX houses like Blue Zoo and The Mill.
Winners were selected by a panel of industry professionals, coming from Aardman, Lupus Films, and more studios, highlighting the competition’s commitment to providing genuine industry recognition for young talent. The winning young animators will get exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of two renowned British animation studios – Blue Zoo in London and Aardman in Bristol.
Young Animator of the Year is an initiative supported by ACCESS:VFX and Blue Zoo Animation Studio. To watch the winning films, visit younganimator.uk/winners
