Theme: Ephemeral Footprints: A Sustainable Legacy

Supported with our friends at Disney, the search has begun for the Young Animator of The Year!

Are YOU, or is someone you know, the next Young Animator of the Year?

Secondary school students from all over the island of Ireland are invited to submit their short animated films to the national YAOTY awards.

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 2024!

To Enter YAOTY is FREE.
The closing date for student entries is the 8th of March 2024.

The winning student will receive The YAOTY Award 2024, presented by a top Disney Executive.

The winner and their parents will receive 1 night accommodation in Dingle.

The award will be presented at our Animation Dingle Conference 2024.

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.

The competition is open to 4th (Transition Year), 5th and 6th year students in the Republic of Ireland, and Yr 11, Yr 12 and 6th Form students in Northern Ireland.

Students must be attending school in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, or can be an Irish or a Northern Irish student studying abroad.

Students are asked to produce an animated film, a maximum of 1 minute in duration (we will accept films shorter).

The theme for YAOTY 2024 is Ephemeral Footprints: A Sustainable Legacy

Our theme asks you to explore the transient nature of our existence with a focus on leaving behind a positive impact - we ask you to ask, ‘how can you create a lasting and eco-friendly legacy during your time on earth?’ How do your actions connect with the environment? How can you inspire viewers to consider their impact? What does conscious choice-making mean? How can you celebrate the fact that your time on earth may be relatively short, but can be enormously impactful? How can you celebrate the art of living a wonderful life in alignment with the planet?

The theme is completely open to the students’ interpretation.

The films can be made using any one or a combination of multiple animation techniques, such as:
Hand-drawn
Stop-motion
Computer generated animation
Coding
Cut-out
Sand animation

Please enter with the following details:
Your name, email, contact number
Your school name and your class/year
Share your film here on FilmFreeway
Include a short detail (2-3 lines) on what your film is about
Include a still image from your film or an image to represent your film

The deadline for us to receive your films is Friday 8th of March 2024.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Jude O'Brien

    Lets do it again... Yes.

    April 2021
  • Shayna Velasquez

    It was an absolute fun and joy to be part of the festival as one of the YAOTY finalists.

    Everyone was so lovely and the programmers/coordinators were so welcoming and professional. Though virtual, it was an absolute pleasure to see so many talented animators who joined this year.

    Prior to the main event, artists would meet every Monday and Wednesday night on Discord to draw amazing characters depending on the theme set that night. It was so good! Make sure you attend to these events! It was really FUN! Afterwards, we would share on Instagram our drawings, it was so funny! I loved every bit of the experience!

    Can I also mention/brag about the brilliant line-up of industry professionals/speakers they had? Pixar, Disney, etc. What can you ask for?

    I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this festival to any aspiring animators out there. The universe Animation Dingle creates is full of talented, wonderful, creative and unbelievably friendly people. You will learn a lot from the experience - techniques, styles, advice, etc. My jaw dropped when I saw the entries! They were ALL amazing! I wouldn't envy the judges - I am sure they had a hard time deciding because of the quality of entries they received - all topnotch.

    Shout out to Gabriel! You are amazing!

    April 2021