Once upon a time at Pixel Blue College…

Ani_Jam started in 2024 as a way to challenge our 2D Animation and Illustration Students. Inspired by the video game jam format and the 24 Hours Animation Contest for Students, we gathered our students and alumni team up to create 60 second long animated films over 3 short days in the spring. What was created in that time were films that had potential to be refined and expanded upon for submission to festivals across Canada and around the world.

The results of the first Jam were well beyond what we could have expected, and the enthusiasm that the students had for the event was palpable. We knew this had to become an annual event, and eventually expand this challenge beyond the school walls to highlight all of the animation talent in Alberta.

In the spring of 2025, we hosted AniJamV02 and took advantage of one more year running the jam internally at Pixel Blue College to polish our processes and to build upon what we created in the first iteration. With the support of Toon Boom, Wacom, and The Edmonton Screen Industries Office, AniJam proved to be a valuable piece of the puzzle that was missing in Edmonton’s film-making scene. After a successful Showcase event in front of a packed crowd, we knew that Ani_Jam was ready to go province wide.

This year’s AniJamV03 we are so excited to invite students and animation professionals alike across all of Alberta to participate in this exciting animation challenge. Our hope is to share the stories, and world class talents of this community of animation underdogs. Animation deserves a bigger spotlight in Alberta, so we created Ani_Jam.