Welcome to the Palm Springs International Animation Festival 2024–2025! Online for 2025.

Celebrating the World’s Animation — Streaming Globally in 2025

We proudly present one of the most internationally diverse animation festivals on the planet, showcasing groundbreaking work from over 100 countries and connecting artists across continents through the universal language of animation.

Submissions Now CLOSED
When submitting, please include detailed information about your film’s model, style, and technique.

At the heart of our festival is a global spirit: We welcome every style of animation—2D, 3D, hand-drawn, watercolor, sand, paper cut-out, stop-motion, experimental, VFX, and more—from emerging voices to established creators. Each year, awards are given across 14 international categories, including Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short.

The 2025 edition will be hosted online, making this a truly borderless celebration of global animation excellence. Films selected will be streamed worldwide, with artists from every continent—including Academy Award®, Emmy®, and Grammy®-winning talent—sharing the virtual stage.

Our mission is simple but powerful:
To spotlight global creativity, champion cross-cultural storytelling, and unite the world through animation.

We look forward to your film—and your voice—joining this international celebration.

—The Palm Springs Animation Festival Team

Awards & Prizes

* **Outstanding Achievement in Animation Direction**
* **Outstanding Animated Feature**
* **Outstanding Animated Short**
* **Academy of Dreams Award *(for Creators with Special Needs)***
* **Outstanding LGBTQ+ Animation**
* **Outstanding Animated Documentary**
* **Emerging Talent Award *(First-Time Animator)***
* **Outstanding Animated Comedy Short**
* **Outstanding 3D Animation**
* **Outstanding 2D Animation**
* **Outstanding Hand-Drawn Animation**
* **Outstanding Stop-Motion Animation**
* **Outstanding Animated Music Video**
* **Outstanding Experimental Animation**

Rules & Terms

GENERAL RULES
Rules for Participation

***Please when submitting, add as much detail about the model, style and technique of your film as possible***

1. Dates and Venue
The absolute final deadlines are as dictated on FilmFreeway. Category winners are announced after the festival. The venue for the festival will be announced closer to the date of the event.

2. Competition
The festival reserves the right to place entries into alternative categories if they feel it is to the benefit of the title. Each submission must be entered separately. Entries will be assessed and successful submissions will be programmed for screening and enter the festival competition. Failure to submit a screener copy four weeks prior to the festival will rule out eligibility for an award. If your film is selected we reserve the right to show your film at a date and time of our choosing.

3. Formats
Preferred format in DCP on portable Zip Drive mailed to our office.
Additional formats accepted include: Mov, Mp4, DVD Blue Ray

PSIAF.ORG
Palm Springs Animation Film Festival
1740 E. Camino Parocela
Palm Springs, CA 92264

4. Selection
The festival directors reserve the right to invite films for the competition and program. Screening schedule will be announced after the final submission deadline. The final award winning entries will be selected by a festival jury and audience votes. Award winners will be notified within 14 days of the festival screenings.

5. Entry Returns
We do not return submission entries.

6. Screenings
It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure that films for screening are deposited with the festival organizers at least 7 days before any scheduled screening.

7. Publicity
We reserve the right to use extracts from submissions for festival publicity and marketing purposes. Press kits are not required, but are useful, so please feel free to send these with your submissions.

By submitting your film you agree to the following Palm Springs International Animation Festival (PSIAF) Terms and Conditions, and indicate that you have read and understood the PSIAF entry guidelines.

The following will apply if my film/video is selected:

1. My film/video will be screened during the Palm Springs International Festival and will be eligible to win a filmmaker award.

2. My film/video will be shipped (at filmmaker's expense) in one of the exhibition formats specified on the PSIAF listing.

3. My film/video may be utilized for promotional purposes of the festival, limited to private screenings and preview-only copies for press and supporters, unless otherwise arranged with the PSIAF.

4. I will permit the PSIAF to use my name and stills from my film/video (at least one print-quality version provided upon request) for promotional purposes.

The following will apply for all film/video submissions:

1. The PSIAF retains the right to archive the submitted screener copy of my film/video (excluding 16mm prints) in physical and/or digital format solely for historical and research purposes, and will not publicly screen it without my permission.

2. The PSIAF will conduct private screening sessions to review submissions, which may include my film/video.

3. The PSIAF does not provide refunds on submission fees.
41 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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  • Sharmeen Ahmed

    Thank you so much for selecting our film "The Giant Bird". We are honored to be screened at the festival.

    July 2025
    Helpful
  • Alica Khaet

    thank you so much for having my film!

    August 2024
    Helpful
  • Joe Murray

    The festival seemed great but then they disappeared at the end. There were no announcements of winners, and no responses from festival runners. There was an Instagram post that my film had won a category, but nothing to verify it. Very frustrating and odd.

    August 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Hello Joe,

    We appreciate your feedback and your concerns. Our festival websites do offer announcements of winners, though sometimes our directors have their films submitted by an associated agency etc on their behalf and often a different account or otherwise a different email contact was used that was not in direct contact with the director. We shall take your feedback (and others as well) as consideration to notify everyone of their status whether selected, non-selected, or winners. I will say as a limited crew running the festival, some logistics can be improved upon, and director notification is one of them. We are always striving to improve each year, and this is one thing we shall address.

    -Sid

  • THOMAS G. LEARY

    We are very grateful that “Lotta Luck” was selected to compete in the Palm Springs Animation Festival on June 20, 2024 in the Best Animated Short category! Our many thanks go out to the festival, and its panel of judges for this great honor. Thanks again, Thomas G. Leary @muledogrecords

    August 2024
    Helpful
  • Stefano Del Brocco

    I am happy to have participated in this Festival. The only thing is that we have not received information on the final outcome of the Festival. Whether we reached the final or not.

    August 2024
    Helpful