The Third Annual Dream Animation Festival

Have you ever wondered how to imagine someone else’s dream? Or how to show your own dream to someone?

Animation is one of the art forms closest to representing a dream. Animation can jump from a train to a whale’s back in a second; a woman can transform into a golden bee in a blink. The magical transformations and free associations of the mind are visual techniques of both dreams and animation.

This year's theme: URBAN SPACES

1. Choose a dream you have had that touches on themes of built realms or urban spaces. Your chosen dream could include, for example, cities, buildings, infrastructures, domestic or public spaces, imagined architectures, or the relationship between people and human-made environments. Create a short animated film of the dream's story. Please use a dream you have really dreamt of at night.

2. Create an animation that is up to 90 seconds in length and submit it here, on FilmFreeway.

3. Please also submit a text in the description describing the story of your dream, when you dreamt it and it's connection to the festival's theme.

WE ONLY CONSIDER SUBMISSIONS THAT FOLLOW OUR GUIDELINES BELOW ↓

Each year, we have different themes and rules about what dreams to animate.
You can check the winners of the previous editions here: https://www.youtube.com/@elsewheredreams

Awards & Prizes

Screening fee: 100$
To support the artists whose films are selected, we offer a $100 screening fee to all animations chosen for the official programme that do not receive a prize.

We are giving away the following prizes:
(1) 🏆 Best Narrative
(2) 🎨 Best Style
(3) 🔊 Best Soundscape
(4) 🌆 Best Cityscape
(5) 🌀 Best Moment of Metamorphosis
(6) ❤️ Audience's Favourite.

Each award is 600$

The prizes are funded by the Dream Library.
Plus, each winner receives a Stop Motion Studio activation code, offered by the Stop Motion Studio App.

Rules & Terms

WE ONLY CONSIDER SUBMISSIONS THAT FOLLOW OUR GUIDELINES!

1. Choose a dream you have had that touches on themes of built realms or urban spaces. Your chosen dream could include, for example, cities, buildings, infrastructures, domestic or public spaces, imagined architectures, or the relationship between people and human-made environments. Create a short animated film of the dream's story. Please use a dream you have really dreamt of at night.

2. Create an animation that is up to 90 seconds in length and submit it here on FilmFreeway

3. Please also submit a text in the description describing the story of your dream, when you dreamt it, and its connection to the festival's theme.

Only one entry per participant is allowed. The deadline for submission is June 1, 2026.
Feel free to animate your dream's story in any possible way, in any narrative style or animation technique. If you use AI software for the animation, we are curious to see, but please be transparent about it.

The favourite animations of the jury will be notified around the 8th of June 2026, and these selected films will be screened to a small audience in June 2026. We will announce and notify the winners the day after the final screening.

📺 The artists selected for screening agree with the presentation of their animation on the Elsewhere YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@elsewheredreams) of the festival after the compilation of this year's edition.

🗺️ Dreams from the winning entries will be added to a special collection on the Elsewhere Atlas (with your permission, of course!). Check out the Elsewhere Atlas here: https://elsewhere.to/atlas