The 4th Niigata International Animation Film Festival 2026 (NIAFF 2026)
Call for Entries for Competition
- Terms and Conditions
*All dates and times indicated here are in Japan Standard Time (JST).
1. The festival
1.1. Host and Organizer
The 4th Niigata International Animation Film Festival is hosted by the Niigata International Animation Film Festival Executive Committee and orginized by the Niigata International Animation Film Festival Office.
1.2. Festival Dates
February 20, 2026 (Fri) to February 25, 2026 (Wed)
1.3. Venue
Niigata Citizens Plaza and others.
1.4. Competition Structure
(1) Feature Film Category
This competition is for animated works of 40 minutes or longer, including end credits (no limit to the methods of animation).
After a preliminary selection by a committee organized by the festival, an international jury will conduct the final judging to award the prizes.
(2) Indie-Box Category
This competition is for animated works between 15 minutes and 40 minutes, including end credits (no limit to the methods of animation).
After a preliminary selection by a committee organized by the festival, an international jury will conduct the final judging to award the prizes.
2. Eligibility
(1) The film must have been completed in or after 2024.
(2) For films not in Japanese or English, an English dialogue list with time codes is required upon entry. However, for films originally in Japanese, English subtitles will be required only if the film passes the preliminary selection.
(3) The director, producer, or entrant must hold the necessary rights for screening the film at the festival and ensure there are no issues.
(4) The entrant is responsible for obtaining permission from the copyright holders for all music, visual copyrights, existing characters, and any other rights-related matters used in the film. The festival assumes no liability for any legal disputes, including rights infringement or claims for damages, arising from the submitted work.
3. How to submit your film
(1) Entrants must fill in all required fields on the FilmFreeway application form regarding film and director information. The festival will decide which competition the film will be allocated to.
(2) The video material for the preliminary selection must be in a format that can be streamed and viewed online. We do not accept submissions via mail.
4. Submission Period
October 15, 2025 (Wed) 0:00 to November 30, 2025 (Sun) 24:00 (JST)
5. Entry Fee
There is no entry fee.
6. Judging and Awards
(1) Preliminary Selection
The selection committee will review all submitted works and select the films to be screened. The selected films will be screened a specified number of times during the festival.
The results will be notified to entrants directly via email and announced on the official NIAFF website by the end of December 2025.
(2) Final Judging
The international jury will review the selected films during the festival and decide the award winners for each competition. The winning films will be announced at the closing ceremony on February 25, 2026, and on the official NIAFF website afterward.
Awards and Prizes
(A) Feature Film Competition
Grand Prix (Trophy and ¥500,000 as distribution support fund)
Jury Award (Trophy)
Senkrechtstarter Award (for new talent) (Trophy)
(B) Indie Box Competition
Grand Prix (Trophy and ¥500,000 as production support fund for the winner's next project)
Jury Award (Trophy)
Senkrechtstarter Award (for new talent) (Trophy)
(C) Production incentives are subject to withholding tax. For non-Japanese residents, this will be in accordance with the tax treaty between Japan and the resident's country.
(D) Other special awards may be established by the international jury.
7. Screening of Selected Films
(1) The films that pass the preliminary selection will be publicly screened as a competition program, mainly at the festival venues during the festival period.
(2) No screening fee will be paid.
(3) Films selected for the competition will, in principle, be screened once at the main venue and once at the sub-venue (up to a total of 700 seats per film).
(4) The composition of each competition program and the screening schedule will be determined by the host and operator based on the available screening slots.
8. Japanese Subtitles
(1) For films that pass the preliminary selection, in principle, the festival office will create Japanese subtitles from English. For non-Japanese films, please provide an English dialogue list and video material via online data transfer.
9. Screening Materials
(1) Entrants whose films pass the preliminary selection must send their video material online within two weeks of receiving the notification, in the following format. All costs associated with submission, such as shipping fees for mailed materials, will be borne by the entrant.
Video Format: MOV (recommended), MP4
Frame Rate: 24fps (recommended), 23.98fps
Codec: ProRes 422 HQ (recommended), ProRes 422, H.246
Resolution: 1920 pixels or more
Aspect Ratio: 1:1.33 (4:3), 1:1.66, 1:1.77 (16:9), 1:1.85, 1:2.35
Audio Specs: 5.1ch, stereo
For any other format, please consult with the office.
(2) For submissions with Japanese and English subtitles, please send the file in one of the following formats: MOV, MP4, or DCP.
For MOV or MP4, please follow the format specified above.
For DCP submissions, it is the entrant's responsibility to provide keyless DCPs with Japanese subtitles for English films, English subtitles for Japanese films, and both English and Japanese subtitles for films in other languages.
Please note that for DCP submissions, all subtitles must be provided by the entrant, and the festival will not bear any costs.
10. Invitation
(1) The festival will cover the following invitation expenses if the invitation conditions are met. Details will be notified directly to the entrant after the preliminary selection. Please note in advance that the invitation may be canceled if a serious infectious disease outbreak occurs during the festival.
(2) Invitation Conditions
For one person per nominated film in the Feature Film Competition, who is either the director or producer and can attend the award ceremony scheduled for February 25, 2026, the festival will provide round-trip travel expenses (with an upper limit based on office regulations) and accommodation at a hotel arranged by the office during the festival dates.
For one person per nominated film in the Indie-Box Competition, who is either the director or producer and can attend the award ceremony scheduled for February 25, 2026, the festival will provide accommodation at a hotel arranged by the office during the festival dates (travel expenses will not be provided).
Invited directors and producers are obligated to participate in guest talks, master classes, etc., if requested, during their stay. No food or beverage expenses will be provided.
11. Others
(1) Approval of use for promotion: The entrant agrees that the festival may use a portion of the submitted film (less than 10% of the total length) and other submitted materials, such as film images and a director's profile image, for promotional purposes. The office may trim and use the images as needed.
(2) Total seat capacity per film is limited to 700 seats. Please note that films selected for the competition will, in principle, be screened once at the main venue and once at the sub-venue. However, additional screenings may be held at the main venue for award-winning films or in a screening room (120 seats) if there is a strong request from the press or buyers.
12. Understandings
(1) We will not accept any questions or objections regarding the selection, judging, or reasons for rejection.
(2) Please be aware that once you have passed the preliminary selection, you will not be able to withdraw your entry or cancel the screening for any reason.
(3) By submitting the application form via FilmFreeway, the entrant is deemed to have fully understood and accepted all terms, conditions, and items of the competition. Please check the submission guidelines carefully before applying.
(4) The host will not be responsible for any accidents, such as loss or damage to the submitted works, until they are received by the festival office.
(5) Submitted film materials and documents will not be destroyed or returned after the festival. They will be stored and utilized in the Niigata International Animation Film Festival Library for archive project research aimed at nurturing future animation talent and for festival publicity.
(6) All matters not covered in these guidelines will be decided by the Festival Executive Committee and the office.
13. Contacts
Niigata International Animation Film Festival Office
c/o Sunny Rain Co., Ltd.
3060 Shirone, Minami-ku, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan
Mail: entry@niaff.net
URL: https://niigata-iaff.net
Please contact us via the email address above for any issues related to your application, such as submitting incorrect information.
