Embracing mountains and gentle waters, golden autumn blankets the mountains
On the morning of November 5, 2026
The award is known as the “Oscars of Chinese Animated Short Films”.
The 26th Animation Academy Awards of Beijing Film Academy
Grand opening at Huairou Campus
Animation colleagues from home and abroad gathered
Join in the grand event
The 26th Animation Academy Awards were jointly guided by the China Animation Association, the Animation Art Committee of the China Artists Association, the Animation Film Working Committee of the China Film Association, the China Video Industry Association, and the International Animation Film Education Alliance. They were co-hosted by the Beijing Film Academy and the People’s Government of Huairou District, Beijing, and organized by the China Animation Research Institute of Beijing Film Academy, the Animation School of Beijing Film Academy, and the Beijing Film and Television Animation Association.
Opening Ceremony: Guest Speeches
Zhang Jian, Party Secretary of the Beijing Film Academy , delivered a speech, stating that the Animation Academy Awards, established 26 years ago, have remained true to their original mission of recognizing original animation from universities, and their international influence has continued to rise. This year’s awards bring together animation creators from around the world, building bridges for exchange through forums, screenings, and workshops. The academy will promote industry-education integration, respond to the changes brought about by artificial intelligence, cultivate interdisciplinary talents with both artistic and technical skills, an international perspective, and a deep understanding of Chinese culture, and contribute to the high-quality development of Chinese animation education and the construction of a high-level independent training base for film and television talents.
Zhou Zhijun, Party Secretary and Chairwoman of the Beijing Women’s Federation, stated in her address that the Academy Awards have become a highly influential, professional , and authoritative youth animation competition in China. Young creators use their brushes and light and shadow to tell Chinese stories and convey positive values. The Beijing Women’s Federation, in collaboration with schools, has released a women-themed emoji pack and will deepen cooperation in areas such as themed creation, public service announcements, and student practice, focusing on the needs of women, children, and families, to contribute to the high-quality cultural development of the capital with high-quality animation.
George Schwezigbel , a renowned Swiss animation artist and visiting professor at the Beijing Film Academy, believes that the most important aspect of creation is not technique or shortcuts, but an unquenchable passion. Animation is a long and slow art form that requires patient and repeated refinement. Artists should cherish their unique feelings and perspectives, not be pushed along by trends, and bravely find their own artistic language. Creativity is not limited by age; as long as the passion remains, one can start anew.
Sun Lijun, Dean of the China Animation Research Institute at Beijing Film Academy and Honorary Chairman of the Animation Academy Awards, recalled that the inaugural animation awards were established to provide a platform for young people studying animation, and that many outstanding young directors have emerged from this platform over the years. He introduced the first-ever 20-hour AI improvisation competition, which attracted more than 700 teams to participate. He stated that the key is to tell Chinese stories well in the era of human-machine collaboration, and he hopes that the Animation Academy Awards will take a solid step forward in animation education in China and even the world.
International Animation Education Forum
How do we teach and learn animation today?
In light of the rapid development and widespread adoption of AI, leading figures from the animation education industry around the world gathered at the opening forum to discuss how to help students develop their own observation, judgment, and expression skills, and how learning animation can lead from technical skills to independent creation.
Professors Steve Brown of the California Institute of the Arts and Hiroshi Kaku of Saga University in Japan spoke on the fundamentals of animation teaching and motion training . They pointed out that animation education should not simply involve repetitive tasks. Traditional hand-drawing is a high-intensity training of creative thinking. Students should be guided to first thoroughly understand the principles of motion, rely on their bodies to observe and perceive the laws of movement, and then use digital tools. At the same time, it is important to preserve the unique characteristics of the creator, and regard the “intentional quirks” and unexpected effects that cannot be replicated in hand-drawn creations as core creative assets that distinguish them from AI.
Renowned French cinematographer Jean-Baptiste Boddie, Professor Choi Won-ho of Dongseo University in South Korea, renowned Japanese animator and editor Masakazu Kubo, Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy and International Content Consultant for CCTV Animation Group Mark Handler , and President Jiang Jun of Kyoto Seika University in Japan spoke on the application of AI in animation creation, industry, and the ethics of animation education . They pointed out that AI can handle repetitive tasks such as interpolation, rendering, material organization, and pre-production visualization, making it an efficient auxiliary tool, but it lacks true creativity and cannot provide authentic human emotional experiences. Creators must firmly uphold their creative sovereignty, master the judgment of AI usage, and bear full responsibility for their works, while being wary of being coerced by AI and surrendering their creative ideas. The pace of AI education in animation varies across different regions, and the popularization of AI is reshaping the capabilities of screenwriters and other positions. At the same time, the real costs brought by AI, such as energy consumption and resource depletion, cannot be ignored.
