Creative Talent Network Foundation Announces Scholarship Recipients for 2025

Creative Talent Network Foundation (ctnfoundation.org) — the education, scholarship, mentorship and resource branch of the Creative Talent Network (CTN) — announced the recipients of its 2025 Scholarship Program, a supporting emerging talent across animation, illustration and visual storytelling. Now in its second year, the program has expanded and has awarded over 100 recipients from 28 countries. Recipients will embark on unique, enriching educational journeys over the next five months, guided by esteemed industry professionals. The selected artists received either a full scholarship, a partial scholarship with or without distinction, or an honorable mention.

This year’s scholarship recipients were chosen from a competitive pool of hundreds of applicants, all showcasing exceptional promise and a dedication to advancing their skills in animation, illustration, and related fields. Furthering CTN’s guiding principle “No Artist Left Behind,” the 2025 scholarships are designed to provide these up-and-coming artists around the world with the opportunities, resources and mentorship necessary to thrive in their artistic careers. This year’s recipients hail from the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Trinidad.

Over the course of five months, recipients will engage in workshops, masterclasses, and one-on-one mentorships led by 12 industry leaders. The program will culminate in a professional showcase at the internationally acclaimed CTN eXpo 2025, held November 20–23 located in the Animation Capital of the World: Burbank, California.

“We’re thrilled with the overwhelming interest in the program and are happy to welcome this year’s cohort of scholarship recipients,” said Tina Price, Executive Director of the CTN Foundation. “Each artist has demonstrated outstanding promise and a commitment to excellence. With guidance from our distinguished professionals, we can’t wait to see how they grow and contribute to the visual storytelling community.”

2025 CTN Foundation Mentor Scholarship Awards

Each award honors an iconic figure or creative discipline, providing targeted mentorship, resources, and visibility to emerging artists across 12 disciplines. Scholarships are awarded in three tiers: Full Scholarship, Partial Scholarship (with or without Distinction) and Honorable Mention.

Aaron Blaise – Filmmaking. Supporting storytellers in animation and visual narrative.

• Full Scholarships: Alex Sudakov, Paola Patiño
• Partial Scholarships: Angelina Retodo, Celeste Jamneck, Hector Barragan, Ivan Gozali, Léo Beaudry, Micah Sanders, Nat Chantharojwong, Pam Thanatrakolsri, Verity Broad, Vivek
  Serleena
• Honorable Mentions: Adela Hurtado, Alanna Dodge, Amber Gravett, Amy Lee, Ana Metelski, Anastasia Aviles, Andrew Edwards, Annemarie Appleberry, Benjamin Stiegeler, Briana Alfaro, Caden Cheron, Christopher Cuatt, Cuerie Kim, Emily Yu, Fenne Maurer, Genesis Lugo, Gomez Olarte, Jasmine Kuo-Dahrouch, Jenny Butler, Jessica Gray, Kaitlyn Dempsey, Kate Balogh, Katrina Darwich, Kellin Sproul, Kevin Bhall, Lindsay Campbell, Lisa Freeze, Mane Markosyan, Maria Celeste, Mart Sands, Miguel Caraballo, Myra Hild, Patricia Loyola, Pavida Changkaew, Peterson Muldoon, Regina Pelham, *Roxy Blazey Summers, Salina Tjhan, Salma Alaoui Moustain, Scarlett Tracy, Sean Murphy, Sierra Black, Stefan Sharkov, Sylvester Massey, Valor Aguilar, Vivian Le, Zoungy Kligge

Andreas Deja – Character Animation. A continued legacy in excellence for animators.

• Full Scholarships: Eyal Navon, Tory Olsen
• Partial with Distinction: Brando Bravo, Leo Lashley, Mazen Attalla
• Partial Scholarships: Matthew Lei, Micah Sanders, Yulia Reshetnyak
• Honorable Mentions: Alessandro Glacomini, Amanda Pung, Anthony Suarez, Brian Winkler, Chris Leykam, Dennis Rydberg, Desiree Scheper, Eliza Dearing, Elizabeth Wheeler, Ethan Carter, Gustav Ekberg, Hailey See, Jarrod Simpson, Jessica Perri, Joanna Capra, Kevin Bhall, Khloe Kaeser, Lucas Jacobson, Luke Grieshaber, María Galdeano Paredes, Nestor Antonio Zambrano, Nicole Limones, Pedro Vasconcelos, Peterson Muldoon, *Roxy Blazey Summers, Samuel Danso, Tzvi Kogan, Vicente Del Valle Nanjari, Victoria Dray

Fabrizio Mancinelli – Music. Empowering composers in film scoring.

