The Happy Valley Animation Festival (HVAF) is an international competition that showcases compelling animated works by student, early career, and practicing professional artists, designers, and filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium. Works range from animated short films and experimental animation to animated motion graphics and design and push the innate ability of animation to communicate across cultures.

The festival takes place at the Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA (Happy Valley), with open and student award winners and official selections featured in screenings and exhibitions at the HUB Flex Theatre, the Palmer Museum of Art, the Carnegie Cinema, and the HUB Robeson Gallery. All events are free and open to the public.

HVAF is a collaboration between organizers, volunteers, and academic partners and is supported by the Digital Arts and Media Design Program (DART) and the School of Visual Arts at Penn State.

Awards & Prizes

Laurel recognition awarded to winner, finalist, and honorable mention in the following categories:

Animated Short Films Under 4 Minutes (Open and Student Categories)
Recognizes Animated Shorts under 4 Minutes that deliver the best style, creativity, and content.

Animated Short Films (Open and Student Categories)
Recognizes Animated Shorts over 4 Minutes that deliver the best style, creativity, and content.

Animated Motion Graphics & Design (Open and Student Categories)
Recognizes Animated Motion Graphics & Design works that deliver the best style, creativity, and content.

Experimental Animation (Open Category)
Recognizes Experimental Animated works that delivers the best style, creativity, and content.

Rules & Terms

To qualify for the festival, your submission must meet the requirements.

• Your film meets requirements and is no longer than 20 minutes in length, including end credits. End credits are not required.
• You provide any related content warning including—but not limited to—any instances of profanity, nudity, violence, etc. These instances will not hinder your chances of qualifying.
• Limit of two submissions per director, artist, designer, or collaborative team per category.
• No revision will be accepted once your film has been submitted.
• When you submit your film, you agree to these terms & conditions.

COPYRIGHT
It is expected that directors/submitters hold all of the respective rights required for their film before submitting. This includes all music, sound effects, product placement, actor/model release forms, etc. Directors without these rights will not be able to screen or exhibit their films.
12 Reviews
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  • Shaqir Veseli

    thank you very much for accepting my project in yout amazing festival

    April 2025
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  • Raghu sinha

    So thrilled that my film Aapang was selected for the Happy Valley Film Festival! Grateful to be part of a space that truly celebrates independent storytelling. Huge thanks to the festival team for this beautiful experience!

    April 2025
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  • Jesus Emiliano Llamas Rios

    Thanks for including my short on The fest, i would love to be told The screening/projection date and Time but ITS nice yo know that my job were part of this fest. Thanks HVAF team

    April 2024
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  • Diek Grobler

    A lovely festival. Happy to have been part of it.

    April 2024
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  • James Middleton

    Some time back, I became disoriented off I-80 looking for Punxsutawney and stumbled upon State College, near Penn State, emerging from the morning mist, with the song of seraphim penetrating my noisy Wankel rotary engine - and lo, there was a festival, not just a festival, I thought, but THE festival, putting the FEST in its name. Cavorting, frolics, and scampering permeated the entire environs, and I followed the trail of punched sprockets to revel in the visual treats of the Happiest of Happy Valleys - and - and - they had PIE - ok, it was at a food truck near Jersey Mike's subs, but it was still PIE. Oh. Sorry. A bit off-track here. I later submitted a film for their consideration, and it came to pass that FLUTE SOLO, one of a series of Sfumata from my teeny tiny studio, made the cut! It now can join the happy collective of jaunty souls and punched sprockets and yr hmbl typst could not be happier. Submit and be HAPPY with HAPPY VALLEY ANIMATION FESTIVAL.

    April 2024
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