criteria for entering

General criteria

1. Entries submitted for consideration must be from Irish productions* that were released (on terrestrial, cable, satellite or digital channels including web based broadcasters who commission content) between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

2. Repeat transmissions are not eligible.

3. Please include your nominees names in the ‘overview’ section, or the ‘cover page’ of your project.

4. IMPORTANT: Film Freeway is limited to one video file upload. Entries may be required to create more than one project file. Please download the category requirements for entering a snapshot HERE.

5. The IAAs will not accept entries without the correct submission material. Failure to meet the entry requirements will result in an automatically invalid application. Please read the entry requirements for each category, and ensure that you have all the necessary information and material before submitting.

6. Applications deemed to be invalid will not be refunded.

7. Once applications have been submitted the Irish Animation Awards are under no obligation to make refunds or change the application.

   
   

Irish Productions*

Projects created and funded in Ireland. International Co-productions in which Irish studio has financial & creative stake. Service work with over 75% completed in Ireland (key creative roles must be based in Ireland).

Best Animated Preschool Series (up to 6 years old)

1. General entry criteria apply 

2. A maximum of three company names may be submitted.

3. Full episode required for judging.
   

Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old)

1. General entry criteria apply 

2. A maximum of three company names may be submitted.

3. Full episode required for judging.

Kids Choice for Best Animated Preschool Series (up to 6 years old)

1. General entry criteria apply 

2. Production Company rather than individuals should be credited.

3. A maximum of three company names may be submitted.

4. This category will be judged by a national school as voted by the IAA committee.

5. Two classes will be chosen to represent younger and older children.

6. Full episode required for judging.
   

Kids Choice for Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old)

1. General entry criteria apply

2. A maximum of three company names may be submitted.

3. This category will be judged by a national school as voted by the IAA committee.

1. Two classes will be chosen to represent younger and older children.

2. Full episode required for judging.

Best Animated Short Film

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Films may be entered by studios or individuals. Films created between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

3. Animated films must be 20 minutes or under (including credits).

4. Final, exhibited, on-screen credits are used to determine the eligibility of candidates for nomination and should be referred to when completing the online entry form.

5. The full film is required for judging.

Best International Animated Short Film

1. For entrants from countries outside the island of Ireland.

2. Films may be entered by colleges or individuals. Films created between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

3. Animated films must be 20 minutes or under (including credits).

4. Final, exhibited, on-screen credits are used to determine the eligibility of candidates for nomination and should be referred to when completing the online entry form.

5. The full film is required for judging.

Best Writer for an Animated Preschool Series (up to 6 years old)

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Three entries per project per season will be accepted. Please contact production company for permission before submitting. In cases where multiple entries received for a project, final decision re: material to be reviewed is at producer’s discretion. Any entries not eligible will be refunded to entrant.

3. Writers of both original and adapted teleplays are eligible.

4. Eligibility is limited to the Writer(s) of the original teleplay or the Writer(s) credited with adapting the original source material: ‘story by’ or similar credits are not eligible.

5. A full episode and script (as PDF file) is required for judging. 

Best Writer for an Animated Series (over 6 years old)

1.General entry criteria apply

2. Three entries per project per season will be accepted. Please contact production company for permission before submitting. In cases where multiple entries received for a project, final decision re: material to be reviewed is at producer’s discretion. Any entries not eligible will be refunded to entrant.

3. Writers of both original and adapted teleplays are eligible.

4. Eligibility is limited to the Writer(s) of the original teleplay or the Writer(s) credited with adapting the original source material: ‘story by’ or similar credits are not eligible.

5. A full episode and script (as PDF file) is required for judging. Admin will contact you for script.

Best Animation for Apps, Gaming and Interactive

1. General entry criteria apply

2. A maximum of three names may be submitted. Additional names will not be considered. Alternatively, a maximum of three company names may be submitted. Where appropriate, I.A.A. will allow individuals to be credited alongside companies.

3. The proposed candidates for nomination should be those responsible for the most significant and outstanding contribution within the animation, generally the lead animators, character animators, and/or animation supervisors/directors. The proportion of craftspeople put forward should be a fair reflection of the proportion of effects within the programme achieved by each craft. The candidates for nomination should only be all animation craftspeople. The programme’s producer(s) and senior supervisor(s) must be fully consulted in the process of selecting those who should be credited.

4. Animation producers, coordinators and executives are not normally eligible unless it can be shown that they are also directly and creatively responsible for the effects achieved.

5. A showreel or sequence up to a maximum of 3 minutes is required for judging.

6. To submit to the Apps, Gaming and Interactive category please select option ‘Film/Video’

7. For interactive projects, please submit the following:

   • a playthrough of your project

   • a downloadable project link in the synopsis (or in a pdf as additional documentation).

8. Please note, judges will be using Oculus Rift headset for VR projects.

9. Please contact the IAA Coordinator if your project requires a different headset.

Best Design and Art Direction

1. General entry criteria apply

2. A maximum of three names may be submitted. Additional names will not be considered. Alternatively, a maximum of three company names may be submitted.

3. Where appropriate, I.A.A. will allow individuals to be credited alongside companies.

4. A full episode or showreel is required for judging.
   

Best Director of an Animated TV Series

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Entries submitted for consideration must be from Irish productions that were released (on terrestrial, cable, satellite or digital channels including web based broadcasters who commission content) between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

3. Repeat transmissions are not eligible.

4. Full episode is required for judging.

Best Animated Sequence

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Covering all media including: TV, film, apps, games, TV commercials, corporate films.

3. Eligibility is limited to those individuals with primary creative responsibility for the animation achieved within the production.

