The Kalamazoo Animation Festival International is proud to announce the ten college teams selected to compete in the 2007 Cartoon Challenge™.

Ten teams of animation students from college and art schools across the continent will spend four intense days and nights on the campus of Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Their mission is to create a 30-second animated public service announcement (PSA) for television broadcast on a topic chosen by the event’s sponsor. In 2005 the topic "Social Justice", was chosen by a local foundation with international ties. Each team created their own PSA and incorporated the famous quote from Abraham Lincoln at the end of their spot - "With malice toward none, with charity for all . . .". The theme for 2007 will be announced on Monday morning May 14th, at the first gathering of all the teams.

The Cartoon Challenge™ for 2007 is the lead-up event to the four-day Kalamazoo Animation Festival International™ (KAFI) with its film competitions, screenings, workshops, seminars, portfolio critiques, and social gatherings. Dates for the next Cartoon Challenge™ are May 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th, 2007, with the festival running from May 17th to 20th, 2007. The site for the Challenge and the Festival is Kalamazoo Valley Community College´s Arcadia Commons Campus, Center for New Media, located in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan.

During the four days and three nights, the competing teams will live together, eat together, brainstorm together and most importantly, CREATE together. Each team member will benefit not only from working cohesively as a team, but also from learning about each other, working to overcome barriers, and having a true professional artistic experience that prepares them for the working world. Students will definitely be working in an "under-the-gun" atmosphere that most students have said was "an incredible experience – the most fun they have ever had." Completed PSAs are due by 5:00 PM sharp on Thursday, May 17th.

Then the Festival begins and students can spend three days enjoying speaking with, learning from, and sharing ideas with animators and educators with international reputations and students with the same creative drive from schools around the country. While students are enjoying KAFI, a panel of judges made up of leading industry professionals and educators will be viewing the work produced by the Challenge teams.

During KAFI, the Cartoon Challenge™ teams will participate in a panel discussion on the experience itself. This was a huge success in 2005 and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to dissect the ups & downs of working under pressure. On Saturday evening, the Festival audience will gather at the 1500-seat State Theatre to view the work produced by the teams and vote for the People´s Choice Award in a "blind" viewing. At the Awards Ceremony on Sunday evening, the winners of both the People´s Choice and Judges Awards are announced. The winning college from the judged competition will receive an animation student scholarship. How the scholarship is managed and awarded is entirely up to the winning school.

The Goals of KAFI´s Cartoon Challenge™ are:
• To create a competition environment that mimics real-life pressures and deadlines, and results in a life-changing experience -- one that builds teamwork skills, animation skills, and self-confidence.
• To create public service announcements suitable for nation-wide distribution by the sponsoring entity.
• To provide positive exposure for KVCC´s Center for New Media and the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International™.