VFS was named School of the Year and our 3D Animation & Visual Effects program had an all-around amazing showing at the 2010 Computer Graphics Student Awards, including Student of the Year and two other individual honours.

The CGSAs showcase top new talent from around the world. The awards are put on by cgCoach, with the sponsorship of industry heavies like Framestore, Double Negative, and Pixologic. The judging panel includes film veterans from Double Negative, Disney, and beyond.

VFS alumni who took top honours include Maximilian-Gordon Vogt, who won Student of the Year for his outstanding modeling reel.

Frederik Lillelund took the Excellence in Lighting prize, and the judges bestowed a special Highly Acclaimed honour upon Diego Piccinato, who gave up his eligibility when he was hired recently by Vancouver-based MPC.

Individual first-place winners receive, along with valuable software, hardware, and subscriptions, an internship at London’s Framestore, a visual effects studio that has been behind countless blockbusters over the years.

Here’s a playlist we put together on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/vancouverfilmschool) of all of the winning VFS reels. Enjoy!

School of the Year
Vancouver Film School

Student of the Year
Maximilian-Gordon Vogt

Excellence in Lighting
Frederik Lillelund

Highly Acclaimed
Diego Piccinato

The CGSAs join a long list of accolades for the 3D program, highlighted by 3D World Magazine naming VFS the top one-year 3D Animation & Visual Effects program in the world.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to cgCoach and the CGSAs! For the compete list of 2010 CGSA winners, click here!

Update: We heard from honouree Diego Piccinato shortly after hearing the news. “It feels great!” he told us. “I knew I was probably going to be disqualified because I found a job and couldn’t be attending the internship [at Framestore]. Surprisingly, in the end I got a mention, meaning they liked my work among that of many other talented artists, and I’m very glad.”

Update #2: And a word from Excellence in Lighting winner Frederik Lillelund, who’s on his way for an internship at Framestore: “I’m absolutely thrilled! With so many other talented artists participating in the contest, I feel truly honored to have been awarded such an amazing opportunity to further develop my skills at such a highly acclaimed company as Framestore. I can’t wait to get started!”

Update #3: And from Student of the Year winner Maximilian-Gordon Vogt! “It feels just great,” he says. “I wasn’t expecting to win as Student of the Year… Now all the hard work at VFS finally pays off. The opportunity for me to work alongside the artists at Framestore is amazing! I can’t wait to get started!”