Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) 2026

Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) 2026 is now open for entries!

Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), competition dedicate to short and feature animated films, has been recently opened for entries in its 2026 edition inviting animators from around the globe to submit their recent best work.

Short description

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), North America’s leading animation film festival organise by Canadian Film Institute , is now accepting film entries for 2026 edition inviting animators from around the globe to submit their recent work in this year’s competition categories.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, workshops and entertainment since 1976. OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub, attracting artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world.

Short and feature animated films, completed after 31 May 2024 are eligible to enter the Festival’s competition programs.

The 2026 OIAF competition categories:

➜ Feature Film
➜ Animated Short
➜ Student Animation
➜ Commissioned Films
➜ Animation Made for Young Audiences (ages 7+)
➜ Animation Made for Teen Audiences (ages 13+)
➜ Animated Series

Each film may only be submitted to one category.

Only animated works completed after May 31st, 2025 are eligible.

The official languages of the Festival are English and French. The Festival requires all submissions with non-English dialogue to include English subtitles, where applicable.

Independent, non-commissioned films that are selected for OIAF 2026 will be paid artist fees.

Submitted works must be original, and have some level of (non-algorythmic) human involvement in their creation. While the organizers are not opposed to AI-assisted works, submissions should at least show some sign of the artists’ hand.

Organiser is looking for technical, conceptual or aesthetic innovation and excellence. They want works that are honest, original, and have a distinct personality.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) 2026 is scheduled for 23–27 September 2026.

Submission requirements

➜ Films must be submitted as a link to an online screener. The link must remain accessible until the end of July 2026.

➜ Entries must include at least 3 stills from the film (300 dpi, jpg or png), a director’s photo (72 dpi, jpg or png), and a director’s biography.

➜ If your film has dialogue that is not in English, it must have English subtitles, otherwise it may be disqualified.

Eligibility

The organizers accept and encourage film submissions from all over the world.

Prize

This year, the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) will award a total of seventeen different prizes across four main competition categories.