Smith Micro Issues Avatar Challenge
Smith Micro Software has joined forces with telecom company Sprint and issued the Avatar Challenge – an education program where students will use Smith Micro’s animation software to create avatar characters with the chance to have their creations viewed and used by millions through Sprint Visual Voicemail, as later this year, Sprint is expecting to enhance their Sprint Visual Voicemail service by adding avatars from Smith Micro as a new feature.
Avatar Challenge Overview From August 1 through October 31, 2014, educators from any accredited secondary school, college or trade school will be able to register for free copies of Smith Micro’s award-winning Anime Studio(R) animation software for themselves and their students. Smith Micro will offer video tutorials and sample teaching guides to incorporate the software into the class curriculum. Students can use the software for general animation — creating anything from class presentations to comic books to music videos. Students also have the opportunity to enter a nationwide contest designing animated characters for the upcoming avatar feature in Sprint Visual Voicemail. Winning students will have their characters featured within the app as the “Sprint Avatar of the Month.”
Program Details Smith Micro and Sprint are offering several benefits to participants of the Avatar Challenge program:
— Eligible teachers will receive one free license to download Anime
Studio Pro 10 for their own use (valued at $299.99), and up to 15 free
licenses to download Anime Studio Debut (valued at $49.99 each) for
student use
— Free step-by-step video tutorials for Anime Studio available online
— Teachers can purchase the Anime Studio Curriculum Guide at a discount
— Beginning October 1, students can submit animated characters to enter
the “Sprint Avatar of the Month” contest
— The top 10 qualifying designs will earn a free copy of Smith Micro’s
Artist Bundle Debut software pack
— Sprint and Smith Micro will select a winning design each month to be
featured on the main screen of the Sprint Avatar service for 30 days
— Student winners will receive a $2,000 scholarship from Smith Micro, as
well as professional versions of Anime Studio, Poser, Manga Studio and
Motion Artist animation tools (valued at $1,099.96).
— Winning designs will remain available in a special “Sprint Avatar
Winner’s Circle” of the Avatar content library, viewable by millions
of Sprint customers using Sprint Visual Voicemail on their Android
devices, and shareable with anyone via mobile messaging, email or
Facebook
Source: Smith Micro