Starting with this year, the winner of the Romanian Competition Award will also enter into the Oscar race. There Was a Park Here (Romania) by the Animators for IOR collective won this 2026 competition section.

The winners of the rich industry segment were also announced.

Between 2 and 11 October 2026, Animest brought over 320 short and feature-length productions from all around the globe to the big screen, alongside more than 80 international guests - renowned filmmakers, producers, and professionals present for Q&A sessions, presentations, debates, and masterclasses.

All of this edition's special events (from Trippy Animation Night to Creepy Animation Night and Animusic) played to sold-out audiences, with demand for Erotica and the Romanian Competition being so high that the organisers scheduled an additional screening for each.

The 22nd edition will take place in 2027 from 8 to 17 October, but the Animest Association's educational and inclusive cinema programmes will continue in the meantime.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

Festival Awards:

International Short Film Competition:

Animest Trophy:
Cosmonauts (Slovenia, Italy)
Directed by Leo Černic 

Special Mention:
Paradaïz (Canada)
Directed by Matea Radic

Romanian Competition:

Best Film:
There Was a Park Here / Aici a fost un parc (Romania)
Directed by the Animators for IOR

Long Animated Film Competition:

Best Film:
Son of a Bitch (Brazil)
Directed by Erica Maradona, Otto Guerra, Sávio Leite, Tania Anaya

Student Film Competition:

Best Film:
Taming Phenomena (Estonia)
Directed by Shunyuan Yao

Special Mention:
I Want to Know What Love Is (Sweden)
Directed by Hanna Järgenstedt

Anidoc Award for the Best Animated Documentary:

Doug + Me (UK)
Directed by Cecile Fountain-Jardim

Animusic Competition:

Best Animated Music Video (ex-aequo):

Westerner: The Beggar’s Rant (Croatia, USA)
Directed by Matija Pisačić, Cooper Bombadil, Noa Pisačić

Mogrillcoke: OHOIOrOI Syndrome (UK, South Korea)
Directed by Taewan Kim

Special Mentions:

Ella Hue: Fear Is a Rose (France)
Directed by Isabel Stub

Keimzeit: Sultan Tanzt Samba (Germany)
Directed by Sonja Rohleder

New Technologies and VR Competition:

Best VR Animated Film:
Retsu (The Line) (Japan)
Directed by Naho Kamimura

Special Mention:
Less than 5 gr of Saffron (France)
Directed by Négar Motevalymeidanshah

Minimest Competition:

Best Short Animated Film for Children:
The Great Dreamscape (France, Belgium)
Directed by Rémi Durin 

Special Mention:
Atlante (Italy)
Directed by Massimo Vagliviello, Filippo Biasiotto, Gabriele Carollo

Teenage Jury Award for a Film in the Long Animated Films Competition:

Light Pillar (China)
Directed by Zao Xu

Green Sheep Badge Distinction:

There Was a Park Here / Aici a fost un parc (Romania)
Directed by the Animators for IOR

Audience Award:

Cosmonauts (Slovenia, Italy)
Directed by Leo Černic

Industry Awards:

Pitch, please!

Rise & Shine Award:
Crossing (Romania)
Directed by Lavinia Petrache 

Black Sea Animation Workshop:

Main Award (ex-aequo):

FIN (Romania)
Directed by Alex Halka

Master of the Two Worlds (Romania)
Directed by Adèle Coulloudon and Radu Popovici

Special Mention:

Kupi's Workout Routine (Romania)
Directed by Teodora Crîșmăriuc

Toon Scripts Contest (co-organised with Pro TV):

Main Award:
Trupa lu' Balaur (Romania)
Written by Călin Ene and Miruna Șmit

Special Mention:
Groapa (Romania)
Wriiten by Ioana Ichim and Bianca Solymoși