What is the ADF GDC Scholarship?

The ADF GDC Scholarship provides All Access passes to GDC in San Francisco, to 10 recipients*. Consistent with the ADF mission statement, we aim to increase access and opportunity to marginalized or under-represented groups in the games industry, in order to improve diversity and inclusion. Scholarship recipients will also be focused on animation-related disciplines, such as character animation, technical animation/rigging, animation programming, etc.

Who is eligible for the scholarship?

Recipients must meet the following criteria:

•         18 years of age or older by March 18, 2024
•         Able to attend GDC 2024, in-person
•         Proof of vaccination will be required for entry per venue regulations. At the ADF, we support science.
•         Currently a student or has less than 2 years of experience in the video game industry
•         Must study or work in an animation discipline in game dev (animator, tech animator/rigger, animation programmer, tech designer in animation, etc).
•         Applicants can receive this scholarship a maximum of one time

CLICK HERE FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

Everyone is welcome to apply, but we will keep consistent with our mission and give preference to members of an under-represented group, including but not limited to LGBTQIA+, women, minorities, disabled persons, and new parents.

For non-US residents: Recipients are not limited to US residents/citizens. In the past, we have awarded scholarships to international students. However, you must be able to legally travel to the United States. Letters of invitation needed to obtain a visa are available from the GDC Registration Department. Please see their FAQ for more details: https://gdconf.com/faq

You can find info around Health & Safety here. Proof of vaccination will be required for entry per venue regulations.

You can find travel information here.

Application Guidelines

Here are the guidelines to apply:

The application window is open from 12 AM Pacific Time, November 18, 2023, and will close at 11:59PM Pacific Time on January 10, 2024.

Our judging panel, consisting of 3 to 5 volunteers, will evaluate each application. The panel’s membership is diverse, in experience as well as demographic, and includes previous scholarship recipients.

Ten applications will be selected to receive the scholarship, and ten will be waitlisted on the chance that chosen recipients cannot attend.

Applicants selected to receive a scholarship must accept or decline within 3 days or 72 hours of being sent the notification email. The email will include instructions on how to do so. If a recipient does not accept, the committee will offer the scholarship to a waitlisted applicant.

Recipients will be notified by January 21, 2024.

Once a recipient has accepted, they will be sent a code for use on the GDC website to acquire their GDC pass.

FAQ

Q: Is there a travel stipend?

A: We will provide a small travel stipend to all winners. The amount is currently $1000 for each winner, and may increase. We have secured good hotel rates for scholars via GDC, as well.

Q: Are any activities planned for the winners?

A: For 2024, we are planning a meetup for all past and present scholars, dependent on overall attendance.

Q: Will there be a mentor or buddy program?

A: We are planning on that, yes! The main variable will be how many people attend GDC, and their comfort level with meeting others, given the pandemic.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us: president@animfund.org

…and find THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM HERE