More than just
an Awards

Our legacy is the Rookie Awards, but we are much, much more than this. We are a platform that helps digital artists get discovered without having to compete with professionals for attention. We are here to help bridge the gap between production studios and schools.

Most importantly, The Rookies is a safe environment for aspiring artits to share their work without judgement, to be encouraged and motivated to chase their dreams of a career in creative media.

"The Rookies is better than Artstation. It exposes you to the level of artists that you're competing against."

Testimonial by Morten Jaeger - FlippedNormals

You are in great hands

Supported by the best schools

The Rookies is a platform for all aspiring artists, but we also have a long history with supporting schools and students. Through initiatives like the Rookie Awards and speaking and education conferences around the world we are here to help guide everyone on their journey to launch their creative media careers.

View Schools

100% free for aspiring artists

Showcase your student's work

The Rookies provides you with a slick portfolio to showcase your work to the world. It's more than a standard portfolio that other sites offer, it's a resume and record of all your achievements. The custom built application allows you to upload everything you need: images, videos, galleries, process view ™, Sketchfab viewer, formatted text and even GitHub repositories for your code.

See examples

Recent examples of portfolio pages.

Round of applause for our talented members

Only we have Process View™

Digital media projects are complicated to show the true process behind the finished renders. This is why we created Process View™ which is designed to allow users to "scrub" between up-to 5 different images. Check out an example here. (Look for the yellow slider bar)

Follow along with Play by Play

We know everyone loves a good forum to share their work and allow people to follow along with updates. This is why you have two choices when creating a project: Standard or Play by Play. Choose Play by Play and keep adding updates to your projects as they become ready.

Achievents and Badges

Everyone needs a little encouragement, and who doesn't love a good badge or certificate. We have these fully integrated into our platform and award these to our members regularly. Members can then use these to show of their profile page and social media channels.

Lighting speed and mobile ready

It's no good having a great portfolio if no one can see it! This is why our team has optimised the delivery of member portfolios using a cloud based content delivery network that has been configured for both desktop and mobile viewing.

"I have my portfolio on every major website and I'm left absolutely frustrated by the process. With The Rookies, the way you've made adding images, text, videos - well, it's simply brilliant! I love it!"

Testimonial by Peter Dimitrov

We love helping members grow their network

Where student's are seen by the right people

The Rookies is a much needed support network for artists during their journey from novice through to the early stages of their professional career. We have a strong industry connection with the world's most highly respected studios. This allows us to help introduce members to our network of recruiters and offer networking opportunities not available on other platforms.

Track their Journey

From the moment an artist realises they have a passion for creative media, up until the moment they secure their first big job, we’ve are here to help. Our community is full of creators on the same journey and we are setup and motivated to help push members to achieve your goals.

01

Debut

This is the beginning of your journey. You are eager to learn everything you can. You are starting to dabble with software and tools. You don't have much work to share just yet, but it's coming soon.
02

Player

This is the learning stage of your journey. You are developing new skills and building your confidence. You are spending your time training online or at an educational facility.
03

Contender

You have a portfolio that is ready to share with recruiters. You are creating industry level personal projects, developing your soft-skills, starting to network and applying for jobs. Your goal is to land that first big job offer.

Start first year of employment
04

Rookie

You have reached the ultimate level. Just like in professional sports, you are officially a Rookie for your first year of employment. You still have plenty to learn, but you can see an exciting career ahead of you.

Complete first year of employment

A environment to gain confidence

Grow and thrive as a student

Contests & Challenges

To help encourage members to create new content for their portfolios, we regularly have contests and challenges. These provide a great way for members to compare their skills and follow along as people submit their work.

Learning & Targeted Content

A huge part of our community is helping members learn about software, soft skills and everything in between. Our platform has a fully integrated learning directory which targets content directly to members based on where they are on their journey.

Support Channels (Discord)

A critical part of any artists journey is to build a strong network. To help with this, we have a dedicated Discord channel where everyone can share ideas, work and talk about industry news. Industry professionals from our judging panel are always found joining in the discussions.

Job Leads & Studio Directory

As members start thinking about careers, they can dig into our Studio directory to find local and international companies worthy of their talent. With our network of partners, we provide members with job leads the moment they arrive in our inbox.

"Success at The Rookies is a great boost for the whole Animation Programme at the Hertfordshire. From the staff's point of view, it lets us know we're on the right track. For the students, it helps to show them just how much it's possible to achieve if they apply themselves."

Testimonial by Neil Gallagher | Hertfordshire University

• Largest student contest

Rookie Awards

Started in 2010, this is our biggest annual contest. It's open to young creatives in visual effects, animation, games, virtual reality, motion graphics and 3d visualisation. There is simply no better way to launch your career and start sharing your amazing work online.

The Rookies is a much needed support network for artists during their journey from novice through to the early stages of their professional career. This is their journey, and it is our responsibility to connect them with trusted companies, studios and schools that will help them become the artist we know they can be.

First launched in 2010, the Rookie Awards is our premium advertising opportunity for companies looking to engage with our audience through our dedicated contest platform, customised marketing campaigns and detailed reporting dashboards.

The Rookie Awards is open to all amateur artists. If you are trying to break into the creative media and entertainment industry, you are eligible. Students, recent graduates and self-taught artists are allowed to enter.

The goal of this Awards is to help encourage and motivate artists to share their work. It’s not just about winning. It’s about building your confidence and finding out how your skills stack up against other artists around the world on the same journey.

Simply no better way to drive leads to your school by performing well in the Rookies World School Rankings® 2019.