From March 9-13, 2026, the Animation Diversity Foundation sent 10 GDC Scholars to GDC 2026, courtesy of the GDC Scholarship Program. Attending GDC is a fantastic experience, especially for early career devs and students in game anim/anim-adjacent disciplines to learn and connect with studios and fellow game dev professionals. Here are a few things our Scholars said about attending the week long event:

“GDC 2026 was a really meaningful experience for me, both professionally and personally. It was my first time attending at this scale, and I had the chance to meet people from across different parts of the industry—from game developers to technical artists and designers. The conversations I had there gave me a much clearer picture of where I stand and what direction I want to move toward after graduation. Being able to go to talks, connect with professionals, and follow up with mentors afterward has already started to impact my career decisions in a very real way. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and support.

Before GDC, the gaming industry felt really large and intimidating. After connecting with so many passionate people in the industry, it feels much friendlier and welcoming.

After leaving GDC, I have never felt more confident about my choice to become an animator, and I am forever grateful to the ADF team for giving me this experience.

Thank you so much to the GDC Scholarship Program for making this possible for our ADF GDC Scholars. We deeply appreciate GDC 2026 for giving our scholars this opportunity, especially during these turbulent times in our industry.