The 9th annual Animation Chico Festival will present a diverse collection of animations from artists around the world. If you have a story to tell through animation…we want to see it!

Accepted Forms of Animation
• 2D animation
• Stop-motion animation
• 3D animation
• Experimental animation
• Music Video

Note:
Hybrid projects (animation and live-action) are accepted but the film must contain at least 75% animation.

Juried awards are given for:

Best 2D Animation - $100 USD
Best Stop-motion Animation- $100 USD
Best 3D Animation - $100 USD
Best Experimental Animation - $100 USD
Best Student Animation - $100 USD

GENERAL RULES

Animation Chico accepts animated short films only.

The maximum duration of each film is 15 minutes including credits.

We will only be accepting submissions for films completed after January 1st, 2018 .

Your film must contain at least 75% animation in any technique.

More than one animation may be submitted. Each entry must be accompanied by a separate submission form and entry fee.

Films with dialogue or narration in languages other than English must have English subtitles.

The Festival has the right to use all materials related to the submission as well as a film excerpt up to 10% of the total length of the film that will not exceed 3 minutes for promotional purposes.

Press & Publicity
If your film or video is selected to screen at the Festival, you will be asked to provide: director's bio, stills from the film, and press materials.

Please do not send DVD's or BluRay Discs. As part of our green initiative, Animation Chico uses digital files only. If your film is accepted to the festival, you will receive a notification email with instructions on where to upload the final exhibition copy of your film.

The Exhibition copy of your film must be encoded in H.264 .mp4 format with a constant bitrate no higher than 20mbps. We accept 720p or 1080p resolution.

All filmmakers must have exclusive rights to their films as well as any pertinent releases including but not limited to actors image, location image, trademarked or copyrighted image and music. Animation Chico Directors reserve the right to request proof of such releases at anytime before films are screened.

Films considered pornographic or overly violent in nature by our screening committee will not be accepted.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
I. Animation Chico and it's parent company Tree City Films will not be held responsible for any materials lost or damaged in transit.

II. The Competition reserves the right to refuse entries.

III. Animation Chico is hereby granted the right to utilize and excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the film festival for promotional purposes.

IV. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that they are authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

V. All fees are non-refundable.

VI. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Animation Chico and its parent company Tree City Films from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses including but not limited to, attorney's fees and costs of the court which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Jerry Makare

    I was unfortunately unable to attend the festival, but having my short film screened at the event with a handful of work from very talented animators was fantastic! The organizers were communicative and friendly, and the folks who submitted films that couldn't attend were provided a link so that we could enjoy the event after the fact (for a limited time). A great little festival.

    October 2023
  • Kari Barber

    Great people, excellent programming. It was a fun overall experience!

    October 2022
  • Filmografo Filmografo

    Thank you for the selection and for the event! It was a nice experience. Hope we can participate again in the future!

    November 2021
  • Tamás Rebák

    The festival team was very kind with communication, thank you for the selection, and the award! Hope we can meet one time in person :)

    October 2021
  • Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

    Curated a really wonderful mixture of animated films, and presented on a very accessible platform. I especially enjoyed the many student films, and will be urging young animators here in Hawai'i to apply next year.

    October 2020