Nickelodeon and the Get Schooled Foundation have teamed up to find the next generation of animation storytellers by offering a young animators $25,000 scholarship. Together they are inviting animators aged 17 to 24 to submit an animated short in any format for the chance to win a $25,000 scholarship.

The goal is to encourage up-and-coming artists, says Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s president of content development. “With a rich history of championing artist-driven shows and shorts, Nickelodeon is on a mission to bring these ever-growing, young animators to the forefront.”

In a separate competition, aspiring animators aged 13 to 16 are invited to submit a theme-based looping animation for the chance to win prizes, such as a tablet with animation software.

Get Schooled is a national non-profit, co-founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Nick’s parent company Viacom, promoting media, technology, and popular culture as a means to motivate and inspire young people.

More information about the scholarship is available on the Get Schooled website, with full guidelines available in April. Winners will be announced in summer 2015.