4. A maximum of three names may be submitted. Additional names will not be considered. Alternatively, a maximum of three company names may be submitted. Where appropriate, I.A.A. will allow individuals to be credited alongside companies. If you wish to do this, please email irishanimationawards@gmail.com prior to submission.

5. The proposed candidates for nomination should be those responsible for the most significant and outstanding contribution within the animation, generally the lead animators, character animators, and/or animation supervisors/directors. The candidates for nomination should only be all animation craftspeople. The programme’s producer(s) and senior supervisor(s) must be fully consulted in the process of selecting those who should be credited.

6. Animation producers, coordinators and executives are not normally eligible unless it can be shown that they are also directly and creatively responsible for the effects achieved.

7. A clip or sequence up to a maximum of 3 minutes is required for judging.

Additional material

A supporting statement about the effects achieved within the production, of no more than 500 words, will be requested to be circulated to the judges. This statement should explain how the key elements of the production were achieved and should be a fair reflection of the production’s special animation where applicable.

Best Music Design

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Eligibility is limited to the composer(s) of the original score, responsible for the conception and execution of the work as a whole.

3. Where the composer created less than 50% of the original music, additional contributors may be considered.

4. A full episode or showreel is required for judging.

5. Additional material: Where available, cue sheets should be provided for all programmes entered for this award, marked up to indicate which cues were originally composed for the programme and which were not.
   

Best Sound Design 

1. General entry criteria apply

2. A maximum of four names may be submitted and may include the following roles:

Sound recordist; production sound mixer; re-recording mixer/dubbing mixer; supervising sound editor; sound designer.

1. Assistants are not eligible.

2. A full episode or showreel is required for judging.
   

Best Irish Feature Film or Special

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Feature Films or Specials over 20 minutes.

3. Full feature is required for judging.

Additional material

A copy of the film’s opening and closing credit rollers and/or card as they appear on the finished film (Word, Excel or pdf)

Best New Irish IP

1. General entry criteria apply

2. This award is open to all new Irish IP that was originated and conceptualised on the Island of Ireland.

3. New Irish IP is defined as the first series of an Irish production that was released (on terrestrial, cable, satellite or digital channels including web-based broadcasters who commission content) between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

4. Repeat transmissions are not eligible.

5. In the case of co-production the Irish production company must have been involved in the co-development of the series and own min 50% of the rights.
   

Best Editing

1. General entry criteria apply

2. To be eligible to receive this award, an individual must have worked in the capacity of, and received screen credit as an editor on an animated television that was released (on terrestrial, cable, satellite or digital channels including web-based broadcasters who commission content) between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

3. This category requires the submission of a side-by-side clip of no more than 3 minutes. The clip must show the story reel next to its corresponding final released material.

Best Storyboarding

General entry criteria apply

To be eligible to receive this award, an individual must have worked in the capacity of, and received screen credit as a Storyboard Artist on an animated television that was released (on terrestrial, cable, satellite or digital channels including web-based broadcasters who commission content) between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

This category requires the submission of a side-by-side clip of no more than 3 minutes. The clip must show the story reel next to its corresponding final released material.

Additionally, a single PDF file containing each storyboard panel (one panel per page) must also be submitted.

Best Animated Student Film

Films may be entered by colleges or individuals. Films created between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

Animated films must be 20 minutes or under (including credits).

Final, exhibited, on-screen credits are used to determine the eligibility of candidates for nomination and should be referred to when completing the online entry form.

The full film is required for judging.

Best VFX ANIMATION

1. General entry criteria apply

2. Covering all media including: TV, film, apps, games, TV commercials, corporate films.

3. Eligibility is limited to those individuals with primary creative responsibility for the animation achieved within the production.

4. A maximum of three names may be submitted. Additional names will not be considered. Alternatively, a maximum of three company names may be submitted. Where appropriate, I.A.A. will allow individuals to be credited alongside companies. If you wish to do this, please email irishanimationawards@gmail.com prior to submission.

5. The proposed candidates for nomination should be those responsible for the most significant and outstanding contribution within the VFX animation, generally the lead VFX animators, character VFX animators, and/or animation VFX supervisors/directors. The candidates for nomination should only be all animation craftspeople. The programme’s producer(s) and senior supervisor(s) must be fully consulted in the process of selecting those who should be credited.

6. Animation producers, coordinators and executives are not normally eligible unless it can be shown that they are also directly and creatively responsible for the effects achieved.

7. A clip or sequence up to a maximum of 3 minutes is required for judging.
   

Best INNOVATION

1.      General entry criteria apply, except for point 1: Projects must still have been completed after January 2021, but not necessarily released/published or broadcast.

2.     Projects must include, but are not limited to, traditional animation, 2D animation, 3D animation, stop-motion animation, computer-generated animation or Real-Time game engine animation.

3.    The projects must demonstrate which challenges or problems (within the production pipeline, distribution and/or audience experience) they are solving or have solved and highlight innovative aspects of the project and your approach.

4.    Entrants must be the original creators of the animation project and all rights must be secured to submit it for consideration.

5. A maximum of three names may be submitted. Additional names will not be considered. Alternatively, a maximum of three company names may be submitted. Where appropriate, I.A.A. will allow individuals to be credited alongside companies.

Additional material

1.      A supporting document that describes how you believe your submission can make a positive impact on the industry, the Animation Art form or the production process. This document should be no longer than 1 A4 page.

2.      In addition please supply one or all of the following:

A link to project it if it is available online, on a platform or in a store. Or a video walk through of the project.

3.      Stills, photographs and images can also be used to demonstrate the project innovation.

Note: Additional criteria or restrictions may apply, as determined by the award committee.