In Verona an open day at the academy that has just been awarded one of the twenty best in the world (it is the leader in Italy, top ten in Europe). Hundreds of young people are expected, and demand is booming thanks to the mix of digital creativity and Oscar-winning teachers: many former students are already working for multinational animation companies. The CEO, Stefano Siganakis: ‘We go beyond the traditional model of art academies’.
Side Academy inaugurates a new phase in its history by officially transforming itself into Side Academy – Academy of Arts & Innovation, an evolution that merges visual arts, digital research and artificial intelligence applied to creativity. A change that broadens the vocation of the Academy, now internationally recognised as a centre of excellence among the world’s most innovative creative schools. There will be seven new three-year courses starting from the next teaching year, courses that cover the entire world of art and digital creativity, with a focus on film productions and fashion, but also on videogames, digital marketing and comics.
To accompany students and families to discover the new training courses, the Academy has decided to open the doors of its premises at Stradone Porta Palio 86, in Verona, on Saturday 13 December from 2.30 pm. The attention of students is very high, and hundreds of them have asked to attend the open day in person, so much so that they have forced the teaching staff to organise an event even online.
During the meetings, the seven three-year 2025-2028 courses will be presented: CGI & VFX, Fashion & Costume Design, Videogame Design & Development, Cinematography & Directing, Fine Arts in Digital Production, Content Creation + AI & Digital Marketing and Art, Concept, Illustration & Comics. An educational offer that goes beyond the traditional academy model and integrates artistic, technical and digital disciplines in a future-oriented ecosystem.
A unique model at national level, capable of training young people who are then able to immediately enter the world of work. In fact, many students and former students of Side Academy, already involved in real production projects, are now active professionals in studios and companies such as Walt Disney, Marvel, Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica and other global film, animation, video game and design companies.
Confirming the level it has reached, Side Academy achieved extraordinary results a few days ago in The Rookies 2025 international rankings, placing it among the top twenty creative academies in the world and among the top ten in Europe. An achievement accompanied by specific awards: second in the world in Fashion Design, ninth in Visual Effects and eleventh in 3D Animation. The Academy is also the only one in Italy to boast two finalist students in the Hugo Boss category. In fact, with the awards it has received today, Side Academy is the most sought-after Italian academy: in fact, it also won the prize for best school in the “Visual”, “Creative” and “Digital Fashion” sectors. Speaking of digital fashion, it is also worth mentioning the prize won by Francesco Messina, a student in the 2nd year of the Three-Year BA programme in CGI & Game, winner in the “Digital Fashion” category.
For the uninitiated, these awards have the value of an Oscar. In fact, The Rookies is an online platform that brings together about one hundred thousand of the best artists and students in the film and game industry. It is based in Adelaide, Australia: founded in 2016 by Alwyn Hunt and Andrew McDonald, it is now the de facto worldwide certifying body for the best schools and students working in animation for film and consoles.
Its ‘Academy Awards’ are The Rookies Awards, a global contest attended by 568 of the best academies and universities in the creative media segment, from 104 countries worldwide. There are 150 judges; to set the bar high, there are professionals from Walt Disney, Microsoft, Amazon, Sony, Riot Games, WetaFx, Blizzard Entertainment and Industrial Light&Mag evaluating the students’ and schools’ entries.
“These results are not only a victory for our school, but for the entire Italian creative system,” emphasises Stefano Siganakis, CEO of Side Academy. “Verona can become the world capital of creativity, a laboratory where new generations learn to imagine, design and innovate with responsibility and beauty. The Open Days will also be an opportunity to closely explore the structure of the Academy and its training model, unique in Italy: a chain that directly connects didactics to the world of industry thanks to partnerships with companies in the film, fashion, design and artificial intelligence sectors. Proof of this are the collaborations with the Venice International Film Festival, Milan Fashion Week, Milan Games Week and prestigious international festivals. With its view of the future and a path that combines artistic tradition and contemporary experimentation, Side Academy confirms itself as one of the most advanced institutions on the European educational scene’.
