Animayo Gran Canaria, Spain’s largest animation film festival, awarded top prizes to the family-themed movies “18 Months” and “It’s Saturday.”
Both films will be competing for an Oscar, given that Animayo remains the first and only Spanish animation festival to be recognized by the Academy as an Oscar-nominated festival in two categories: Grand Jury Prize and Best Animated Short Film.
These winners will also be eligible to compete at the Annie Awards as Animayo forms part of the first Annie Awards eligible festival list set by ASIFA Hollywood starting this year.
For Damien Perea, director and founder of Animayo, “Being included in the Annie Awards list is one of the most important recognitions the festival has received since its creation. It confirms that the work that has developed over 20 years since Gran Canaria’s La Isla de mi Vida is now part of the international discussion about the present and future of animation.”
As the winner of the Animayo Gran Canaria 2026 “La Isla de mi Vida” Grand Prize Jury Prize, “18 Months” by Paulo García and Natalia Gouvea will also receive a cash prize of $3,480 (3,000 euros).
This stop-motion animated feature explores the unexpected path to building a family through a story inspired by true events. The international jury praised the artistic excellence, sensitive direction, and emotional depth in depicting the universal themes of love, hope, waiting, and motherhood.
Alice Esa Guimarães’ “It’s Saturday”, which tracks various Portuguese animation talents, won the Ñ Award for Best Animated Short Film. It attracts women who wake up early on Saturdays and give themselves the gift of time. But every time a moment of inspiration arises, she gets interrupted: by the kids, by laundry, by meals.
“Women continue to carry out disproportionate unpaid domestic work, are chronically exhausted and have little opportunity for personal growth, creativity and reflection,” Guimarães says.
“Polke Huy Es Sabado” Provided by: Animayo
The judges praised its honest and sensitive storytelling and ability to transform a deeply personal perspective into a universal reflection.
“It’s Saturday,” currently heading to Annecy and Tribeca, also reflects a growing trend in Ibero-American animation, with filmmakers using the medium to explore themes such as care, work-life balance, and modern family life.
Both stood out among more than 2,000 projects from 78 countries that participated in the selection process. Of these, 915 passed the first selection stage and only 75 projects made up the official shortlist of Animayo Gran Canaria 2026.
The international jury, which deliberated across a variety of categories, was comprised of leading experts from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Skydance Animation, Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Warner Bros., DreamWorks and ASIFA Hollywood.
“Animayo’s international recognition is also the result of a long-term common vision developed in collaboration with the Gran Canaria Council, the Gran Canaria Tourism Association and the Islas Canaria Tourism Association, due to their sustained commitment to culture, education, internationalization and the audiovisual industry. , Gran Canaria has become recognized as a hub for global talent, major studios and up-and-coming creators, while enabling Animayo to connect local talent with the international animation community,” Perea said.
According to Animayo, France had the most entries with 177 entries, followed by Spain with 102 entries, the United States with 65 entries, Russia with 36 entries, and Mexico with 35 entries. From a technical perspective, 2D animation was once again the dominant format, with 424 entries submitted. These were joined by 151 films made in 3D, 132 hybrid and experimental proposals, and 92 stop-motion short films.
The official selection also included representatives from the world’s most prestigious schools, including the Gobelin School, ESMA, Rubika, Baden-Württemberg Film School, National Film and Television School, Brigham Young University and iACADEMY, reinforcing Animayo’s role as a bridge between professional training and international industry.
One of this year’s most notable awards was for “Pigeons,” which was recognized for its outstanding art direction. Gauze has a distinct emotional impact. “Only Rats” won the Social Awareness Award for Best Independent Short Film, and “Pobre Marciano” was noted for its narrative quality in the Animation with Ñ category.
The all-important Audience Award went to Bestias de la Muerte, the directorial debut of Peruvian-born filmmaker Sandra Powers, which had its world premiere at Animayo.
Mi Primer Festival’s children’s jury chose Once Upon a Tiger, a tender story inspired by real events that captivated young audiences with its moving message of friendship, tolerance and overcoming prejudice.
2026 winners:
Grand Jury Award
“18 Months” Paulo Garcia & Natalia Goubera (USA)
best visual effects
“Azimuth” Martin Brouilly, Cassandre Signier, Chloe Coudray, Thomas Courtois, Matisse Giraudeau, Damien Lagadouc, François-Clément Michet, Thomas Tesser, (France)
Best comedy award
“The Unquenchable Pain of Existence” Oscar Jacobson (Germany)
Best stop-motion work award
“My Gut Friend” Jose Manuel Lo Bianco, Mariano Andrés Vergara (Argentina)
Best Student Short Film Award
“Cher Finn” Kehma Cousin, Liane Frankel, Laola Le Boursicot, Alisande Masson, Josephine Meunier, Clément Sadin (France)
Best Production Design Award
“Pigeon”, Julian M. Wagner, Amos Sasigan, Timo von Gunten (USA)
Best CG – 3D
“Blues”, Rajesh PK (India)
Best Independent Short Film Award
“Only Rats” Paz del Cale (Spain)
The short film that had the most emotional impact
“Gauze”, Nolan Fikri Arezabi, Nicolas Alja, Xinyue Ma, Yulin Yue, Xiaonan Zhou (France)
best 2d
“Cursed” Marion Boitel, Leila Bougelche, Miriam Brandao Cercelli, Ash Daniel, Margaux Decarty, Andrea Mamesier Degrange, Nicolas Paoli, Alison Pigerol, Marie Seve (France)
Special mention by the jury
Special mention for the best work
“Tears of the Mountain” Luke Ashworth, Ange Yajima, Yehor Bondarenko, Alp Kurdoglu, Romane Talva (France)
Special award for short films for students
“Love & Gold” Connor Van Dyke (USA)
Best stop motion special award
“Adios” Jose Prats (UK)
Ñ Best Animated Short Film Award
“Today is Saturday” Alice Esa Guimaraes (Portugal, France, Spain)
Ñ Jury Award Winning Animation – Social Awareness
“Only Rats” Paz del Cale (Spain)
Ñ Jury Award Winning Animation – Best Narrative Quality
“Pobre Marciano” Alex Rey (Spain)
Best Video Game Movie Award
“Divinity” movie announcement trailer, Maxime Luere, Larian Studios (Belgium)
Best advertising award
“Ovo – Power Struggle” Réalite (UK)
best music
“Addicted to it” Nigel Tierney (director, producer), Federico Heller (co-director), Jeff Marx (music & lyrics), Andrew Hawkins (co-producer) (USA)
audience award
“Bestias de la Muerte” Sandra Powers (Mexico)
Youth & Children Audience Award – My First Festival
“Once There Was a Tiger” Dmitry Moshagin, Marina Berik (Russia)
