Ahead of SIGGRAPH 2025, the show organizers have announced the winners of its juried Computer Animation Festival awards. In an unusual situation, this year, student submissions took home all three prizes. SIGGRAPH attendees can see those animated shorts and the other animations that will be shown in the Animation Theater or the Electronic Theater programs.
One of the many highlights of SIGGRAPH is the annual Computer Animation Festival, which celebrates visual storytelling through two programs, the Animation Theater and prestigious Electronic Theater. Three top prizes are awarded yearly for Best in Show, Best Student Project, and Jury’s Choice from the animations and shorts selected by a jury to appear in the festival, and this year, students showed the depth of their talent by sweeping all three award categories. The SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying event, with the Best in Show winner able to compete on the Oscar stage.
The three prize winners are:
“Trash” (Source: SIGGRAPH and École Supérieure Des Métiers Artistiques students)
Best in Show: “Trash”
École Supérieure Des Métiers Artistiques (ESMA)
Maxime Crançon, Fanny Vecchie, Margaux Lutz, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Grégory Bouzid, Robin Delaporte, and Mattéo Durant
In a dark alley, a scrawny rat has no choice but to fight with a pigeon for a small slice of pizza. Without a second thought, they throw themselves in a vertiginous chase from the top to the bottom of the street.
“The Mooning” (Source: SIGGRAPH and Ringling students)
Best Student Project: “The Mooning”
Ringling College of Art and Design
Mason Klesch and Vivian Osness
“The Mooning” is an animated mockumentary that reveals the truth behind the 1969 moon landing.
“Jour de vent” (Source: SIGGRAPH and École des Nouvelles Images students)
Jury’s Choice: “Jour de vent”
École des Nouvelles Images (ENSI)
Martin Chailloux, Ai Kim Crespin, Elise Golfouse, Chloé Lab, Hugo Taillez, and Camille Truding
Wind appears in a park. People fly away.
“These projects don’t just meet professional standards, they redefine them,” said Dawn Fidrick, SIGGRAPH 2025 Computer Animation Festival director. “It’s inspiring to see student filmmakers leading the charge in both storytelling and innovation. This year’s winners reflect a global future of animation that is fearless, inventive, and deeply human.”
The Animation Festival includes animated content spanning films, games, immersive realities, scientific visualization, and other genres.
Supplementing the festival screenings are Production Sessions, with each session featuring a panel of contributors as they detail their ambitious and cutting-edge entertainment projects.
These include:
• A Journey Through Dystopia: “The Last of Us” from DNeg and Weta FX
• The VFX of “The Penguin” by HBO
• “Superman”: Harnessing Numeric Power for Cinematic Magic by Weta FX
•Sand, Light, and Holograms: Image Engine’s VFX in “Dune: Prophecy” by Image Engine
• Time-Traveling VFX: AI-Driven De-Aging in “Here” by Kevin Baillie and Metaphysic
• You Can Fly! The Making of “Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure” by Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Bringing NASA Data to Life: The Power of Visualizing Science by NASA’s multidisciplinary team
• