ASIFA-Hollywood today announced its Call for Submissions for the 54th Annie Awards™ set for Saturday, February 20, 2027, at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the 54 th Annie Awards™ cover 37 categories including Animated Feature, Animated Feature-Independent, TV/Media Production, Sponsored Production, Short Subject, and Student Films, along with Achievement and Honorary awards. Michael Paxton, Annie Awards Executive Producer, also added, “In keeping up with the animation industry’s growth, we’re excited to add a New Category: Best International Anime Production for TV/Media!” “This new Annie Award shall be given to a worldwide TV/Media production that features Anime-centric elements that are inspired, styled and/or designed employing traditional anime techniques, tropes and/or themes.”

To review this year’s rules and submit your projects, please visit https://www.annieawards.org. Entries submitted for consideration will be from animated productions that were released in the United States between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026. Exceptions, which can submit with or without a U.S. release, are short subjects, special projects, sponsored productions, student films, and films in competition from Annie Award qualifying festivals.

Submissions begin August 3, 2026, and run through November 30, 2026. Fees range from $200 to $325 per submission, calibrated based on when the entry funds are received. Submitters are encouraged to file early to receive the best rates.

August 3, 2026, also kicks off ASIFA-Hollywood’s Honorary Juried Award Nominations, now through October 12, 2026, and its Annual Membership Drive, which will continue through February 4, 2027.

Beginning on October 12, 2026, ASIFA-Hollywood will start conducting its Call for Judges. All judges must apply for this Annie’s cycle, whether they have applied in the past or are applying for the first time. To be considered for a nominating committee, judges do not need to be a member of ASIFA-Hollywood but must have an established career in animation and exemplary professional credentials in at least one of the Annie Award categories. Individuals in the animation community who are interested in being a nomination committee judge will find the application at members.asifa-hollywood.org/judge-application.

The following are important deadlines during the 54th Annie Awards™ season:

1. Deadline for Call for Judges, Juried Award Submissions – Monday, October 12, 2026
2. Nominations and Juried Award recipients announced – Wednesday, January 20, 2027
3. Online balloting begins – Monday, February 8, 2027
4. Deadline to cast Annie Awards ballots – Sunday, February 14, 2027
5. The 54th Annie Awards – Saturday, February 20, 2027

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a wide range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, Animation Educators Forum (AEF), animated film preservation, open-source software support, special events, classes, screenings, and the annual Annie Awards™.

Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards™ have grown in scope and stature for five decades.

For up-to-the minute details and information on the 54th Annie Awards™, please visit www.annieawards.org. For information on ASIFA-Hollywood, please visit www.asifa-hollywood.org.