College of DuPage animation alumna Allison Pivaral won a Crystal Pillar Award at the College Student Production Awards ceremony held in conjunction with the Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy Awards on Oct. 24.

Hosted by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Chicago/Midwest Chapter, the student awards recognize outstanding video projects in categories including news, entertainment, sports and animation.

Pivaral received the award in the Animation/Graphics/Special Effects category for her mixed-media 2D animation, “The Perfect Spot,” which she created during her time at COD.

“The project was inspired by my dog Beanie,” said Pivaral. “I took my interactions with her and what I’ve seen from her and turned that into a story about a dog that is trying to find the perfect spot to lie down because their bed got taken away.”

Pivaral said she was nervous as she waited for the winner of her category to be announced.

“While it was stressful, it was still such a joyful moment,” she said. “It proved to me that my work is worthy of something. This project now has an award attached to it.”

Tony Venezia, COD Motion Picture/Television program chair and animation professor, said he is proud of Pivaral for her accomplishment.

“Making an animated film takes tremendous dedication and a ton of hard work,” he said. “The development of her main character was excellent, and the dog’s sweet personality comes across in a very strong way. The entire project has a lot of heart, and I highly recommend watching it.”

Lorenzo Lopez and David Gonzalez also represented COD at the event. Lopez was nominated for the animation “Battle of the Serene Islands” and Gonzalez for the nonfiction short “Wild Wisconsin.”

“It’s very rewarding to have three of our students nominated for awards this year. It speaks to how hard they work, and it’s a great validation of the creative energy in our program,” Venezia said.