The 2024 International Animation Challenge (IAC), hosted by Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore, successfully concluded. Our student, Huang Yiya, from the 2021 Animation major of the School of Animation Art, and her team won second place in the Real-time Animation category. The team’s work stood out for its unique creativity, smooth visual storytelling, and precise technical execution.

Our student Huang Yiya won second place in the IAC Real-time Animation Award.

 

  The International Animation Challenge (IAC), founded in 2017, is a professional competition organized by 23 leading animation universities worldwide. It brings together top-tier animation schools and talented students from across the globe and has gained significant influence in the international animation community. The 2024 event was carefully organized and hosted by the School of Design and Media at Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore. A total of 48 outstanding students from eight well-known institutions, including Jilin Animation Institute, Teesside University (UK), and Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University (Thailand), participated in the competition. Our school sent a team led by one faculty member and consisting of three students.

  According to the competition rules, the organizing committee grouped four students from different universities into teams, forming a total of 12 teams. Each team was assigned a set of 3D models of Singapore’s architectural landmarks by drawing lots. The task was to create an 8-second animation short, themed “The Vibrant Expression of Singapore’s Culture and Heritage,” within a limited time.

  There were six awards in total: IAC First Place, IAC Second Place, IAC Third Place, Real-time Animation Award First Place, Real-time Animation Award Second Place, and Real-time Animation Award Third Place. Over nine days of intense competition, 12 teams of 48 outstanding students from around the world vied for the six awards. The competition was fierce and highly professional, testing not only individual skills but also the teams' collaboration abilities to the fullest. The winning animations will be exhibited at museums, the National Animation Festival, and iconic landmarks and districts in Singapore.

The first place in the Real-time Animation Award was won by a team of students from Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and Thailand. Huang Yiya’s team, composed of students from China, Singapore, and Thailand, won second place in the Real-time Animation Award, receiving high praise and recognition from the organizing committee and judges.

 

The grouping of students for this year’s competition. Our students were in groups C, F, and H.

 

  During the competition, our participating students engaged in deep exchanges and collaboration with faculty and students from international institutions. They broadened their professional horizons and enriched their international experience through field studies, company visits, and cultural observation in Singapore, laying a solid foundation for future learning and creation. Through participation in international exchanges and competitions like the IAC, our school has expanded its global collaborations, forming partnerships with more renowned international universities, enterprises, and research institutions. This also facilitates the international promotion of JAI culture and the global reach of “Produced by JAI.”

Albert Lim, Dean of the School of Design and Media, Nanyang Polytechnic presenting a certificate of appreciation to Jilin Animation Institute.

  This achievement once again reflects the high-quality education at JAI. Jilin Animation Institute will continue to uphold its commitment to “Openness and International Orientation” education, further promoting multi-level, multi-channel, and diversified international exchange programs, providing more high-quality, varied, and broad learning and exchange opportunities for JAI students.