The theme for this year's 24 HOURS Animation Contest for Students will be announced live on Toon Boom Animation’s YouTube channel, Friday, October 3rd at 3 PM Pacific. This free event challenges students around the world to compete in teams of five to produce a 30-second animated film in just 24 hours.
Judging the final 30-second films are a volunteer panel of esteemed animation professionals. Interested in joining this year's challenge? Students can register their team of five before Friday, September 26th. The winners will be announced on YouTube on Friday, October 17th at 12PM Pacific.
The first place winner from 2024 by Sheridan College’s Team What We Are.
Each year, industry sponsors support 24 HOURS with prizes and funding efforts. Sponsors include Toon Boom Animation, LucasFilm Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, ILM, Warner Bros Animation, Wacom, XP-Pen, Sony Pictures Animation, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, DreamWorks, Skydance Animation, Netflix Animation Studios, Cartoon Saloon, Bento Box, and ASIFA-Hollywood.
If you would like to help support the contest, schools and teams are invited to contribute an optional $25 donation per team. Contributions help the contest keep entry free for everyone, provide equipment to students in need, fund prizes for the winners, and keep the staff working to help grow the event. All donations are tax deductible as a sponsored project through Legends Animated, a 501c3 nonprofit.
The second place winner from 2024 by Ringling College of Art and Design’s Team Tapeworm.
To participate in the 24 HOURS Animation Contest for Students Teams must include exactly five students with one faculty advisor (who can supervise multiple teams). Each completed film must be exactly 30 seconds in length and can be made using any technique that involves frame-by-frame animation.
All teams start at the exact same time, and must submit a YouTube link of the completed films before the deadline: Saturday October 4th at 4PM Pacific. Late submissions will not qualify. Teams must plan ahead and reserve time to troubleshoot issues, such as internet outages and unsent emails. Prizes are awarded to the top five teams selected by a panel of judges, alongside an award for best high school submission and best behind-the-scenes video.
Participants can find official rules and eligibility requirements here.
The third place winner from PennWest’s Team Stop Mo Rules.
In 2002, Aubry Mintz challenged his students to work through the night to see how much they could accomplish. Five students remained by sunrise, impressing Mintz by what they were able to produce. This experiment quickly became the 24 HOURS Animation Contest for Students, offered annually for ambitious young artists in search of a challenge.
"It brings out the best in students," says Mintz. “Working in teams of five challenges artists to work collaboratively. Sometimes this creates tension and obstacles that the teams must work together to overcome."
"Although this contest sounds crazy — it is a rapid speed lesson in animation production. The top films are as good as completed student films that take over a year to produce. It's a chance to set personal goals and work outside of a classroom structure."
Want to know who is organizing this worldwide 24-hour animation marathon? Learn more about the beautiful maniacs who make the chaos possible.
Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios.
Pete Docter is joining this year’s 24 HOURS contest as guest speaker for the contest kickoff livestream. Docter is the Oscar-winning director of Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He most recently directed Disney and Pixar’s Oscar-winning feature film Soul with producer Dana Murray and co-director Kemp Powers, which is now streaming on Disney+.
Docter’s interest in animation began at the age of eight when he created his first flipbook. He studied character animation at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, where he produced a variety of short films, one of which won a Student Academy Award. Those films have since been shown in animation festivals worldwide and are featured in the Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 2.
