The “Annies” are the annual awards given out by the International Animated Film Society, aka ASIFA-Hollywood. As part of these, there is a special prize known as the Ub Iwerks award for technical advancement in the art of animation, named for the Disney animator who so famously brought Mickey Mouse to life, back in the day. This is only given out in any particular year when the judges feel that somebody deserves it. Well, the latest winner is none other than Blender, the open-source CG software. Past winners have included software, companies and people, but this appears to be the first time that a piece of Free software has been so honoured. <http://www.cgchannel.com/2018/12/blender-creator-ton-roosendaal-wins-annie-award/> <https://www.blender.org/news/ton-roosendaal-and-blender-to-receive-asifa-hollywood-ub-iwerks-award/>