Yoobee Animation Excellence Awards Celebrate the Bachelor of Animation Class of 2025!

Yoobee’s Bachelor of Animation programme proudly presented a nationwide screening of all 14 Year 3 Capstone Projects, showcasing exceptional work from students across the Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland campuses. Held simultaneously in each city, the screenings brought together students, staff, industry professionals, friends and whānau to celebrate the creativity, innovation and dedication of the 2025 cohort.

Excellence Awards Screening, @ Academy Cinemas, Auckland

Established in 2022 by the Bachelor of Animation team, the Excellence Award acknowledges student excellence at the highest level. All Year 3 Capstone Projects are reviewed by a panel of industry judges, with recipients selected according to criteria that include storytelling, artistic and creative skill, technical execution, overall quality, audience appeal, project complexity, and festival potential.

Following the screenings, a prize-giving ceremony recognised outstanding achievement through the Excellence Award, Highly Commended recognition. and Honourable Mentions.

Upper row, L-R: Te Ao Mārama, Daisy Chains; Lower row, L-R: Fetch, The Guardian and The Stork

This year’s award recipients were:

Excellence Award Te Ao Mārama – World of Light Christchurch Campus

Highly Commended Daisy Chains Auckland Campus

Honourable Mentions Fetch – Wellington Campus Guardian and the Stork – Auckland Campus

Excellence Award recipient, Laura Moldenhauer-Noethling and Tomomi Hasegawa for Te Ao Mārama - World of Light, awarded by Matua Brian Lewis, and Yoobee Christchurch Campus Manager, Mario Cufone

Te Ao Mārama – The World of Light impressed the judging panel with its immersive worldbuilding and professional execution. Ben Leung described it as “a highly professional and efficiently executed piece of work,” noting that the composition, texturing and lighting met professional industry standards.

Highly commended awardees, Daisy Chains

Highly Commended recipient Daisy Chains was praised for its emotional depth and strong character work. Patricia Watson commended the team “for taking a story and delving deeper to see the story through to completion,” highlighting the thoughtful treatment used to convey emotion.

Among the Honourable Mentions, The Guardian and the Stork stood out for its action and visual intensity. Prabha Mallya described it as “a very immersive scene,” praising the choreography, camera work and skilful sound design.

These projects stood out for their creative vision, craftsmanship and ability to connect with audiences, reflecting the strength of talent across all three campuses.

The Bachelor of Animation team extends heartfelt thanks to this year’s distinguished panel of judges, who generously dedicated their time and expertise to reviewing the projects:

Luke Hargest, Sam Chang, Emily Selfe and Magda Wojciechowska – Tawai Team Patricia Watson – WIFT NZ Robert Riddell Ben Leung – Motion Designer and CG Generalist Prabha Mallya – Illustration and Comics Raqi Syed Ryan Cooper, Alex Leighton and Tim Evans – Mukpuddy Animation Studio Mike Aldrich and Lucinda McIntyre – Greenhills Media Group

Their insight and industry experience continue to play a vital role in supporting and celebrating emerging talent.

We are incredibly proud of what our Yoobee Animators have achieved in 2025. The Capstone screenings remain a highlight of the academic year, offering a powerful glimpse into the next generation of animation professionals. We look forward to seeing these graduates bring their stories to audiences far and wide.

Excellence Awards Screening at Christchurch Campus

Excellence Awards Screen at Wellington Campus