THE ROOKIES 2025: ESMA back among the world's top creative schools

A global benchmark for creative training

Founded in 2010, The Rookies is an international platform that showcases young talent in the fields of animation, visual effects, video games, design and illustration. Every year, thousands of students from schools all over the world present their projects at the Rookie Awards, a competition that also serves as a basis for ranking the best creative schools.

This ranking, which is recognised throughout the industry, is based on a rigorous methodology: assessment of the artistic and technical quality of student projects, consistency of teaching, support for learners as they enter the professional world, and the school’s reputation among recruiters. Being highly ranked in The Rookies is therefore a guarantee of credibility and excellence on an international scale.

A methodology based on the quality of student projects

The Rookies Global School Rankings are based on a unique approach, centred on the work of the students themselves. Every year, hundreds of industry professionals examine several thousand projects submitted for the Rookie Awards.
The schools are then evaluated according to a number of criteria:

• The creativity and originality of their productions,
• technical mastery (modelling, animation, compositing, rendering, etc.),
• the quality of project presentation,
• the diversity of skills demonstrated,
• and finally, the employability potential of the students.

The results are based on the average scores obtained by students from the same school, guaranteeing a ranking that is representative of the overall level of training. This independent and transparent system makes The Rookies an essential benchmark for measuring the academic and professional excellence of creative schools.

The 2025 results: ESMA shines

17th place – Top 50 Creative Schools

ESMA is one of the 50 best creative schools in the world, across all disciplines. This result underlines the multidisciplinary nature of its courses and its ability to train well-rounded, creative and operational profiles straight from school.

4th place – Top Creative Schools: 3D Animation

ESMA’s 3D Animation and Special Effects course has been ranked 4th worldwide. This ranking highlights the quality of the students’ work, which regularly wins awards at international festivals, as well as the expertise of a teaching team drawn from the professional world. The short films produced each year at the end of the course bear witness to the high artistic and technical standards achieved by our graduates.

1st place – Top Creative Schools: Production Excellence – 3D Animation

This year’s top award goes to ESMA, once again ranked BEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD, in the Production Excellence – 3D Animation category. This award recognises the school’s mastery of the entire production process, from script development to post-production, including modelling, animation, lighting and compositing. It reflects the school’s ability to prepare its students to join the biggest international studios as soon as they graduate.

Recognition that’s here to stay

These awards once again confirm ESMA’s position of excellence on the international scene. For more than 30 years, the school has been training artists and technicians who are recognised the world over and work in the biggest animation and special effects studios.

A huge well done to our students, whose commitment, rigour and creativity are at the heart of these awards. Their achievements, the fruit of a collective effort and constant high standards, shine ESMA’s colours on the international stage every year.