Alistair Thompson
Meet the Finalists
Icebreakers
Team Name: Small Fry
Country: Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany
5000 years after the Gulf Stream’s flow reversed and Earth sank into an extreme ice age, humanity’s remnants are once again adapting. Around the Equator where temperatures are slightly less hostile to life, trading hubs have sprouted with local governments and companies vying for oh so scarce resources. Our story follows a ragtag crew of pirates trying to explore and find true freedom in the trying times they live in. Their journey will take them through the remnants of old civilisation, the harshest weather, dangerous encounters with megafauna, and the most wondrous vistas, but those that wish to shackle them are never far away. Anchors aweigh!
Kawia's Adventure
Team Name: Eurydice
Country: Kenya
Kawia's adventure is a fantasy role playing game set in Precolonial east africa where you play as Kawia, a girl trying to get back home before sunrise: crossing the mysterious plains, defeating evil spirits and through the power of dance, gaining the ability to summon storms and defeat the forces of darkness that threaten your home, in this beautiful celebration of african heritage that lets the whole world experience how things really were back then! the only thing different to the past is the presence of the undead running rampant across the land but you'll have magic and mystical spirits to fight back, befreind and guide you home!
Togather
Team Name: Dilruba Tayfun
Country: Netherlands
Before you read any further, first check out: https://vimeo.com/477341892 “It’s like the tools are the storyteller and I’m just it’s instrument!” Let's take a step back and watch nature unfold. Look below & around before infinity & beyond. The idea is to create a digital platform that enables us to share discoveries as gatherers, in search of unique mark-making tools. An app is to act as our portable journal, the web-based platform to discover/exchange our digitized brushes and related stories/processes. Twigs, fallen flowers, anything that can make an organic imprint can be used. Tips on how to render these physical marks in digital programmes are shared between creators as well as a vast library of resulting digital brushes. This dual-platform would breathe new life to dry and dead plants releasing their artistic nectars for creators to pollinate into their world-building, thus enabling these tools to thrive in the digital world of entertainment and indefinitely, in our imaginations. Our context as artists no matter how digital our pursuits will always be bound to the physical universe and we can tap into this all-reaching and instinctual network of natural tools everywhere, within even a 5 minute walk to the local grocery store. An invigorating world of visual languages can unfold - and we need nothing more than the patience to kindle it while it happens, the willingness to surrender to, come togather, and share our tools.
About The Sony Talent League by THU
Break creative barriers, alone or in a group, within the digital entertainment industry and submit a cross-border idea that the world has never seen before.
We’re looking for ideas that combine different forms of digital art and mix different creative areas: illustration, storytelling, film, games, photography, animation, mixed media, VR, music...You name it
What's In It For You?
A Unique Opportunity for Young Creators
Break the Creative Distance
This year, the word “distance” assumed a whole new meaning for people all over the globe.
Suddenly, staying apart was our best chance of being together again.
However, there is a distance we are daring you to break: the creative one.
Ideas have the strength to bring us together and fuel our creative spirit.
It’s time to shatter the borders of digital entertainment and go beyond boundaries, creating new value for the future.
What You Get
Finalists
The jury will select the best three ideas.
Each finalist or group of finalists will get:
Ten Weeks of Mentorships
Per Submission
Per Submission
Remote mentorships with renowned creators and industry experts.
Funding of Up to 12.500€
Per Submission
Per Submission
This funding aims to help you support living expenses.
Winner
The public will vote on the best idea among the three finalists.
In addition to the prize above, the winner will get:
10.000€ in Prize Money
Per Submission
Per Submission
The winning project will receive a monetary prize of 10.000€.
Ticket for THU Main Event
Per Person
Per Person
Each member of the winning project will get a ticket for our Main Event
Timeline
Meet the Juries and Mentors
André Luís
Craig Berry
David OReilly
Justin Thompson
Kim Jung Gi
Kris Pearn
Nuno Loureiro
Phil Lord & Chris Miller
Sally Slade
Saraswathi Balgam
Scot Stafford
Shuzo Shiota
Tetsuya Mizuguchi
Tyree Dillihay
Am I eligible to participate?
Yes, if you're between 18 and 30. Everyone who’s 30 until 31 December 2020 is in. And you need to be available for the period of Mentorships (remote due to COVID-19 restrictions), from January 4 to March 15, 2021
Can I submit my work as a team? And what about solo?
Yes. You can submit your work alone or as part of a group with a maximum of three members.
We allow joining forces with other people to promote collaboration between creators from different areas within digital entertainment. However, we discourage groups with more than three members.
Yep, you can also participate alone!
Please note that submissions from organizations or companies are not permitted.
What do you mean by a cross-border idea?
A cross-border idea that breaks the creative distance is any idea that combines or integrates different digital art forms, exploring boundaries between creative disciplines.
Our jury will value submissions that are not afraid of new technology, and present a disruptive concept
Aspects related to innovation, novelty, entertainment value, artistry, social value will be considered for the evaluation process.
Can you be more specific?
We know it’s hard to come up with an idea when there are no limits on what you can do, but that’s literally it: you can submit anything you want, as long as it’s cross-border and combines different forms of creation. Here are some examples of areas that you can mix: illustration, storytelling, film, games, VR, photography, animation, mixed media...Go crazy and surprise us!
If you have an idea but are still not sure if it fits this challenge, reach out to [email protected] and we will help!
Why is this challenge different?
Sony Talent League by THU is not a competition. It’s a collaboration opportunity that will make your ideas reach their full potential.
We want to find a new type of creator and empower the next generation of creative minds.
It’s an all new type of challenge where creative problem-solving, innovation and freedom is key! Break conventions and barriers!
What do I have to submit?
To complete your submission, you need to fill out the entry form with the following information:
— Project info: team name, project title, project statement, categories, project description/synopsis, tools used, and estimated accomplishments by the deadline.
— Team info: team members' names, birthdates, and roles.
— Supporting Materials (choose at least one of these methods): presentation board, video, sound & music, and representative images.
What do you mean by prototype?
You can submit what you think is best to explain your idea and get the message across. Focus on presenting your idea: the prototype will be a work in progress that will get polished along the way. And if something is just not deliverable in a timely manner, we consider the prototype to be an early release! It must not be finished but ready enough to represent the project essence and uniqueness.
Why is funding a part of the prize?
The idea behind each prize is to allow you to take the project further and enrich your idea.
The funding we provide is to help you support living expenses and make sure you can be fully committed and focused.
If you’re submitting as a group, please note that the funding is not per person, but per submission.
What’s the official language of the Sony Talent League by THU?
The official language is english.
This means your submission (materials and form) must be in english, and mentorships will also be in this language.
FAQ
Take Your Creativity Out of Isolation
Sony Corporation is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. From game and network services to music, pictures, electronics, semiconductors and financial services - Sony’s purpose is to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology. “Sony Talent League by THU” is the latest programs of “Sony Creators Gate” , Sony’s branding initiative to empower next generation of creators by offering exciting growth opportunities.