PRIME THE ANIMATION! opens its call for entries for emerging animation talents and debut works
Skwigly
Submissions are accepted from now until 31 May 2026
Prime the Animation! New Talent International Festival, the only Spanish festival specifically dedicated to the promotion of emerging artists and first works in animation, opens its international call for animated short films for its 14th edition, which will take place from October 25 to 31, 2026, in València.
Call open to international emerging creators
Prime the Animation! invites emerging filmmakers from all over the world to submit animated short films, with a special focus on new talent and debut works.
Submissions must be made via FilmFreeway, with the call open from April 13 to May 31, 2026.
Awards at the 14th edition
Selected films will compete for the following awards:
- Best International Animated Short Film
- Best Experimental Animated Short Film “Miquel Guillem”
- Best National Animated Short Film
- Audience Award for Best Animated Short Film
- Best Poster Award
Each year, Prime the Animation! receives around 1,300 short films from countries worldwide, from which approximately 70 works are selected for the official competition. This carefully curated selection reflects the festival’s strong commitment to diversity, author-driven animation, and the visibility of emerging creators.
Prime the Animation! and its European dimension
The upcoming edition of the festival is supported by Creative Europe, as Prime the Animation! is a participating partner in the newly created FAN European Animation Festival Network, alongside Cinanima (Portugal), Imaginaria (Italy), Animasyros (Greece) and Animafest Cyprus (Cyprus).
This network aims to establish a collaborative model between partner festivals, focused on:
- Developing and diversifying audiences
- Sharing best practices and professional experiences
- Promoting young talent and auteur animation
- Encouraging animation production in schools and educational environments
- Fostering analysis, study, reflection and debate around animated filmmaking
Core values such as environmental sustainability, inclusion, diversity, non-discrimination and representativeness are embedded throughout the implementation of the project.
Looking to the future: schools and universities take part
For this edition, Prime the Animation! strengthens its commitment to education and emerging talent by introducing a showcase of animated bumpers created by students from animation schools and universities across Spain.
The selected pieces will be screened during the festival dates and shared through the festival’s social media channels, offering visibility to creators who are taking their first steps into animation.
This initiative, present in other international festivals, highlights the creative perspectives, originality and unconventional approaches of future professionals, enriching the festival’s programme with fresh and visually powerful proposals.
Information and submissions
Submission guidelines and full participation details are available at filmfreeway.com/primetheanimation