Features

The School of Visual Arts has a long track record of turning out animation talent—and the Annie Awards, honoring excellence in the field, always seems to underline it. The 2026 Annie nominations are no exception: SVA alumni show up all over the ballot in both the TV/media and feature animation categories. They’re represented across disciplines, too, with nominations for writing, production design, music, and editorial work.

Joe Bennett (BFA 2008 Fine Arts), co-creator of Common Side Effects, has been nominated for Best Writing—TV/Media. Bennett’s series, a comic thriller about a pharmacological conspiracy, appears in multiple award categories, including Best TV/Media—Mature, Best Direction—TV/Media, and Best Music—TV/Media. Additionally, Joie Lim (BFA 2021 Animation) has been nominated in Best Editorial—TV/Media for her work as assistant editor on an episode of the series.

Dave Bleich (BFA 1992 Illustration) has been recognized for his work on KPop Demon Hunters (2025) in the Best Production Design—Feature category, and Michael Giacchino (BFA 1990 Film and Video) has been nominated in the Best Music—Feature category for his work as composer for Zootopia 2 (2025). 

Ian Jones-Quartey (BFA 2006 Animation) and Rebecca Sugar (BFA 2009 Animation) are each listed as director/writer/producer in Best Writing—TV/Media, for their contributions to Adult Swim’s The Elephant. (Read about Jones-Quartey and Sugar’s recent visit to SVA here.)

Titmouse, the animation studio founded by Chris Prynoski (BFA 1994 Animation) and Shannon Prynoski (BFA 1994 Film and Video), has several of its productions up for awards, including Adult Swim’s The Elephant and Haunted Hotel: The Acolytes of Abaddon, and across categories such as Best Special Production, Best Writing—TV/Media, and Best Editorial—TV/Media. And Hazbin Hotel, the Prime Video series created by VivziePop, a.k.a. Vivienne Medrano (BFA 2014 Animation), is represented with a nomination for Best Voice Acting—TV/Media.

In other animation awards news, Marco Burbano (BFA 2003 Computer Art) and Patrick Yu Wang (MFA 2020 Computer Arts) picked up a Visual Effects Society nomination for Outstanding Character in an Animated Feature, recognizing their character work on Disney-Pixar’s Elio (2025). 

Both the Annie Awards and VES ceremonies take place at the end of the month, on Saturday, February 21, and Wednesday, February 25, respectively. Congratulations to the many SVA nominees!