APPLY FOR ACE 5!

Join us for an Information Session, Tuesday, February 3rd 9am PST / 12pm EST

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The Process

After submission, applicants will be reviewed by an industry jury, and each role will have up to five participants shortlisted.   Shortlisted candidates receive a series of workshops in order to prepare them for a final presentation to the ACE 5 jury, where the final nine candidates will be selected for final participation in the program.

 

The roles for ACE 5 are:

Writer

Producer

Director

Art Director / Production Designer

Animation Director

Head of Story

Production Manager

Editor

Composer   

 

All applicants will receive email confirmation of their application by February 25, 2026.  If you do not receive confirmation by then, please contact us at info@ace-program.com before February 28th, to ensure receipt of your application.  Thank you.

 

 

Program Requirements

Program participants must commit to taking part for the full duration of the program, which culminates in the completion of an approximately five-minute short film. The program is designed to be completed on a part-time basis—about ten hours per week at peak periods—and we understand that participants will often be balancing full-time jobs and family responsibilities. We make every effort to remain flexible. Participants are also expected to contribute to the project’s social-media efforts and to take part in industry panels, conferences, or workshops organized by the program. There is no fee to participate, and a small honorarium is provided.

 

Participating in the program requires vulnerability and risk- taking. You will be encouraged to learn about as many departments as you would like. The overall goal of ACE is to provide a practical, lived experience grounded in best practices—not only for the specific role you are applying for, but for your development as a filmmaker within the animation industry ecosystem as a whole.

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Program Timeline* (approx)

January 12, 2026: Applications Open

February 22, 2026 at 11:59pm PST: Deadline for applications

March 2026 – August 2026: Shortlist: Workshop and Jury Selection

June 2026 – August 2027: Selected Candidates: Short Film Production, Workshops, Mentoring

2027/2028 – TBD: Attend a market/festival

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Who is Eligible to Apply?

-Must be individuals who identify as women, non-binary or two spirit

- Must be either Canadian citizens or permanent residents

- Must be residents of Canada `

- Professionals from diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous, BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ2S+, of all ages above 19+, are encouraged to apply.

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How to Apply?​

As you may not have direct experience in the role you are applying for, the goal is for you to tell us what is transferrable or might apply in some way. For example, you may want to apply for the Writer role, but you have only written short stories. All we need to see is how well you know story. You may want to be an Art Director, but you have experience in character design and painting backgrounds. Combined, those are great strengths to be applying for Art Director.

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Writer

• submit a concept for a short film with a maximum length of 5 minutes (outline, script, short stories, other)

• one-page letter of intent two letters of reference

• a resume

• two letters of reference

• writing portfolio or examples (maximum 15 pages)

 

Producer

• submit a one-page letter of intent (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below)

• resume

• two letters of reference

• if you have examples of quotas, schedules, agenda protocol documents or reports you have implemented and can legally share, it is an asset 

 

Director

• submit a two-page letter of intent (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below), including what you believe the role of a Director is and what experiences you have to bring to the role

• resume

• two letters of reference

• demo reel and/or portfolio

 

Art Director / Production Designer

• submit a two-page letter of intent (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below), including areas of the pipeline you are familiar with, for example, pre-production, design, colour, lighting, compositing, etc.

• a resume

• two letters of reference

 

• a portfolio of your work outlining what you did on each piece. If there are examples of drawovers or work you have created on your own, please include

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Animation Director

• submit a one-page letter of intent (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below) 

• a resume

• two letters of reference

• a demo reel

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Head of Story

• submit a one-page letter of intent (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below) 

• a resume

• two letters of reference

• a demo reel or portfolio

Production Manager

• submit a one-page letter of intent (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below)

• resume

• two letters of reference 

• if you have examples of quotas, schedules, agenda protocol documents or reports you have created or implemented and can legally share, it is an asset 

 

Editors

• submit a one-page letter of intent  (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below) 

• a resume

• two letters of reference. 

• demo reel

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Composers

• submit a one-page letter of intent  (see “Letter of intent Guidelines” below)

• a resume

• two letters of reference. 

• demo reel​

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Letter of Intent Guidelines:
Your letter of intent should include:

• Your letter of intent should include:

• An introduction to your career path to date, who you are, your experience, and what makes you unique

• How your experience or transferrable skills prepares you to take on the selected role you are applying for

• Why you want to move into this selected role

• Why you want to participate in the program

• Why you would be a great candidate

• What might this mean to your career?

• What are your strengths creatively (if applicable)

• What are your strengths organizationally? (if applicable)

• What would you like to learn more about?  What areas would you like to improve on?

• Talk about what collaboration means to you with a possible example

• Talk about your passion for animation

• Talk about what you feel the role involves, as you know it now

• Is there something you’d love to learn about yourself through this program?

 

Letters of Reference Guidelines: 

This should be with people you have worked with. It should speak to your character, passion and commitment to the animation industry and if they have worked with you in what capacity, what insight they can provide to your skills, hard and soft.

 

Any questions about the program can be submitted to info@ace-program.com

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