Australian college offering $500,000 in game and film scholarships
Half of the spaces saved for women and underrepresented populations, CG Spectrum stresses this is not “token diversity”
CG Spectrum College has unveiled plans for half a million dollars' worth of scholarships in subjects designed to give graduates a better chance of securing a career in the video games or film industries.
The 2016-2017 scholarships centre around six accredited online diplomas, with applicants given the option of animation, concept art, visual effects, programming, 3D modelling and compositing.
The best students will also be given paid internships at local studios, according to the college's website. For example, Armello developer League of Geeks will offer three six-month placements in its programming, concept art or animation divisions.
The Melbourne-based college has stated that half of the scholarships will be saved for female applicants as well as those from underrepresented populations, an effort to help drive diversity within both the game and film industries.
"We don't see this as token diversity," said co-founder and head of school Jeff Pepper. "We want to see those places filled, and we're willing to tweak the programme to suit the needs of the communities who want to apply. Being online also means there's a huge opportunity for rural candidates who may not always have the means to move to cities."
Applications for the first round of scholarships is now open, with a deadline of December 14th. Another round will be opened in mid-2017.