Maxim Labat, Dean of the ESRA Paris School of Film and Television Production, and Li Jianping, Professor of the Animation School, spoke on animation composition, aesthetic shaping, and the inheritance of local creation . They pointed out that composition is the core tool for creators to control the narrative and convey emotions of a film, and that animation itself has global cultural attributes. While AI has lowered the threshold for animation creation and brought about “equal rights” in creation, it is also easy to produce homogenized “AI flavor.” Animation creators need to persist in refining their film and television language, make hand-drawn adjustments on the AI-generated results, insist on shaping the unique temperament of their works, and continue to inherit and develop the Chinese animation school.
Attendees at the opening ceremony included: Georges Schwizgebel , renowned Swiss animation artist and visiting professor at the Beijing Film Academy; Prof. Marc Handler , visiting professor at the Beijing Film Academy and international content consultant for CCTV Animation Group ; Madam. Hashimoto Ai , wife of one of the founders of New China’s animated films, former director of the art department of the Northeast Film Studio, and visiting professor at the Beijing Film Academy; Madam . Yael Ben Nun, curator of the Museum of Anthem, France ; Prof. Kang Jun , professor at Kyoto Seika University , Japan; Prof. Steve Brown , professor at the California Institute of the Arts; Mr. Masakazu Kubo , renowned Japanese animation producer and editor; and Mr. Philippe , renowned French cinematographer . Bottiglione, Professor Choi Won-ho of Dongshin University (South Korea), Professor Maxime Labat of ESRA (École Nationale Supérieure des Film and Television Research), Liu Ying , China representative of ESRA, Professor Sumi Kazuhiro of Saga University (Japan ), and Professor Chen Yan of Kyoto Seika University (Japan ) attended the opening ceremony.
Zhou Zhijun , Party Secretary and Chairwoman of the Beijing Women’s Federation ; Gong Jicheng , Standing Committee Member of the Huairou District Committee of Beijing and Director of the Publicity Department ; Zhang Jian, Party Secretary of Beijing Film Academy; Liu Xinjun, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Beijing Film Academy; Lu Hua , Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Director of the Huairou Campus Management Committee of Beijing Film Academy; Sun Erjun , Dean of the China Animation Research Institute of Beijing Film Academy and Honorary Chairman of the Animation Academy Awards ; Ma Hua , Dean of the Animation School of Beijing Film Academy; Chen Zhongguo , Party Secretary of the Animation School ; and Huang Yong and Wang Hao , Vice Deans of the Animation School, attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony and international forum were hosted by Wu Tian, Deputy Director of the Animation Teaching and Research Office.
Special Screening: Discover More Possibilities for Original Animation
On the opening day, the 26th Animation Academy Awards, in collaboration with Bilibili’s “Seeking Light” project, launched a special screening and exchange event. Animated works such as Tomato Restaurant, The Time Is Just Right, Meow Eleven, and Memory Management Bureau were screened in Hall 5 of the Huairou campus. After the screening , the creators of Memory Management Bureau came to the event to share their creative journey from short campus films to original animated series with the students.
Group photo of volunteers at the opening ceremony of the 26th Animation Academy Awards
The 26th Animation Academy Awards will be held from November 5th to 7th, 2026. The Academy will host a series of academic screenings, exchanges, and competitions, striving to present a benchmark event for the domestic and international animation industry, characterized by academic excellence, artistic pursuit, and practical achievements. For event details, please follow the Animation Academy’s official WeChat account and join us in the 26th Animation Academy Awards to enjoy a splendid feast of animation art and culture!
| Source | Animation Academy |
| Image | William Chen |
| Poster | Wu Yuxuan and Liu Xitong |
| Text | Gan Ziyu, Sun Da |
Edited by Kong Weilu and Hao Tianyue
Reviewed by: Chen Zhongguo, Ma Hua, Wang Hao, Huang Yong
| Editor | Lei Jingfei |
| Editor | Ai Lulu |
| Supervisors | Li Dandan, Chen Lan |
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