Introduction to the film festival
Manchester Animation Festival is the UK's largest Animation Festival dedicated to the celebration of the animated art form. MAF is both Academy Award® and BAFTA Qualifying.
Hosted at HOME in Manchester, the festival brings one of the UK’s biggest animation hubs together and invites the international community to join us to delight in all things animated; working with organisations such as Aardman, Adult Swim, Apple, BBC, Blue Zoo, Cartoon Saloon, Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix, and many more on special events and screenings.
Animation is everywhere, from the smallest smart phone screen to the largest cinematic projection. Manchester Animation Festival unites artists, practitioners, students and enthusiasts and all those in between to savour the many and varied achievements of the animated form.
If you’re an animation insider or just want to see something unique, you don’t have to be an animation boffin to join us for animated short competitions, feature films, retrospective screenings, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, masterclasses and screen talks from the industry's finest.
Manchester Animation Festival is a member of the Alliance of British Animation Exhibitors, promoting UK talent through curated screenings at home and overseas to increase the visibility and recognition of UK animation talent.
Awards
Manchester Animation Festival hosts awards in many categories, each designed and manufactured by legendary animation model makers Mackinnon and Saunders. Our short film award is an Academy Award Qualifier and all British films screened at MAF are submitted to BAFTA for consideration for the British Short Animation category. FILM AWARDS All awards are juried in venue by a panel of film and animation professionals with the exception of Short Films for Children and the Audience Award is selected by festival audience members. Films selected in competition for our Shorts for Children category are selected from the Short, Student and Commissioned Film entries. Films selected in competition for our British competition are selected from entries to our Shorts category where the country of origin is stated as from the UK. INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Categories include Short, Feature, British, Student, Commissioned, Immersive, Shorts for Children and the Audience Award.
The Industry Excellence Awards, which recognise individuals working worldwide across the animation industry in the fields of scriptwriting, storyboarding, character design and character animation are available to enter for free via the MAF website.
Rules
FEATURE FILMS
Feature Film: Films over 40 minutes long. For hybrid works including live action over 50% of the film needs to be animated.
SHORT FILMS:
All short films must have been completed after Friday 18 July 2025. All animation techniques are eligible.
Please select the category which best describes your film. Films must be under 30 minutes in length. The selection team reserves the right to select your film for a different category to the one it was entered into.
Short Films: Films not made by a student or person under the age of 16.
Student Films: Films created by undergraduate and post-graduate students.
Commissioned Films: Can be educational or scientific films, music videos or for advertising, commercial or promotional purposes. Commissioned films must have the permission of the rights owner before submission.
Immersive Films: Films that abandon traditional screening conditions and opt for an immersive format, this could be VR (interactive and non interactive), AR or 360° narrative films.
You are to supply English subtitles where needed. Failure to provide subtitles may result in a film being withdrawn.
| Jury Name | Judge photos | Jury Profile |
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Authorization type
Duration (several sessions)
Film Festival Features
Dates & Deadlines
2025-11-13
Submission start time
2026-03-01
Earlybird Deadline
2026-06-21
Regular Deadline
2026-07-29
Late Deadline
2026-07-29
Submission end time
2026-09-11
Finalist notification start time
2026-09-11
Finalist notification end time
2026-11-08
Award ceremony start time
2026-11-13
Award ceremony end time
Categories and fees
2026/03/01
Earlybird Deadline
Standard: 26 Dollar
2026/06/21
Regular Deadline
Standard: 33 Dollar
2026/07/29
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
2026/03/01
Earlybird Deadline
Standard: 26 Dollar
2026/06/21
Regular Deadline
Standard: 33 Dollar
2026/07/29
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
2026/03/01
Earlybird Deadline
Standard: 26 Dollar
2026/06/21
Regular Deadline
Standard: 33 Dollar
2026/07/29
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
2026/03/01
Earlybird Deadline
Standard: 15 Dollar
2026/06/21
Regular Deadline
Standard: 23 Dollar
2026/07/29
Late Deadline
Standard: 29 Dollar
2026/03/01
Earlybird Deadline
Standard: 60 Dollar
2026/06/21
Regular Deadline
Standard: 74 Dollar
2026/07/29
Late Deadline
Standard: 87 Dollar
Related film festivalMore
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