On Campus News

Ringling College Graduate Eric Prah Wins 2012 Student Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Jun 11, 2012, 10:02

(Los Angeles, CA) - Ringling College of Art and Design graduate Eric Prah ('12, Computer Animation) has won a Student Academy Award in Animation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his senior thesis animation, �My Little Friend�. Ringling College students have won 8 Student Academy Awards in the past 10 years, as well as the most consecutive Student Academy Awards since the awards began in 1973, with four awards in a row from 2005-2008.

Eric is one of ten students from nine U.S. colleges and universities who have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences� 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry activities culminating in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy�s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, at which time it will be revealed if Eric has won a Gold, Silver or Bronze Award. Eric�s animation may be may be viewed at the Academy web site through the following link: �My Little Friend�.

Eric is from Plainfield, New Jersey, graduated from Ringling College this spring and will begin working at Blue Sky Studios in June. He was a National Achievement Scholarship Winner in 2008, won a �Juror's Award� in the "Best of Core 2009" Show and his animations have been featured in the �Best of Ringling� in 2010, 2011, and 2012. His short was selected to play at the 2012 Toronto Animation Arts Festival International and was also screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. According to Eric, "It�s really exciting to know that my animated short is being considered among the best in the country, but it�s even more exciting to hear that so many people want to watch it. Every time someone watches my film and genuinely laughs out loud I start to get the feeling that I did something really worthwhile. It�s definitely inspirational, and I can�t wait to see what kind of filmmaking opportunities I�ll have in the future."

Past Ringling College Student Academy Award winners include:
2011 - Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis - Defective Detective
2010 - Jennifer Bors - Departure of Love
2008 - Evan Mayfield - The Visionary
2007 - Bevin Carnes - A Leg Up
2006 - Meng Vue - The Dancing Thief
2005 - Josh Beveridge - Things That Go Bump in the Night
2002 - Don Phillips, Jr. - Passing Moments
1998 - Pete Choe, Jeff Baker, Neil Nellans, Dominic Cecere, James Hill





Resources:

www.ringling.edu