Independent Halifax animator Heather Harkins has won the first Helen Hill Animated Award, an award named after late experimental filmmaker and artist Helen Hill.

A group of Nova Scotia artists and friends of Hill got together to create the award to honour the 36-year-old Hill, who was shot to death on Jan. 4, 2007, in New Orleans, a city that had been her home since 2001.

Hill and her husband Paul Gailiunas were attacked Jan. 4 when an intruder fired shots in their home near the city's French Quarter.

Harkins is the creator of She's a Lady Animator, which uncovered the stories of women animators working during the Second World War.

Harkins previous films include Don't Blink, The 8 Husbands of Zsa Zsa Gabor andDuncan's Cove.

She is currently on the board of the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative and leads community workshops in animation.

The award provides $5,000 support from Power Post, $1,000 support from the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, $1,100 support from the Centre For Art Tapes, $1,000 in support from the New Brunswick Filmmakers' Cooperative and an additional $500 cash.

The award for animators working in Atlantic Canada is administered by the Linda Joy Media Arts Society and was given based on juried selection.