STAN LEPARD
GDC 2024
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
WHAT IS THE STAN LEPARD MEMORIAL GDC SCHOLARSHIP?
STAN'S STORY
Stan LePard, a talented and multi-faceted musician, was a fixture of the Seattle game audio and music scene for many years. His work can be heard in the Halo and Destiny franchises, Guild Wars 2, Battletech, Crimson Skies, and many other games and software dating back to the '90s. He was always willing to share his time and expertise with others in the community, whether they were a veteran or a fresh face that had just arrived in town. He touched the lives of many people with his humor, musicianship, and spirit.
In 2021, Stan passed away unexpectedly, leaving a legacy of kindness and music, but also leaving an irreplaceable vacuum in the game audio community. In an effort to carry on Stan's legacy of enriching those around him with his experience and wisdom, some of Stan's friends and colleagues have come together to offer passes to the Audio Track for the 2024 Game Developer's Conference.
WHO IS SPONSORING THE SCHOLARSHIP?
A group of Stan's friends and colleagues on a variety of games have come together along with the generosity of Informa, GDC's parent organization, to sponsor five Audio Track passes to the 2024 Game Developers Conference. The composers will review all submissions and will choose the applicants that will receive the passes. Along with the conference pass, those chosen will receive a stipend for the duration of the conference.
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Noa Beazley, composer for Protodroid DeLTA, A Token War. Asst Prof. of Game Scoring at Berklee College of Music.
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Dan Crislip, composer/audio director for Grim Dawn, audio director at ProbablyMonsters, SkewSound founder.
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Maclaine Diemer, composer for Guild Wars 2, Crucible, Salt & Sacrifice, and Firmament.
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Jon Everist, composer for Overwatch 2, Solitaire Conspiracy and PUBG.
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Sabrina Hutchinson, Talent Agent and Founder, Defiant Talent Management
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C. Paul Johnson, composer/audio director for the Halo and Destiny franchises, and ProbablyMonsters studios.
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Dren McDonald, composer for interactive experiences, theme parks, film, TV and advertisements.
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Marty O'Donnell, composer/audio director for the Halo franchise, Destiny, and Golem.
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Michael Salvatori, composer for the Halo and Destiny franchises.
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Austin Wintory, composer for Journey, The Banner Saga, The Pathless, Alien: Fireteam Elite, and more.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The intention of the scholarship is to broaden the game music community by welcoming new faces to the premier annual event for game developers worldwide.
Applicants may be aspiring game devs, students, recent graduates, or early stage professionals, but they must express an interest music for video games. There is no age limit, but the strongest consideration will be given to young people who will be attending GDC for the first time. Women, people of color, people in need, and other underserved or underrepresented groups of people are strongly encouraged to apply.
While we appreciate the interest of those interested in sound design and game audio more broadly, at this time, submissions are limited to aspiring game music composers only.
We have no way to verify the authenticity of each applicant's claims. We are operating on the honor system and kindly ask that applicants respect the sponsors' generosity by being truthful in their applications.
SUBMISSIONS FOR 2024 ARE NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPLIED! RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED FEBRUARY 12TH, 2024.