On Saturday, February 21st the 53rd Annie Awards™ celebration took place at UCLA’s Royce Hall. During the Ceremony Aubry Mintz, Executive Director of Asifa Hollywood delivered a speech, which we want to share with you with the kind permission of its author:
Good evening, Tonight at the Annies, we honor animation the way it deserves — across 35 categories celebrating innovators, risk-takers, and champions of this art form. At most other award shows, animation gets just one or two. Two categories for an entire universe of artistry.
Look around. You are the artists who build worlds from nothing. You shape culture, and inspire generations across borders and languages. Yet too often, animation is confined to a single box. Some people forget: animation is storytelling. It is filmmaking. It fills theaters, breaks box office records, pushes technology forward, and moves hearts. Animation is not a genre — it is one of the most powerful and enduring creative mediums in the world— and it deserves to be recognized that way. And that belief drives our mission.
We do that, in part, with the Annie Awards of course, but ASIFA-Hollywood is more than the Annies. We preserve animation history. We are advocates creating spaces for learning, dialogue, and connection. And we educate the next generation. We are a safety net when our community needs one most.
Last year, in 2025, this community showed the world exactly who we are. 
When wildfires devastated California and displaced animation artists, you showed up. Nearly $700,000 was raised to help our colleagues begin rebuilding their lives through AnimAID. That wasn’t obligation. That was community. That was animation taking care of its own.
Tonight, I’m proud to share two initiatives that continue this work.
First, thanks to a generous gift from the family of the late Will Ryan, ASIFA- Hollywood is launching a new industry honor:
The Will Ryan Excellence in Humor Award, recognizing emerging talent whose work pushes animation forward with innovation, creativity, and above all, humor. Submission details will be available in the coming months at asifa-hollywood.org.
We are all very grateful to the Will Ryan family for their generosity.
Second, and this is where you come in, our Board of Directors and newly formed Advisory Board have come together with a clear narrative: to sustain and grow our vital programs, we must invest in ASIFA-Hollywood.
When you support ASIFA-Hollywood, you are ensuring that animation is seen, heard, and valued. Artists are recognized and supported, and our worldwide community remains connected, resilient, and strong for generations to come. To invest in the organization that invests in animation, you can donate right now.
Follow the link: https://asifa-hollywood.org/support-us
We promise you that ASIFA-Hollywood will deliver with bold initiatives, deeper connections, and new ways of bringing this community together…and who knows maybe even MORE Annies categories. We can’t wait to show you what’s next!
Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the 53rd Annual Annie Awards were presented in 37 categories including Animated Feature, Animated Feature-Independent, Television/Media Production(s), Sponsored Production, Short Subject and Student Film, as well as the Achievement and Honorary awards.
All Winners here: https://annieawards.org/winners
If you like here is the full show to rewatch again and again! Hint: Kpop Demon Hunters had a great night! And Aaron Blaise got an Annie Award for Snow Bear. Two Annie Awards went to Germany, woohooo!
Have a look: