A California Institute of the Arts senior, Jingqi Zhang, won first prize for Animation in the annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest. The prize comes with a $1,000 cash award.

Zhang’s film “Hopper’s Day” is a five-minute animation about competition for resources in a world of predation. Water is a precious resource in an abandoned quarry, where a small grasshopper competes for access with an army of ants while trying to avoid a hungry crow and lizard. The water Hopper wants is not just a selfish desire but for a glorious garden oasis hidden in an old boot. A lush musical score begins when water finally reaches the garden, where flowers miraculously emerge.

Each winner receives a matching grant to donate to a non-profit that supports the theme of their film. Zhang chose to split her $1,000 between Food & Water Watch and the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

“Hopper’s Day” will premiere in a free, online event, the Young Filmmakers Contest Awards Celebration, Saturday, March 12, at 1 p.m. Register here.

The Young Filmmakers Contest asks young people from grade three through age 25 to create a three to eight minute environmental film that inspires change or action. Animated or stop-motion films can be a minimum of 45 seconds long.

Prizes are awarded at the elementary school, middle school, high school, college and post-grad levels, with additional prizes for animation and for creativity. Two new Environmental Activism Awards were added this year.

The contest is part of the One Earth Film Festival. For more information visit One Earth Film Festival.