• Full Scholarships: Kieran Casey, Matthew Nunez

Christopher W. Gee – Technology. Honoring the late innovator (1961–2024), focused on digital storytelling tools.

• Full Scholarships: Lynn Reynolds

Kent Melton – Sculptor. Celebrating sculptural storytelling; in memory of (1955–2024).

• Full Scholarships: Alexandra Valente-Swiger, Amandine Senny

Mary Blair – Women Designers. Empowering women in animation and design.

• Full Scholarships: Debbie Moon, Xinzi Li
• Partial with Distinction: Edward Davies, Regina Ruiz
• Partial Scholarships: Valerie Estrada, Yimeng Wang
• Honorable Mentions: Brittney Adams, Coralista Ruge, Kiran Matai, Lauren Gregorio, Leichen Wagner, Liv Winkelmann, Megan Schultz

Mel Milton – Illustration. Developing dynamic illustration and character design.

• Full Scholarships: Kaden Terry, Tsvetelina Zdraveva
• Partial Scholarships: Liv Winkelmann
• Honorable Mentions: Erica Bey, Micah Sanders, Roxy Blazey Summers, Saul Pena

Mike Kunkel – Cartooning. For cartoonists with a heart for humor and story.

• Full Scholarships: Lucas Jacobson, Roxy Blazey Summers

Sam Koji Hale – Puppets/Stop Motion Filmmaking. Supporting handcrafted storytelling through stop-motion and puppetry.

• Full Scholarships: Carmela Murphy, Teah Cory
• Partial with Distinction: Aleksa Mingof, Anna Dokuchaeva, Michael Shapiro, Rudy Martinez
• Partial Scholarships: Amy DeCaussin, Clifton Gunn, Isabella Potenziani, Joelle Estelle Mendoza, John W. Terebetsky, Roshmond Patten
• Honorable Mentions: Emma LaPolt, Lisa Laureta, Lisa Peters, Lyssa Troemel, Lorraine Linkhauer, Robert Blackburn, Stella Bargar

Stephan Franck – Comics & Graphic Novels. Empowering storytellers in sequential art.

• Full Scholarships: Ivan Iriarte
• Partial Scholarships: Katie Lazo, Rodney Marfil
• Honorable Mentions: Ivan Gozali, Genesis Lugo, Liv Winkelmann, Roxy Blazey Summers, Shweta Marathe, Valor Aguilar

Torsten Schrank – Character Design. Honoring innovative character creation.

• Full Scholarships: Catherine Guo
• Partial with Distinction: Haley Reust, Jiwon Chun, Kévin Cerqueira, Olivia Emrich, Priscilla Kim
• Partial Scholarships: Alexandra Giongco, Allen Caruso, Beza Solomon, Caitlyn Skelton, Cameron Morelli, Dana Uribe, Elysha May, Friedrich Kiessling, Iman Gadalla, Inna S, Jenna Shihady, Kailey McCune, Mohini Mahabir, Raquel Wilson, Ramya Hegde, Rosalia Luna Miranda, Zahra Merchant
• Honorable Mentions – Non-Pro: (see full recipient list)
• Honorable Mentions – Pro: (see full recipient list)

2025 CTN Foundation International Creative Exchange Program (ICEP) Awards

A global learning initiative supporting cross-cultural mentorship and artistic development.

ICEP Korea

• Full Scholarships: Edith Adame, Harini Shree, Jasmine Wang, Kathryn McConkey
• Partial Scholarships: Bri Dorsey, Carielis Granera, Joshua Jinu, Leah Felty, María Galdeano Paredes, Nabilla Puti Sabrina, Robin Zimmer, Salina Tjhan, Sam Davey
• Honorable Mentions: Amanda Pung, Carmel Gorfine, Carrie Runyan, Ciel Lopez, Clara Davis, Jenna Lee, Jessica Dally, Jordan Thompson, Kristen S, Kristina Danilovska, Maia Kerr, Nora Avanesian, Ong-on Chongprasit, Pavida Changkaew, Phanfon Sapsing, Renee Miller, Roxy Blazey Summers, Sofia Herman, Starr Horton, Thanaphat Puangsuwan, Valor Aguilar, Willa Liberi