The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), North America’s leading animation film festival, is now accepting film entries for competition in 2018! Entries are due May 25 and there is no entry fee.

From September 26-30, Ottawa will once again play host to the animation universe; a hub of inventive, mesmerizing, and provocative art. OIAF invites animators from around the globe to submit their recent work in the following major categories:

• Animated Feature.
• Narrative Animated Short.           
• Non-Narrative Animated Short.
• Student Animation.
• Commissioned Animation (series, commercials, music videos).
• Young Audiences – Preschool, Ages 6-12.
• VR Animation.

OIAF18 features a brand new VR animation category acknowledging and celebrating the exhilarating and pioneering work being done in Virtual Reality.

In addition to category prizes, submissions will also be considered for a variety of craft and other awards including the Festival’s Academy Award recognized Grand Prize for Short Animation.  In addition, there are National competitions for Canadian animators and a Canadian student competition.

“Well, it’s that time again when Ottawa is pleasantly bombarded with a feast of animation wonders from around the globe,” says Chris Robinson, OIAF Artistic Director, “This is always an exciting time for us as we watch all the new submissions and slowly start to see the festival’s identity for the year being formed. We’re particularly excited about the brand new VR animation competition. It’s a testament to the quality of work being done in this new medium that we've decided it warranted a competition. Viewing and judging the VR entries will also require us to engage these projects in a whole new manner (goggles and interactivity!).”

Each year the OIAF receives more than 2,000 entries that are reviewed by the Festival’s programming team. Approximately 150 films will be chosen for Official Competition and Out-of-Competition Showcase screenings. During OIAF18, juries comprised of animation professionals, media and local kids will sit with the audience to judge the festival competition screenings.

For more information, including Festival rules, please visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world. This year’s OIAF runs September 26-30.