For this year’s Advanced Media Entertainment Society (AMES) Animation & Film Super Showcase, student teams across Washington State developed short films and animations based on a shared prompt within a two-month production window.
2026 Prompt: “Everything Has a Cost.”
Teams competed at the local level for the right to advance to this Super Showcase event, hosted by itch.io and Washington High School in Tacoma, Washington.
Itch.io Showcase Pages
Super Showcase Judges
- Eric Belgau
- And ?
- James Clark
Super Showcase Program
Super Showcase Rubrics
Awards Ceremony
Outstanding Achievement Awards in Film
- Outstanding Achievement in Writing/Story: Romantic Hostage
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: The Hunter and The Fawn
- Outstanding Achievement in Acting: Pressure
- Outstanding Achievement in Unique Perspective: Time is Gold
- Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Time is Gold
- Outstanding Achievement in Direction: Pressure
Outstanding Achievement Awards in Animation
- Outstanding Achievement in Writing/Story: Fish Bowl
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Why the Moon Shines
- Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance: The Last
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound: Wonderland
- Outstanding Achievement in Unique Perspective: Wonderland
- Outstanding Achievement in Direction: More Than Meets the Eye
- Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Cheesemates
High School Film Winners
- 1st Place: Pressure
- 2nd Place: Romantic Hostage
- 3rd Place: Water in the Place of Our Lives
Middle School Film Winners
- 1st Place (Tie): My Secret & Opinions Can Hurt
- 3rd Place: It Will Get To You
High School Animation Winners
- 1st Place: Wonderland
Skills Center Animation Winners
- 1st Place: More Than Meets the Eye
- 2nd Place (Tie): Fish Bowl & Why the Moon Shines
YouTube Playlist of The Event
Comprehensive Middle School Competitor
Keithley Middle School
- Tacoma, Washington
- Brendan Stanton – Instructor
Film Shorts
MKV
- “It Will Get To You”
- Moirah Moana
- Katerina Bishop
- Valentina Perez Justus
Secret Studious
- “My Secrett”
- Nylah O’Neal
- Shaelyn Dizon
- Aaliyah Coakienos
Studio 4
- “Opinions Can Hurt”
- Ammika Thouen
- Simardeep Kaur
- Alexa Hoehn
- Arianny Reyes Aguirre
Comprehensive High School Competitors
Capital High School
- Olympia, Washington
- Scott Le Duc – Instructor
Film Shorts
Team 5
- “Pressure”
- Chloe Danila
- Minnie Ho
- Ry Johnson-Hurst
- Odin Rathbun
Team 6
- “The Hunter and The Fawn”
- Emerson Dahl
- Olivia Dressler
- Raven Berndt
Team 7
- “Romantic Hostage”
- Edwin Vazquez
- Alden Visser
- Shane McCann
- Dom Vierra
Washington High School
- Tacoma, Washington
- Chris Tumbusch – Instructor
Animated Shorts
Smily Face
- “Wonderland”
- Ryder Holbrook
Film Shorts
Los Cookies
- “The Lost Camera”
- Aidan Kristoff De Guzman
- Kent Arabala
- Alexis Perez Moreno
- Raymond Nicassio
- Edgar Rodriguez Garcia
Scuba
- “Power”
- Kaden Humprey
- Suresa Letoi
- Kamari Humprey
- Fiona Veltkamp
Kenneth Gomez
- “Time is Gold”
- Kenneth Gomez
Everett High School
- Everett, Washington
- Melanya Materne – Film Club Advisor
Film Shorts
Everett HS Film Society
- “Water in the Place of Our Lives”
- Vivian Sklaroff
- Sofia Sanchez
- Deyan Ahmed
- Kanika Choem
Skills Center Competitors
Northwest Career & Technical Academy
- Mount Vernon, Washington
- Linton Porteus – Instructor
Animated Shorts
2D Productions
- “Northbound and Up”
- Heidi Hagen
- Karen Torres-Zavala
- Neil Stuart
Noodle Doodle Studio
- “The Beggar and the Crown”
- Gracey Meeker
- Rigo Jimenez-Soto
Trashy Inc.
- “The Last”
- Aline Patraw
- Amari Fae
- Thalia Rodriguez
- Addison Davis
Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center
- Everett, Washington
- Keira Wentworth – Animation Instructor
Animated Shorts
Dicentra Tales
- “Why the Moon Shines”
- Jolie Cox
- Orel Puppington
- Isabel Stegmann
Loungeware Studios
- “Fish Bowl”
- Jueun Choo
- Jonathan Limbeek
- Ava McDowell
- Lay Sayaseuth
M.A.K.
- “More Than Meets the Eye”
- Matthew Kirsanova
- Akira Reid
- Karolina Soloviova
WANIC DigiPen
- Redmond, Washington
- Michael Owens – Art & Animation Instructor
Animated Shorts
Affogato Animals
- “Tulip”
- Emric Pons
- Yoojin Chung
- Kwan Ting Zhang
- Alyvia Griego
- Dylan Unangst
Chums
- “Rose-Tinted Glasses”
- Ari Shin
- Vaunn Zimmerman
- Elizabeth Kotov
- Payton Cho
See Lions
- “Cheesemates”
- Eva Beliaeva
- Emma Heiberg
- Henry Ulstein
- Amelie Agraviador
- Joshua Sager
West Sound Tech
- Bremerton, Washington
- Tony Sharpe – Instructor
Animated Shorts
The C Team
- “Dumb Knight Nearly Dies a Horrible Death Multiple Times”
- Corbin Dilks
- Cayden Wherry
- Christian Frank
The Guub
- “The Poor Little Robot”
- Chance Kieta
- Dean Sodaria
Thank You!
We would like to thank our Advisory Committees for going above and beyond in steering the curriculum, supporting students with their projects, and providing constant support for our programs.
We would also like to thank our industry representatives for attending this event and being part of our panel. We really appreciate everything you do!
A special thank you to itch.io and Washington High School for hosting this year’s Showcase.
To all of our guests, thank you for sharing this day with us in support of our students.
AMES - Advanced Media Entertainment Society 