Theme: My Passion
What are you passionate about?
We are looking for works that are original and innovative and with this wonderfully open theme, we can’t wait to find out what young people in 2025 are passionate about!
At our 2024 Festival, Orion Ross from Disney presented the NEW YAOTY Award to Max Hendrickson.
Taking the idea of the original YAOTY Award as a point of departure, the NEW Award is now open to students in their first year of college.
Animation Dingle’s Young Animator of The Year, (YAOTY) runs annually with the support of our friends in Disney+
Are YOU, or is someone you know, the next Young Animator of the Year?
Each year, secondary school students from all over the island of Ireland are invited to submit their short animated films to the national YAOTY Awards. And this year, YAOTY is also open to students in their FIRST YEAR of college!
Set in magical Dingle, on the most westerly peninsula of Europe, Animation Dingle is a festival that was created for students and has been moulded by them over the years. We want to draw attention to the talented young people in Ireland and give them a spotlight in which to showcase their skills, so for many years, we’ve run the YAOTY awards which have done just that!
Listed as 'One of the top Not-To-Be-Missed events in the World' by Animation Magazine, Animation Dingle is attended by all the major animation colleges and studios within Ireland, along with delegates from Disney, Pixar, Amazon, Apple, Nickelodeon, RTÉ, CBBC, CBeebies and many more.
Our festival prides itself on its ability to create a culture of interaction, sharing and support whereby top industry experts share with upcoming students in the relaxed setting of the Dingle Skelligs Hotel.
Exciting plans are underway for 2025!
To Enter YAOTY is FREE.
The closing date for student entries is the 28th of February 2025.
The YAOTY winner will be presented with their award at the opening of our Animation Dingle Festival on Friday 21st March, 2025 by Orion Ross, VP International Animation, Disney Branded Television!
PLUS the winner will be offered 1 nights’ accommodation in the Dingle Skellig Hotel.
The award will be presented at our Animation Dingle Conference 2025.
Over 700 animators gather together in Dingle town in the South West of Ireland and it’s stunning surroundings to realise the interconnected orbits of students and professionals.
Animation Dingle is committed to delivering the very best in Animation content from all around the globe through conference, workshops, screenings and awards and in the spirit of connecting, sharing and supporting.
