Digital Arts, Film and Animation Competition

About the Competition

The Digital Arts, Film, and Animation Competition beckons deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades 9-12 (as of spring 2025) to unleash their creativity. Participants are invited to produce a digital artwork, film, or animation, and compete to win prizes based on six categories. Whether it's a stunning visual creation, an animated narrative, or an imaginative film, the possibilities are boundless!

Registration for the Digital Arts, Film, and Animation Competition opens on October 15, 2024, with submissions accepted until March 14, 2025. Winners can choose between an all-expenses paid summer program experience or a $500 cash prize!

Teachers are strongly encouraged to inspire their students to participate and integrate the competition into their curriculum. Each student may choose one category for their submission, so start crafting your masterpiece and get ready to shine in the Digital Arts, Film, and Animation Competition!

Rules and Eligibility

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for the Digital Arts, Film, and Animation Competition, students must:

  • Be deaf or hard-of-hearing.
  • Be enrolled in grades 9-12 in spring 2025.
  • Have a parent’s or guardian’s permission to participate.
  • Have a teacher’s recommendation.
  • Submit a copy of their high school transcript.
  • Sign a statement that their work is original and no copyrighted materials are used in their submission.
  • Have appropriate permission forms, if required by their school district.

What do I need to do?

  • Complete the entry form.
  • Submit your application package, which must include ALL of the following, to Google Drive
    • A separate media file for each entry (up to two entries may be submitted).
    • Work that is original, not copied from photographs, images, clip art, or other resources that are not original.
    • Artwork that is an individual work, not part of a class project.
    • A 150-300 word descriptive essay of the processes used for your project.
    • A copy of your high school transcript.
    • A letter of recommendation from your teacher.
    • Enable “anyone with a link can view” access to your entry and send the link to artscompetition@rit.edu. 
  • Give RIT permission to use names, submitted images, likenesses and voices for possible promotion.

You may also mail your application package to:​​​

RIT Digital Arts, Film and Animation Competition
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
NTID Outreach & Special Projects
52 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, New York 14623

Enter your best work today! The deadline for submitting all materials is March 14, 2025.

Please label your artwork and essays in your application package to ensure that it is easy to identify your work.
 

Competition Categories

Interactive Media

Interactive media pieces use a combination of graphics, animation, text and user controls in a computer-based environment. The goal of interactive media is to allow people to interact with the image on the screen, controlling what happens. Two examples of widely used interactive media pieces are DVD menus and computer games. Interactive media pieces should be submitted in a Macintosh compatible file format. Self-running interactive media pieces are preferred.

Graphic Media

Graphic media pieces are two-dimensional pieces that are created using a combination of graphic elements, including: typography, graphics and computer generated imagery that is used for printed materials. Graphic media pieces are intended to deliver a message to an audience. Some examples of graphic media pieces include: logo design, illustrations, technical illustration, advertising posters, product labels, and fine art illustration. Graphic media entries should be submitted using a PDF file format.

Photo Imaging

Photo imaging is a single image that uses photographic imagery that is combined to create a composition. Successful photographic imaging pieces are photos that have some aspect of digital manipulation, such as airbrushed, collage, and manipulated using various digital techniques. The goal of a piece created for photo imaging should achieve a visually interesting and unified composition. Some examples of photo imaging include advertisements that are digitally altered and photographs that have been retouched digitally. Photo imaging entries must be submitted using a .PDF file format. Please also include the original images before alteration, or the original images that were used as part of a composition for judging purposes. All photos must be shot by the photographer, not taken from the internet or another source.

Web Page Design

Web page design is the art of creating a visually appealing, easy-to-use web page. Successful web page designs are complete, functional web pages that have good, consistent layouts, use of hypertext links, images, and use web coding. Web page design entries should be submitted as a compressed file that includes all files and images used to create the web page.

Film

Film pieces are essentially sequences of moving images viewed at high speed that, when seen by the eye, give the illusion of motion to tell a story. Successful film pieces show visually creative ways of expressing a story using time and motion. Techniques used to create film, such as camera operation, storytelling techniques, lighting, and editing will be part of the judging criteria. Film entries must be submitted as a QuickTime .MOV file.

3-D Animation

3-D animation works using the same fundamental concepts of film. With 3-D animation, all elements are created using 3-D and 2-D computer graphics software. This kind of animation is used when individual elements interact with each other to tell a story using time and motion within a true 3-D space on the computer. 3-D modeling techniques, animation controls, storytelling methods, and time-based motion are all part of the judging criteria for this category. All 3-D entries must be submitted as a QuickTime .MOV file.

Judging Criteria

  • The panel of judges reserves the right to disqualify any project due to poor quality, incompleteness, poor taste, inappropriateness of content, or concerns regarding copyright infringement in the original work.
  • The artwork must be in compliance with the entry guidelines.
  • The artwork must be compatible with one of the identified categories. NTID reserves the right to reject or move an entry to another category as it deems appropriate, according to media used.
  • The artwork should be compelling, aesthetic in design, and carry a message.
  • Artwork will be judged using the following criteria: uniqueness/originality, professional quality (neatness and craft), aesthetic quality (design, composition, color/tones), concept, selection and application of materials, and complexity/level of digital technology used.

Prizes

Young student designing on a computer

Winners will be chosen for each of the six categories for this competition. Our panel of judges will review all submissions and winners will be announced after the March 14, 2025 deadline.

Winners of each category will receive a plaque commending their work and a choice between an all-expenses paid trip to one of our summer programs or a $500 cash prize!

If you want to discover our summer program options, visit our main page:

NTID Youth Programs

Contact Us

For more information or questions about prizes, contact us at artscompetition@rit.edu. 

To submit your application package or materials for the competition, please mail to:

RIT Digital Arts, Film and Animation Competition
Rochester Institute of Technology
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Lyndon Baines Johnson Building
52 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, New York 14623