Get Ready For The Rookies - 2026

The Rookie Awards 2026

Time to get ready for The Rookies 2026.  The Rookies is an international competition for young creatives; part contest and part showcase for rising talent - all our students are strongly encouraged to enter. 

For our students and Escapees, showcasing your work in a competitive, professional environment is a crucial step toward launching a successful career.  

It helps you to build confidence in your work, and also serves as an online portfolio.   Entry for the 2026 The Rookies opens on 7 April 2026 and closes at the end of June. 

Comics Industry Panel at Escape Studios

At last night's Comics Panel at Escape Studios, part of 2026 "EscapeVerse Live", Comic Book UK's Mark Fuller hosted a panel on "Comic Industry Careers". 

Mark Fuller was joined by comic artist Lyndon White, comics publisher Andrew Mark Sewell, head of B7 Media Ltd, and manga artist Elena Vitagliano.  The panel explored the challenges and opportunities around working in the comics industry, focusing on how to earn a living in a highly competitive landscape.

"EscapeVerse Live" - Thursday 26 Feb 2026

EscapeVerse Live: Thursday 26 Feb 2026

EscapeVerse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, concludes today. 

We're sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today's lineup starts at 10.30am with Bluebolt, presenting "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale". 

At 12.30pm Outpost VFX presents the fantasy world of "The Wheel of Time". 

At 2.30pm Jake Lee presents "How to Direct an Animated Short for Festival Success".  Jake Lee's short film "Am I Dreaming?" has won many festival awards.  

"Escapeverse Live" Continues Today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, continues today. 

We're sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today's lineup starts with Haz Dulull on "How to Set Up an Indie Game Studio". Then, at 12.30pm Simon Carr introduces "Invisible VFX". 

At 2.30pm Dan Shutt explains "How to Create Live Events".

EscapeVerse Live Starts Today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, starts today. 

Escapeverse Live  runs from today. Tuesday 24th February to Thursday 26th February 2026.  

We'll be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today starts at 10.30am with "My Journey to a Career in Animation" with Rebecca Meilak.  

Later, at 12.30pm Charmaine Chan from Industrial Light & Magic will present "Jurassic World: Rebirth". 

BA/MArt In Immersive Media Launches Sept 2027

BA(Hons) / MArt in Immersive Media.  

Escape Studios is announcing a new BA(Hons) / MArt in Immersive Media for September 2027 entry.  

Designed to nature creative and technical skills, students will learn to design and create experiences for engaging spaces, such as festivals, museums, XR and branded events and themed attractions.

This new course has been created through consultation with industry professionals, including members of the Immersive Team at Framestore – a world leading innovator and one of our longest standing studio partners.

Daniel Shutt, Escape Studios academic since 2009  brings 32 years of industry experience across the visual effects and immersive sectors.

Escapeverse Live 24-26 February 2026

Escapeverse Live 24-26 February 2026

The countdown begins for Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art.

Escapeverse Live  starts next week and runs from Tuesday 24th February to Thursday 26th February 2026.  We'll be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

"Cursed Bond" Wins "Best Student Film" in Jalgaon

"Cursed Bond" wins "Best Student Film" at Jalgaon Fest .

Congratulations to the makers of "Cursed Bond", which has won "Best Student Film" at the Jalgaon Film Festival. 

"Cursed Bond" was written and directed by Ted Walker, and produced by Mahak Chowdhary.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez Emilsson and the VFX Supervisor was Oliver Eveson.  Art direction was by Quimey Dasso.  Ted Walker stars as the Hermit.  This is the latest of many festival awards. 

"Little Pirates" Wins "Best Super Short" Award

"Little Pirates" wins "Best Super Short Film"

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short film "Little Pirates" which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the International Gold Film Festival.

Little Pirates was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  

Little Pirates was written and directed by Anna Reyes Ramirez and produced by Angharad Mathias.  This is the latest of many awards for Little Pirates. 

Undergraduate Open Days April 9 & 18 2026

Join us on 9 April and in-person on Saturday 18 April 2026.

Escape Studios is hosting two new Undergraduate Open Days in April:  An Online "Open Evening" on Thursday 9th April (online via Zoom) and an in-person Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 18 April 2026. There are two sessions available: Morning: 10:00am - 1:00pm, Afternoon: 1:30pm - 4:00pm. 

Escape Studios' Open Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees.

"Void" Wins Best Animation Award in London

"Void" wins Best Animation at the London Movie Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Void", which has won Best Animation at the London Movie Awards.

Void is one of the latest short films from our third year undergraduate animation students at Escape Studios.  

"Void" was directed by Kaya Akinci, edited and produced by Luis Yarroll.   

This is the latest of many festival awards.

Introducing "Unknown" by Alessia Gori

Introducing "Unknown", a new short film written and animated by Alessia Gori.  Alessia is studying for a master's degree in the Art of 3D Animation at Escape Studios.  This is Alessia's first film. 

Tech, Hardware & Software at Escape Studios

Escape Studios VPN

What Hardware & Software do we use at Escape Studios? To get started, take a look at our official "What Hardware Do You Need" page, which you can find here.  We also have a handy page on tips for buying a laptop for home use.  

There is also a page on hardware in our classrooms, which you can find here.  You can also find out how to use the Escape Studios VPN (Virtual Private Network), which allows enrolled students to connect to our computers from home. 

