Here Are 14 of Our Most Commonly Asked Rookie Awards Questions

Here Are 14 of Our Most Commonly Asked Rookie Awards Questions

To help you better understand the contest, here are our most commonly asked questions so you don't have to worry about asking them.

The annual Rookie Awards is a big contest with loads of categories that you can enter and lots of different options for teams and individuals. To help you better understand the contest, here are our most commonly asked questions so you don't have to worry about asking them.


1. Who can enter the Rookie Awards?

The Rookie Awards 2022 is open to students, self-taught, and hobbyist digital artists with a passion for creative media and entertainment.

Important: If you have more than 12 months of professional experience in any related field that puts you at a distinct advantage over emerging artists, you will not be eligible to enter.

2. Does my work need to have been created recently?

For all other categories such as Rookie of the Year, all work is permitted regardless of creation date. The judges want to see all your best work, so if you have a project from many years ago that you are proud of making sure to share it.

The date work was created only relates to people entering Film of the Year and Game of the Year categories. Entries into these categories must not have been released prior to June 2019.

3. Are you able to enter multiple categories?

Yes, you can enter multiple categories. For example, you can submit 3 entries to the following 3 categories:

  • Rookie of the Year - Visual Effects
  • Rookie of the Year - Concept Art
  • Career Opportunity - Ninja Theory

Based on the above example. You would need to create two separate entries for the Rookie of the Year categories. Concept Art and Visual Effects. You would also create a separate entry for Film of the Year to focus on your film as a whole and not confuse it with all your other work.

4. Is there a design brief for the contest?

No, there is not a design brief for any of the contest categories. However, the brief for each category is to create a single page which shows all your best work that relates to the category (industry) you choose to enter.

For example, if you want to enter Rookie of the Year - Visual Effects, you should create an entry that shows all your best visual effects work. Think of the contest as a job interview. You want to share your best work that relates to the category.

5. Is the 3D Animation category only for animators?

No. We get this one a lot and it simply comes down to terminology. When we refer to 3D Animation we mean stylised 3D projects similar to what you'd expect from a Pixar or Dreamworks movie.

Do not confuse the term '3D Animation' with the discipline of keyframe animation. Entries to the 3D Animation category should include content specifically created for feature animated films/shorts. The key is that all elements should be full CG - environments, characters, set, props, animation and effects.

If you are an animator, don't assume that you must enter the 3D Animation category. Submit your work to the industry that relates to your style of work eg: Visual Effects, 3D Animation, Game Development.

6. Can I submit fanart, models, textures, rigs created by other artists as part of my entry?

Absolutely. It's actually recommended in many cases. Using concept art as reference, models for your digital set and even pre-made rigs for your animation performances are all acceptable.

The key here is to clearly credit the other artists. It's up to you to make sure you explain what you did on your project and if other artists contributed in any way. Not crediting other artists correctly could result in disqualification.

7. My film is on the Film Festival circuit, can it be shared privately?

We understand that some people have their work submitted to other contests and film festivals and they require privacy. We have you covered with this for our contest. When you embed a Vimeo video, there is a Password input field available to enter your private password. When you input a password, two things happen:

  • your entry displays a password required a video to the public. The public will not have this code, so they can't watch it.
  • the judges will have access to see the password and use it to watch your video.

Tip: Make sure to include any teaser videos or images that will help get the community excited about your project.

8. Is it worth participating if I don't want to win a Career Opportunity?

Absolutely. Career Opportunities are only a small part of the contest. These categories are not compulsory, so if you are not interested in a Studio Internship simply don't select it during your application process.

9. Which category should I submit my 3D character art too?

Most people consider their 3D character art as Concept Art. However, this is not the case with the contest. Concept Art is targeted towards 2D artists and illustrators. So, if your character art is for games, enter Game Development. If it's for blockbuster films, enter it in Visual Effects and so on.

3D character artists can enter the Concept Art category, but make sure your 3D work isn't the primary focus of the art. It should be a supporting element eg: 'I use 3d to help block out perspective or help pose my characters and even add a few complex 3d details and that's it, the rest is 2D."

The key here is that your work should not be 100% rendered if you want to enter Concept Art - this rendered work needs to be over in industry-specific categories like Game Development, Visual Effects, 3D Animation.

10. What is The Draft, and how do I get selected for it?

The Draft is a live list of top entries. It gets updated similar to how The Draft works in sports leagues like football. As more judges review entries the list adjusts accordingly. Due to this, it's often the case where people will be added to The Draft and also drop off as time progresses. But don't be surprised if you bump straight back on again at any moment.

11. Can I submit more than one project per entry?

Yes! It's actually highly recommended. When creating an entry, you can include a single project - some winners have even done this in previous years. However, it's recommended to share multiple projects as part of your entry as it shows diversity, a wider range of skills and provides more opportunities to impress the judges.

12. Can I submit team entries?

Teams are eligible to enter Film of the Year and Game of the Year categories. However, you must nominate one team member to create your entry. We do not want all team members uploading the same film/game. During the application process, you can add collaborators that will be credited as part of the team.

If you are entering Rookie of the Year, you can include work that was created as part of a team, on one condition. You must clearly explain what you contributed to the project. Do not take credit for others work or you will be disqualified.

13. I'm a school administrator, can I submit work on behalf of my students.

Unfortunately this is not possible. You wouldn't attend a job interview for your student and pretend you are them, it's just not fair. This is the same for our contest. All entries must be created by the owner of the content.

14. How can I see examples of winning entries from previous Rookie Awards?

The easiest way to view these is to do the following:

  • Go to the contest area of the website where all entries are visible. https://www.therookies.co/contests
  • Use the yellow navbar to filter the entries to a specific contest eg: Rookie Awards 2021
  • Once selected you can further narrow the view by selecting a single category eg: Visual Effects

This will show you all the entries for Rookie Awards > Rookie of the Year > Visual Effects. Want to see the winners? Easy. Click the "Winners Only" filter button located on the left of the yellow navbar.


Didn't have your question answered here? You might find the answer over at our Support Desk or Discord Channel. If all else fails, please use the live chat located bottom-right of every contest page.