SIGGRAPH 2007 Announces 32-Hour Animation Challenge.

CHICAGO -- SIGGRAPH 2007 announces the launch of FJORG! (pronounced FORGE), a new international computer graphics animation competition to be held at SIGGRAPH 2007, the 34th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques held 5-9 August 2007 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA, USA.

Sixteen, three-member teams will be selected to compete in FJORG! for an intense, 32-hour competition held before a live audience at SIGGRAPH 2007. Each team will be challenged to create a character-driven animated sequence (of at least 15 seconds in length) based on a specific theme provided by the judges.

Competing for the coveted title of "FJORG! - 2007 Viking Animator," teams will not only test their animation skills, but must also withstand multiple staged distractions in a test of skill, talent, creativity, and physical endurance. The winning team will be chosen by an elite panel of judges from throughout the entertainment industry based on judging criteria set forth in FJORG! Official Rules at http://www.siggraph.org/s2007/presenters/fjorg/. Winners will be announced at a special ceremony during SIGGRAPH 2007, and will receive various prizes as well as recognition as the first ever SIGGRAPH Viking Animators.

"FJORG! is a unique opportunity to watch talented people do incredible work in a limited timeframe under significant pressure," says Patricia Beckmann-Wells, SIGGRAPH's FJORG! Chairperson. "We encourage everyone from throughout the international community to submit their reels for consideration. This is expected to be the most challenging animation contest in the world."

Interested participants must submit demo reels on the FJORG! web site at www.siggraph.org/s2007/presenters/forms/ between 1 March and 1 May 2007. Submissions must be made by three-person teams and are limited to one submission per team. Individuals are not permitted to submit with multiple teams. There is a $30 fee for uploading a demo reel. Accepted file formats and submission specifics are outlined in the FJORG! Official Rules.

SIGGRAPH 2007 will bring an estimated 25,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from six continents to San Diego, CA, USA for the industry's most respected technical and creative programs focusing on research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education, and the web from 5-9 August at the San Diego Convention Center. SIGGRAPH 2007 includes a three-day exhibition of products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace from 7-9 August 2007. More than 250 international exhibiting companies are expected. Registration for the conference and exhibition is open to the public.

ACM SIGGRAPH, the leading professional society for computer graphics and interactive techniques, sponsors SIGGRAPH 2007.