Don't forget that a lot of theSoftware we use at Escape Studios can be downloaded at home for free.  For example, Autodesk Maya offers free licenses to enrolled students.  The open source software Blender is also free to download, and extremely versatile. 

Our 2D animation students can use Toonboom Harmony and TV Paint at Escape Studios, and also have access to discounted rates for home use. 

London Animation Club 23 February 2026

London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026

Calling all animators at Escape Studios! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on Monday 23 February 2026 at The Green Man pub, 36 Riding House St at 7.30pm.

To find out more, visit the London Animation Club Facebook page here. 

Short Course & Post-Graduate Open Evening 29 April

Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 6pm

Join us on Wednesday 29 April 2026 at 6pm both in-person and online (via Zoom) for our next Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Evening at Escape Studios, hosted both on campus and online at Zoom. 

The event offers prospective students a chance to find out what it's like to study with us.  Meet our tutors, find out about our courses, and have your questions answered. To see more events at Escape Studios, follow this link.

Animal & Creature Animation Reel

We're delighted to share the latest edit of Animal & Creature Animation from Escape Studios. This animation reel includes a selection of shots from Module AN5002 - a second year undergraduate module in which students tackle animal and creature animation. The module is supervised by Escape Studios' tutor Kevin Richards. To see more about what happens in the Second Year of Animation at Escape Studios, follow this link. 

Judging The "Young Cartoonists of The Year"

The Cartoon Museum hosts Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards

Last night was the judging for The Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards, the annual competition hosted by the Cartoon Museum and the British Cartoonists' Association. 

This year the deadline for submissions was 31 January 2026; the winners will be announced at the Cartoon Museum on Thursday 26th March.

Festivus Interview with Alex Williams

Festivus has released a podcast interview with Alex Williams, Dean of Animation & VFX at Escape Studios, recorded at the end of last year. Julian Scott from Film London did the interview, which you can listen to above. The interview is part of a series in which Festivus explores the careers of people working in the animation industry, and how they forged their own unique career path in an industry in which careers can be very non-linear. 

Mechamorphosis Wins Best Animation in Milan

"Mechamorphosis" wins "Best Animation" in Milan. 

Congratulations to the makers of "Mechamorphosis", which has won "Best Animation" in Milan. 

Mechamorphosis was written and produced by Alberto Scotti and directed by Ilaria Colavito.   

Animation was completed by Steven Lall.  Hélios Lyons did the sound design and composed the original music.  This is the latest of many awards for Mechamorphosis. 

Efthymios Bairaktaris Pipeline TD at One Of Us

Many congratulations to Escapee Efthymios Bairaktaris who has joined the VFX Studio One of Us as a Senior Pipeline Technical Director 

Since graduating from The Art of VFX in 2022, Efthymios has worked on major projects, including the Oscar and Golden Globe nominated film Bugonia. 

While at Escape Studios, Efthymios Bairaktaris worked as 3D Lead on the VFX short film Ambush which has won many festival awards. 

Ambush was completed as part of the VFX Project, the final film-making module in the third year of studies at Escape Studios, in which students work together to create a short film. 

Box Lift Animation by Annabella Espiritu

Here is some great 3D animation in Maya by Escape Studios' animation student Annabella Espiritu.  Animating weight is an especially challenging task for junior animators; unlike stop-motion animation, our character rigs have no intrinsic weight, so the weight must be simulated.  To see more great work created by our students, check out our Animation & VFX YouTube Channel. 

Escape Studios' European Tour

Escape Studios is "escaping to Europe" on a new European recruitment tour.

We'll be appearing at a number of undergraduate and postgraduate events across Poland, Portugal and Spain. 

Places can be booked at this link https://bit.ly/3LGTjni. 

In September 2024 Escape studios welcomed our first new international students since Brexit. 

Escape Studios now has a UKVI Licence, meaning that we are now able to sponsor international students to study with us on student visas.

EscapeVerse Live 2026 Lineup & Schedule 24-26 Feb

The Lineup and Schedule for Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, is now available. 

Escapeverse Live  runs from 24th - 26th February 2026, and we'll be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries. 

To find out more, and get your free tickets, follow this link: https://lnkd.in/eSp9D26C. Scroll down to see this year's Escapeverse Live lineup and schedule. 

How to Train Your Dragon with Framestore 11 Feb

Escape Studios is delighted to invite all our students to a screening of How to Train Your Dragon followed by a Q&A with our industry partners Framestore. 

On Wednesday 11th of February at 5pm, we are joined by Framestore to present a screening of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ followed by a behind the scenes talk by Lead Animator Chris Mcgaw. 

Tickets are just £2.50 and the screening takes place at the Cineworld inside the O2.

Alex Budulan FX Artist at Wild Child Animation

Alex Budulan joins Wild Child Animation 

Many congratulations to Escapee Alex Budulan who has joined Wild Child Animation as a Senior FX Artist. 

Alex Budulan studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios.  During his studies at Escape Studios, Alex contributed to a number of successful animated films, including the short film "Reece" and the short animated teaser "Street Ratz", which won multiple festival awards.

Evening Course in Mastering Manga and Storytelling

Evening Course in Mastering Manga and storytelling

Escape Studios is launching a new Evening Course in Mastering Manga and storytelling. 

It is an eight week course, running two evenings a week taught by award winning Manga Artist and Storyteller Elena Vitagliano.

The Evening Course in Mastering Manga and storytelling starts on 24 March 2026 and runs for 8 weeks.