100+ animation & video awards to enter
And who doesn’t want to win an award?
Below, you’ll find a list of more than 100 animation, film, TV and video production awards that are active at the date of writing (2022). Some are free to enter, some have eligibility criteria around diversity, some are open only to companies or individuals within the host country, and others are truly global in scope. The awards list includes awards for corporate and brand productions, entertainment/TV programming, film-making, and VR/AR too. It’s not a comprehensive list. But it’s probably the most complete list of animation and video awards on the internet. I started compiling this film awards list on a whim. I’d just heard the news that an animated TV commercial for which I provided the voiceover had been shortlisted for a British Arrows award. You can watch it below – it’s a TV ad, so it’s only short.A collaboration between Blue-Zoo Animation Studio, Hatch London, Makewaves Audio and Coda Post Production.
I’d never heard of the British Arrows awards, so I looked them up.
Which led me to think there must be a hell of a lot more animation awards and video awards I’d never heard of. Which perhaps animation houses and video production companies hadn’t heard of either.
I began searching. It’s a massive undertaking that I hadn’t foreseen. Perhaps that’s why all the other lists of film awards that I found have missed so many out. I’m sure I’ve missed plenty too. Tell me if I have, please. I’ll add them pronto.
The benefits of winning a video award or animation award
There are those who think that winning an award proves nothing. To an extent, they’re right. You’re at the mercy of a judging panel who are only human. You’re only better than the other entries. If you win, you haven’t necessarily created the best animation of the year. Likewise, if you’re not shortlisted, it doesn’t mean that what you entered isn’t outstanding.
If you put in an award submission, you need to be thick-skinned about it. Don’t get your hopes up. Submit and forget. If you get nothing back, don’t let it rankle.
The benefits of winning an award – or being shortlisted as a finalist – are pretty good value, though.
- You (and your team) get some independent affirmation of your skill and creativity. That’s a confidence boost worth having.
- Your client and any production partners get some bragging rights too. They’ll thank you for that.
- Simply being shortlisted is a public endorsement and a great PR opportunity. Winning will give you a shiny (digital) badge and maybe a shiny (actual) trophy, and a second wave of publicity. Even NOT winning gives you the chance to humbly acknowledge the (damned) winner and remind the world that you’re shit-hot, not shit.
- That award shortlisting or win is not a one- or two-time publicity fillip. It’s an ongoing, continuous marketing asset.
Single-film awards – not campaign awards
You might have spotted that, for the most part, I haven’t included advertising awards based on campaigns, or those ‘agency of the year’ type awards. Perhaps I’ll compile such a list – as well as a list of audio awards – another time, when the memory of scouring page after page of Google search results is less raw.
The reason is that, for all the higher profile awards in the list above, there are plenty of single-film categories where a video production company of two, or a freelance 2D animator, could legitimately compete with some of the bigger ad agencies or film companies out there.
Are there any major awards that I’ve missed? Contact me to let me know.
And if you’re thinking of entering any awards, whether that be an industry-specific award or a regional or local ‘best business’ award, good luck!
