LOFA 2025 AWARD WINNERS

At the 2025 Patron and Press Preview Party on June 19, Lakewood Center for the Arts proudly unveiled its first-ever Spotlight Awards, a new initiative recognizing outstanding contributions to arts education in Oregon. The awards were presented as part of the kickoff to this year’s Festival of the Arts and highlighted the extraordinary talent and dedication behind the state’s renowned animation industry.

Among the honorees were acclaimed studios LAIKA, ShadowMachine, Topped Studio, and HouseSpecial, each recognized for their ongoing leadership and educational impact in the field of animation. The Dee Denton Gallery Award was presented to legendary animator Bill Plympton, who also took the stage to reflect on his beginnings as a young artist growing up in Oregon and the value of nurturing creative voices.

The Paying it Forward Awards honored Portland Community College (PCC) and Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), two institutions whose programs have helped train and launch the next generation of animation talent. Both colleges were praised for their deep collaboration with industry professionals and their commitment to hands-on, career-centered arts education.

The awards presentation featured sizzle reels from all major studios and was hosted by Animation: Script to Screen Co-Curator Tiffany Schuster, with remarks from Lakewood Executive Director Andrew Edwards and Dee Denton Gallery Curator Jan Rimerman. Fellow Co-Curator and Museum of Stop Motion Animation (MOSMA) Director Brian Capati also addressed the audience, emphasizing Oregon’s global importance in the animation field and his hopes to establish a permanent museum to honor the state's contributions to the art of stop-motion.