44th Annie Awards: Call for submissions
Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards celebrate the art of animation for more than 44 years now, an organization of ASIFA-Hollywood.
Entries submitted for consideration will be from animated productions that were released in the United States between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
Exceptions are commercials, short subjects, special projects and student films, which can qualify with or without United State releases.
Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the 44th Annual Annie Awards will be presented in 9 production categories (Best Feature, Broadcast Production, Short Film, etc.) and 22 achievement categories (Best Animation, Direction, Production Design, Music, Voice Acting, etc.).
Additionally, up to 5 honorary awards may also be granted for lifetime accomplishments, philanthropy, technical advances, special achievement and meritorious service.
For another year in a row, Annies now feature a category for Best Independent Animation Feature category; features without a US release are eligible if they have won the Best Animated Feature award at either Annecy, Ottawa, Hiroshima or Zagreb animation festivals.
Also, student category includes films from animation students all around the world. Students need to be member of ASIFA-Hollywood to participate, but only after their film has been nominated.
The formal Annie Award Call for Entries commences on August 22.
Deadline to submit (fees and entries): October 31st, 2016 (5pm Pacific Time)
Step-by-step submission instructions: http://annieawards.org/how-to-submit
Categories and Rules: http://annieawards.org/rules-and-categories
Here's the online submissions portal
Final deadline to join ASIFA-Hollywood or to renew membership and participate in Annie Award voting: midnight Monday, December 16.
ASIFA-Hollywood is also conducting the 44th Annual Annie Award Call for Nominating Committee Judges. The registration procedure has been simplified this year, but all judges, whether they have applied in the past or are enrolling for the first time, will need to submit a new application. To be considered for a nominating committee, judges do not need to be ASIFA-Hollywood members, but must have an established career in animation and exemplary professional credentials in at least one of the Annie Award categories.
The 44th Annie Awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at UCLA's Royce Hall.