Manchester Animation Festival is the UK's largest Animation Festival dedicated to the celebration of the animated art form. MAF is both Academy Award® and BAFTA Qualifying.

Hosted at HOME in Manchester, the festival brings one of the UK’s biggest animation hubs together and invites the international community to join us to delight in all things animated; working with organisations such as Aardman, Adult Swim, Apple, BBC, Blue Zoo, Cartoon Saloon, Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix, and many more on special events and screenings.

Animation is everywhere, from the smallest smart phone screen to the largest cinematic projection. Manchester Animation Festival unites artists, practitioners, students and enthusiasts and all those in between to savour the many and varied achievements of the animated form.

If you’re an animation insider or just want to see something unique, you don’t have to be an animation boffin to join us for animated short competitions, feature films, retrospective screenings, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, masterclasses and screen talks from the industry's finest.

Manchester Animation Festival is a member of the Alliance of British Animation Exhibitors, promoting UK talent through curated screenings at home and overseas to increase the visibility and recognition of UK animation talent.

Awards & Prizes

Manchester Animation Festival hosts awards in many categories, each designed and manufactured by legendary animation model makers Mackinnon and Saunders. Our short film award is an Academy Award Qualifier and all British films screened at MAF are submitted to BAFTA for consideration for the British Short Animation category.

FILM AWARDS
Categories include Short, Feature, British, Student, Commissioned, Immersive, Shorts for Children and the Audience Award.

All awards are juried in venue by a panel of film and animation professionals with the exception of Short Films for Children and the Audience Award is selected by festival audience members. Films selected in competition for our Shorts for Children category are selected from the Short, Student and Commissioned Film entries. Films selected in competition for our British competition are selected from entries to our Shorts category where the country of origin is stated as from the UK.

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The Industry Excellence Awards, which recognise individuals working worldwide across the animation industry in the fields of scriptwriting, storyboarding, character design and character animation are available to enter for free via the MAF website.

Rules & Terms

FEATURE FILMS

Feature Film: Films over 40 minutes long. For hybrid works including live action over 50% of the film needs to be animated.

SHORT FILMS:

All short films must have been completed after Friday 18 July 2025 and must be submitted and received by Friday 31 July 2026. All animation techniques are eligible. You are welcome to submit a WIP so long as the film is completed and delivered to the festival team before the 28 August 2026. Please make it very clear that your film is a WIP when you submit.

Please select the category which best describes your film. Films must be under 30 minutes in length. The selection team reserves the right to select your film for a different category to the one it was entered into.

Short Films: Films not made by a student or person under the age of 16.

Student Films: Films created by undergraduate and post-graduate students.

Commissioned Films: Can be educational or scientific films, music videos or for advertising, commercial or promotional purposes. Commissioned films must have the permission of the rights owner before submission.

Immersive Films: Films that abandon traditional screening conditions and opt for an immersive format, this could be VR (interactive and non interactive), AR or 360° narrative films.

All information submitted is correct and can be used in print and on the web if your film is selected (excluding personal information). Manchester Animation Festival reserves the right to edit or rewrite text where they see fit.

We reserve the right to include a short 10-40 second clip of the film as part of a festival promotion and for our awards show, this clip will be either selected by you (at your request) or the festival team and will be appropriate for its use. Requests must be made in writing to the festival team before the final submission deadline.

You are to supply English subtitles where needed. Failure to provide subtitles may result in a film being withdrawn.

Our screening format is DCP, should this not be available for November our technical partners will be in touch to discuss options. All films are carefully checked and processed before screening at the festival. Please be aware that the information you provide when you submit your film will ensure it is presented in the correct format.

Submission also certifies that all film and music rights and clearances have been obtained (in accordance with UK copyright laws).

As well as screening in-venue selected films will also be screened online for pass holders. For more information please see the FAQ section of the website.

Submitted films may be selected for screening both in and out of competition. By submitting, you agree not to withdraw your film from the festival after it has been accepted by the selection committee. By submitting your film, you waive any and all screening fees for the Festival.

Manchester Animation Festival will hold the details of your submission in accordance with our privacy policy.

We aim to inform successful entrants by Friday 11 September 2026.
11 Reviews
Overall Rating
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Value
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  • Ben Jackson

    Manchester Animation Festival is always a highlight of the year that we look forward to. The team do such an amazing job of putting on a real celebration of animation and providing a place for the animation and film community to get together.

    The team champion animation throughout the year but this is the main event. It gets bigger every year and we hope it continues to do so. We absolutely love attending, whether we have a film in the festival or not.

    Great industry events. Great selection of films. All round amazing atmosphere. I was missing it when it was over.

    I hope the festival gets all the support it needs and deserves. A highlight in the Manchester City calendar that should be celebrated by the city for everything it brings, from investment, to culture, to community.

    November 2025
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  • AJ Jefferies

    Had a fantastic time at my first MAF. Everything was well organised and smooth, the people were lovely and a great selection of films!

    November 2025
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  • Felipe Haurelhuk

    Participating in this year's Manchester Animation Festival was an incredible experience. The overall atmosphere were fantastic, and the staff were always available and ready to assist. Looking forward to joining you again in the near future!

    December 2024
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  • Festival Formula

    Where do we start...?! A stellar programme, brilliant industry, and they cater for all the filmmakers with their networking events and opportunities. If you're an animator then this festival SHOULD be on your submission list for every project.

    We had two clients screen in 2024:

    🎬 Family Portrait of the Black Earth
    🎬 The Unseen

    November 2024
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  • Jelle Janssen

    I’m so grateful to have been a part of the Manchester Animation Festival! The event was incredibly well-organized, and I felt truly welcomed as a creator. The atmosphere was very inspiring, and it was fantastic to connect with so many talented individuals in the animation community. I’m already looking forward to returning – this definitely won’t be my last visit!

    November 2024
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