Event Description
The awards are named after the creator of the first animated feature film in history, the Italian-Argentine Quirino Cristiani, who in 1917 directed "The Apostle"; an Argentine production in which 58,000 drawings made by hand and shot in 35 mm were used, in addition to several models representing public buildings and the streets of the city of Buenos Aires.

2027 Quirino Awards and Co-Production Market Call for Entries

Eligibility:

- Works premiered between June 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026.

- Animation must account for at least 75% of the work’s duration.

Categories:

- Feature film, series, short film, school short film, music video, commissioned work, video game animation

Important Information:

- Submissions via Festhome

- Rules and Regulations on official Website

- Deadline: November 25, 2026

Quirino Awards Coverage

2024

• Quirino Award Winners
• Winners' interview - Lulina and the Moon by Marcus Vinicius Vasconcelos and Alois Di Leo 

2023

• All finalists

2022

• Quirino Award Winners

Quirino Awards: 2017–2021

The following is a compact summary of previous Zippy Frames' coverage of the Quirino Awards for Ibero-American Animation, from their establishment through 2021.

2017–2018: The Quirino Awards were announced in 2017 as a new initiative designed to strengthen links between the animation industries of Latin America, Spain and Portugal and create a common platform for Ibero-American animation. Named after Quirino Cristiani, the Italian-Argentine filmmaker behind the 1917 'El Apóstol', generally recognized as the first animated feature film, the awards established their home in Tenerife, Spain. The inaugural edition took place in April 2018, combining the awards with professional activities intended to encourage networking and co-production. Alberto Vázquez's 'Decorado' won Best Ibero-American Animated Short, while Carlos Carrera's 'Ana and Bruno' took the feature award and Juan Pablo Zaramella's 'The Tiniest Man in the World' won the series category. Other winners represented Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Spain, demonstrating from the outset the awards' pan-Ibero-American ambitions. 

2019: The second edition considerably expanded the field, with 244 works submitted and nominees representing eight countries. The feature selection included 'Another Day of Life', 'Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles', 'The Wolf House', 'Lino – An Adventure of Nine Lives', 'Tito and the Birds' and 'Tropical Virus'. Santiago Caicedo's Colombian feature 'Tropical Virus' ultimately won Best Animated Feature, while Brazil's 'Jorel's Brother – Be Broccoli!' won Best Series and Nara Normande's 'Guaxuma' won Best Short Film. Other prizes went to 'Patchwork', 'The Wolf House', 'Paper Port Season 2 – The Lives of Others' and 'Black Is Beltza'. The geographical spread of the winners reinforced the Quirinos' developing role as a meeting point for animation across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds. 

2020: The third edition took place under the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Quirino Awards moving their principal activities online. Sergio Pablos's 'Klaus' won Best Ibero-American Animated Feature and also received the award for Best Animation Design. Portugal had a particularly strong year: João Gonzalez's 'Nestor' won Best School Short and Best Sound Design and Original Music, while 'The Peculiar Crime of Oddball Mr Jay' received Best Visual Development. The Spanish series 'Tainá and the Amazon's Guardians' and Alexandre Siqueira's Portuguese short 'Purpleboy' were also among the principal winners, while 'Gris' received the newly established award for video-game animation. The online edition demonstrated the organization's ability to maintain both its awards and its professional Ibero-American network despite the pandemic.

2021: The fourth edition attracted 265 submissions, with 40 nominated works from nine countries; the Dominican Republic appeared among the represented territories for the first time. Spain led the nominations, followed by Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Colombia. Eduardo Rivero's Mexican feature 'A Costume for Nicholas' won Best Animated Feature, Bernardita Ojeda's Chilean-led 'Petit – 2nd Season' won Best Series, and Alberto Vázquez returned to the Quirino winners with 'Homeless Home' as Best Short Film. Costa Rica achieved a milestone when Manuel López's 'Memories for Sale' became the country's first work to participate in and win a Quirino, taking the school-film award. Other winners included 'Routes', the video game 'GYLT', 'Elo', 'Umbrellas' and 'Loop'. By this stage, Zippy Frames' coverage presented the Quirinos as an established professional and cultural bridge connecting animation across the 23 countries of the Ibero-American region, encompassing features, shorts, series, commissioned work, student animation and video games.