South African in finals for global SpongeBob SquarePants-themed short film competition

Her short film "Finally Home," a live action movie follows a dedicated SpongeBob Fan in her quest in finding her ultimate dream home.

Fans and filmmakers of all ages from all corners of the world submitted more than 1100 SpongeBob-inspired short films, celebrating the positivity and optimism of toon legend SpongeBob to the first global SpongeBob SquarePants-themed short film competition.

Finalists

Divided into two categories - under 18 years of age, and 18 and over - entries were submitted in animation, stop-motion and live-action, among others. Featuring original storylines, the top five finalist videos in both categories highlight the cartoon's endearing attributes: humour, overflowing happiness and persistent positivity.

Finalists were chosen by a panel of judges comprised of Nickelodeon executives from all corners of the globe. Videos were judged on originality & creativity, incorporation of SpongeBob's attributes, and overall appeal.

Top 5 finalists in the 18 and over category - Twitter voting hashtag

1. Diligence by Joshua (US) - #SquareShortsVOTE1
2. Finally Home by Nicole (South Africa) - #SquareShortsVOTE2
3. SpongeBob My Best Friend by Arisdagues (Mexico) - #SquareShortsVOTE3
4. SpongeBob - Old Krabby Patty (SpongeBob - Alter Krabbenburger) by Jürgen (Germany) - #SquareShortsVOTE4
5. The Interview by Brett (US) - #SquareShortsVOTE5

Top 5 finalists in the under 18 years of age category

1. The Krabby Patty Formula Music Video by Keith (US) - #SquareShortsVOTE6
2. SpongeBob Jellyfish Catcher (SpongeBob Quallenjagd) by Alessio (Switzerland) - #SquareShortsVOTE7
3. The Silver Screen by Matthew (UK) - #SquareShortsVOTE8
4. The Krabby Commercial by David (US) - #SquareShortsVOTE9
5. Get Out of Here! By David (US) - #SquareShortsVOTE10

Vote for South Africa entry

People can vote online or via Twitter for their favourite short at www.spongebobsquareshorts.com until 2 August 2103. A winner from each category will be announced by 9 August and awarded a $2500 cash prize and a trip for four people to a screening event at the recently announced SpongeBob Fan Shellabration at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California.