NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Nine students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s animation program earned awards in the 2026 ACM SIGGRAPH SpaceTime International Student Competition, including first place, a second-place tie and seven honorable mentions. The students were mentored by Benjamin Anderson, assistant professor of animation.
ACM SIGGRAPH’s, or Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques’, SpaceTime International Student Competition is an event centered on the creation of a graphic poster for the SIGGRAPH conference. Students at the secondary and postsecondary levels may submit work based on an annually selected theme using computer-based media. Entries are evaluated by an international panel of jurors, and accepted works are displayed in the competition’s online gallery.
Malachiyah Armstrong, senior from Flint, earned first place. Drake Nelson, recent graduate from Conroe, tied for second place.
Honorable mentions were awarded to Brannon Boyd, junior from Aubrey; Carl Andrew, junior from Nacogdoches; Dahlia Gonzalez, recent graduate from Tatum; and Haylen Link, recent graduate from Palestine.
Also earning honorable mentions were Skylar McCrary, senior from Huffman; Stanley Teal Jr., recent graduate from Nacogdoches; and Trey Tamez, senior from Fate.
“This result places SFA among the top-performing schools in the competition’s international digital art poster category and reflects very positively on our students and program,” Anderson said.
Armstrong and Nelson also were selected through SIGGRAPH’s competitive student volunteer application process and attended the SIGGRAPH 2026 conference with Anderson in July at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Student volunteers support conference operations and receive full conference registration, networking opportunities and access to career-development experiences.
“Our students have been actively participating in the conference as SIGGRAPH student volunteers while also engaging with major animation studios and technology companies that have expressed tremendous enthusiasm for our students and our program,” Anderson said.
During the conference, Anderson worked with members of the SIGGRAPH Education Committee, mentored SFA students and met with industry partners to expand professional opportunities for students and support the animation program’s future initiatives.
SIGGRAPH is an international conference focused on computer graphics and interactive techniques. It brings together artists, researchers, developers, educators and industry professionals working in animation, emerging technology, artificial intelligence, immersive experiences and related fields.
For more information about SFA’s School of Art and its animation program, visit sfasu.edu/art.
