For animation students, the blank page just got a little less daunting. Make, the creative studio behind original animation and storytelling, has opened applications for its 2026 Animation Thesis Grant, offering up to US$2,000 to help senior students turn ambitious thesis films into finished work.
Launched in 2024, the annual grant is aimed at senior-level students studying animation, digital art or related disciplines. Students enrolled in BFA, BA, MFA or MA programmes anywhere in the world can apply, with projects judged on their treatment, storytelling and creative vision.
The money is designed to do more than plug a production gap. Make opens a 2026 animation thesis grant for emerging animators that wants to give emerging animators the resources, confidence and industry visibility needed to get their stories off the ground — and, ideally, into the spotlight.
The grant offers US$2,000 for first place, US$1,000 for second place and US$500 for third place. Winners can also receive professional references, optional creative guidance and promotional exposure through Make’s social channels, blog and press coverage.
Make founder and creative director Danny Robashkin said, “We’re not just funding student films; we’re giving emerging animators the tools, confidence, and visibility to bring their stories to life and step into the industry with work they’re proud of. This award is open internationally, and I’m continually inspired by the creativity we see from around the world. The voices we help amplify today will be the ones defining the next era of animation.”
The grant’s previous winners offer a flavour of that range. First place went to Stone Lions Don’t Roar by Le Hang Whalen, an emotional tale of two sisters set in a fantastical 16th-century Vietnam. Second place went to Thiefish by Madhava Das Kinnicutt and Evelyn Grace Dale, an allegorical story about returning an ocean spirit to its natural habitat.
Third place was awarded to Back To Bones by Ryan Koutras, a comic adventure involving a resurrected knight and his squire in search of a little peace.
From fantastical Vietnam to ocean spirits and undead knights, the winning films show just how wide the animation canvas can stretch. Now Make is opening the door for the next batch of storytellers to put their ideas into motion.
For students staring down a thesis deadline, that could be the difference between a film that stays on paper and one that finally makes the cut.
