The Annie Awards 2026 nominations were announced January 5, as ASIFA-Hollywood unveiled contenders for its 53rd annual ceremony. Widely considered animation’s highest honor, the Annie Awards™ recognize excellence across animated film, television, and creative achievement.
The 53rd Annie Awards™ ceremony will take place Saturday, February 21, 2026, at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles. Events begin with a pre-reception and red carpet at 4:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 7:00 p.m. An after-party will follow immediately. All official events will be held on the UCLA campus.
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This year’s Best Animated Feature category reflects a competitive slate of studio releases. Nominees include Elio from Pixar Animation Studios; KPop Demon Hunters by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix; Little Amélie or the Character of Rain from Maybe Movies and Ikki Films, distributed by GKIDS; The Bad Guys 2 from DreamWorks Animation; and Zootopia 2 from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
The Best Animated Feature–Independent category highlights films with smaller distribution footprints. Nominees are A Magnificent Life from Mediawan, What the Prod and Bidibul productions; Arco from Remembers, MountainA France, and France 3 Cinéma; I’m Frankela from Cinema Fantasma with Warner Bros. Discovery and partners; Lost In Starlight from Netflix and Climax Studio; and Scarlet from Studio CHIZU.
Overall, the Annie Awards™ span 37 categories, recognizing animated features, independent films, special productions, sponsored films, short subjects, student films, and outstanding individual achievements. A complete list of nominations across all categories is available at annieawards.org/nominations.
The ceremony will also present Juried Awards honoring lifetime achievement, technical advancement, and exceptional contributions to animation. This year’s Winsor McCay Award recipients are Michaël Dudok de Wit, Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, and Chris Sanders.
The June Foray Award will be presented to Sandy Rabins for her significant and benevolent impact on the animation community. The Ub Iwerks Award will honor Wacom for its influence on animation technology, while LightBox Expo will receive the Special Achievement Award.
Founded in 1972 by June Foray, the Annie Awards™ remain a defining benchmark for excellence in animation, bringing together the global creative community to celebrate storytelling, innovation, and artistic achievement.
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