Project Greenlight Digital Studios, Tongal Launch Animation Incubator With $95,000 Prize Pool

Project Greenlight Digital Studios (PGLDS), a digital filmmaking collective launched by the creators of the famed HBO Project Greenlight reality series, has announced today a partnership with Tongal, a crowdsourced studio that connects businesses with writers, directors, and production companies.

Together, the companies will launch an animation incubator titled ‘The Next Great Animated Series’, offering $70,000 to one winning filmmaker to help bring their vision to life. PGLDS and Tongal have put out the call for applicants today, who can submit pitch videos here through Dec. 14. Submissions can be intended for adults or kids, and will be accepted in a vast array of formats, PGLDS and Tongal say, including 2D, stop motion, 3D, CGI, Claymation, Papercraft, and mixed media.

The two companies will then select five finalists who will each receive $5,000 to create a ‘proof of concept’ clip. Finally, PGLDS and Tongal will open up the vote to the public on Tongal’s website, where viewers — and a panel of industry judges — will crown the winner with $70,000 to produce an 11-minute pilot. Tongal and PGLDS will also provide mentorship and marketing in addition to production funds.

“The animation world is full of originality and imagination, two qualities we encourage in filmmaking and in our Project Greenlight Digital Studios video contests,” said Brittany Turner, VP of digital at Adaptive Studios — which owns PGLDS — in a statement. Added Tongal’s chief creative officer James DeJulio: “You never know where the next iconic animated series will come from and we are excited to tap into the limitless creative potential of the Tongal and PGLDS communities.”