Applications are open for Digital Lab Africa 2021 for African Creatives. Digital Lab Africa (DLA) is the first platform dedicated to creative content linked with innovation in Africa. Led and managed by Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, it is supported by AFD (Agence Française de Développement). The very idea of DLA is to incubate emerging creative talent by offering them a springboard to fast track their projects with the support and expertise of DLA ecosystem in France and in Sub-Saharan African countries.

The Pan African accelerator focuses on 5 key categories: Immersive Experience, Video Games, Music, Animation and Digital Art. The programme initiated five years ago by the French Institute in South Africa (IFAS) counts SACEM, TRACE, TV5 Monde Afrique, the French Embassy in Nigeria, as well as IFAS, amongst others, as partners. Applications for the animation and immersive experience (XR) categories are now open and close on 4 April, while applications for video, digital art, and music categories can be submitted between 17 May and 11 July.

Details

Selected applicants are granted with a Digital Lab Africa online incubation program (as per the category) to fast track the development of their respective project. The online incubation and mentorship programs combine group and individual sessions that will help DLA#5 laureates to work on identified needs, and strengthen their projects to fast-track its development. It includes:

• Online mentorship & coaching by French and Sub-Saharan African experts
• Online workshops organised by key players of the digital creative industry
• Participation to online industry events

Categories

• Animation: The Animation category is open to all content which mainly use animation technics (2D, 3D, paper, film, sand, modelling clay, painting, figurine etc.) The project may be intended for cinema, television or any type of connected devices. Accepted formats: short & features films, TV formats & series, web & interactive. New or hybrid formats : artistic installation, virtual reality, transmedia, video mapping, TV series or TV special, animated documentary… are accepted. Projects at the stage of research, pre-development or writing (scenario, graphism, music…) are accepted.
• Immersive Experience: The XR category is open to any content offering an immersive experience to the audience, on any type of device (computer, smartphone, headset etc.), using immersive technologies (360°, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, 3D interactions etc.)

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