We’re happy to announce the winners of the Game Design Expo 2009 Scholarship, including the recipient of the first-ever Women In Games Scholarship!

The scholarships were first unveiled at Game Design Expo as an opportunity for aspiring game designers to join Vancouver Film School in its acclaimed one-year Game Design program. Alongside six scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $7,000, the full-tuition Women In Games Scholarship, valued at $30,000, was launched to support and foster talented female game designers.

The generous scholarship sponsors included G4TechTV, EA, Big Fish Games, AnnexPro, Obsidian Entertainment, and Radical Entertainment.

VFS is proud to name the following recipients of the 2009 scholarships:

Shannon Lee, Vancouver, BC, Canada – Women In Games Scholarship

Katharine Craig, Vancouver, BC, Canada – $7,000 G4techTV scholarship
Jessica MacGaul, Surrey, BC, Canada – $5,000 EA scholarship
Denver Thomas, Parsippany, NJ, USA – $2,800 Big Fish Games scholarship
Thi Bao Vo, Hanio, Vietnam – $2,500 Annex Pro scholarship
Sara Moore, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – $2,500 Obsidian Entertainment scholarship
Bunthita Nijathaworn, Bangkok, Thailand – $2,500 Radical Entertainment scholarship

Women In Games Scholarship Winner Shannon Lee

Shannon, who hails from Vancouver but has been teaching in Japan, already has a BA in English Lit. But she’s also a lifelong gamer looking forward to pursuing Game Design at VFS.

“Returning a few days ago from a volunteer trip in India to my current home in southern Japan to be greeted with this amazing news is completely overwhelming,” she says. “It is an honour to have been chosen, and I am so thankful for this chance to fulfill a long-held dream of mine. I cannot wait to start the Game Design program and to take advantage of the opportunities that the Women in Games scholarship has afforded.”

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all the incredibly talented applicants! If you missed the deadline but are still interested in taking the first step toward a career in games, speak to a VFS Admissions Advisor now.