Prime the Animation Festival 2026

About the festival:

Prime the Animation! is an international animation festival of emerging students and professionals that generates a space for encounter and interchange, aiming at sharing their most recent works and new projects, along with activities, talks and exhibitions. A novel aspect of the festival is that the ones in charge of its direction and organization are enthusiastic students, professors and professionals about animation. 

Since its beginnings in 2013, short films elaborated by students from all over the world have participated: Spain, Denmark, Chile, Japan, United Kingdom, India, Germany, Mexico, Estonia and Canada; and, furthermore, valuable professionals as renowned as Joanna Quinn, Osbert Parker, Pablo Llorens, PriitPärn, Alberto Vazquez or Silly Walks Studio among others have taken part in this festival, enabling students to revise their projects and portfolios together with these great animation professionals.

Prime the Animation! joined in 2025  FAN (Festival Animation Network), a new network of European animation festivals together with Cinanima (Portugal), Imaginaria (Italy), Animasyros (Greece) and Animafest (Cyprus). This initiative, supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, allowed to promote joint actions throughout 2025 and 2026, enhancing the visibility and collaboration between festivals.

Prime the Animation Festival Coverage

2025

Winners:

The jury, composed of animation professionals such as Alex Mouron(winner of the Best International Short Film award in the 2024 edition), María Pulido(Art Director with projects awarded at the Goya Awards) and Elena Gobernado(screenwriter in animation projects), evaluated the competing works and granted this year’s awards. The closing ceremony began with remarks by Juan Antonio Hurtado, chief programmer of the Valencian Cinematheque, followed by Sergio Rodríguez, festival director, who highlighted the success and growing prestige of this edition. After a summary video, the awards were presented in the following categories

• Best Poster: Turmspringer, presented by David Heras, representative of the UPV Master in Design and Illustration.
• Audience Award: polliwog (Kaulquappe), presented by Rebeca Núñez.
• Best National Short Film: Kapitan, presented by María Pulido.
• Miquel Guillem Award for Best Experimental Short Film: Ama Nuo, presented by Alex Mouron.
• Best International Short Film: By Passing, presented by Paula Sánchez, director of Fundación Cañada Blanch, with special mentions for Tapir memories and polliwog (Kaulquappe).

The winners of the Pitch Projects, 'Cuento de viejas' and 'Pacífico', received their diplomas and accreditations to attend MIFA 2026 (Annecy, France), presented by Juan Carlos Conchafrom Non Stop. In addition, Sara Álvarez presented the Prime of Honorto José Antonio Hurtado Álvarez, for his unconditional support of Prime the Animation! and for making animation visible in the Cinematheque’s programming, helping to build a strong community around this art form.

Prime the Animation Festival Call for Entries

- All submitted films for the competition must be produced after January 1, 2025. 
- The allowed length, intro and credits included, is 12 minutes.
- The theme is free, and registration is open to all animation short films from any country in the world.
- All animation techniques are accepted (3D, 2D, stop motion, mixed media), that is, any type of short film created frame-by-frame.
- The animation short films, frame-by-frame, should include animation in at least 85% of the footage. 

Participants in each category can be:

- Student animated short films: Students (+18) or Educational Centers that have made their films within their study programs for Degrees, Master's Degrees, Training Cycles or Specialized Schools.
- New Animation Directors: First Feature Films by directors have made their first animated short film as professionals, outside of the educational programmes. 

Awards:

●Best International Animated Short Film Award
●Award Miquel Guillem Best Experimental Animation
●Award Best Spanish Short Film
●Audience Award for Animated Short Film
●Award for Best Film Poster

• Film Festival regulations and Entry via Filmfreeway
• Deadline: 31 May 2026