Cleveland Institute of Art students win National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Production Award for ‘Clarigoose’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2026

CLEVELAND—Clarigoose—an animated film created by Jane Abounader, Lolo Goelz and Julie Moeller while they were Cleveland Institute of Art students—won a National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Student Production Award.

Clarigoose was created in 2025, when Abounader, Goelz and Moeller were juniors in CIA's Animation program. The three graduated from CIA in May 2026. The film tells the story of an ambitious young clarinet goose. When inspired to perform a solo, he must learn his limits—and accept help—or risk hurting himself.

Clarigoose won the Animation/Graphics/Special Effects category for NATAS's Central Great Lakes Chapter. Other former CIA students who received nominations in that category were Class of 2025 graduates Perry Covington, Agent Dunstone and Lex Torres.

"This recognition is a testament to the talent, dedication and collaborative spirit of our students," says Jeff Simonetta, assistant professor in CIA's Animation program. "To not only win but also dominate the nominations in the Animation category speaks to the strength of our curriculum and the creative excellence of our student body.

"CIA's strong presence in this year's Animation category reflects the College's continued leadership in preparing students for careers in animation and creative media," Simonetta says. "CIA continues to build national and regional recognition for producing highly skilled, industry-ready graduates in animation and related fields."

The NATAS Student Production Award is just one of many accolades received by CIA's Animation program in recent years. In 2020, an international ranking organization called The Rookies named CIA No. 2 in the world for 2D animation education. The Rookies also recognized CIA as one of the world's best schools for production excellence in 2D animation. In 2021, CIA alum Teagan Barrone earned a Student Academy Award for her BFA project Slumber with Snakes. That short film won the Bronze in the Domestic Animation category.

The NATAS Student Production Awards were announced April 29. The 2026 Central Great Lakes Emmy Award Ceremony—at which Student Production Awards will be recognized—takes place June 27 at Hotel Cleveland in downtown Cleveland. The Central Great Lakes Student Production Awards highlight outstanding student achievement in media production across Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Contact

Cleveland Institute of Art
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404

Cleveland Institute of Art

The Cleveland Institute of Art is a private, nonprofit college of art and design that has been the training ground for countless students who have gone on to make important contributions to the fields of creativity and innovation since it opened in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women. Its students have designed internationally recognized products, their artwork has been exhibited in major museums and private collections around the world, and their entertainment media has been enjoyed by audiences and game players for generations. It enrolls about 550 students nationally and internationally and has a faculty of about 100 full-time and adjunct members, all of whom are practicing artists, designers and scholars.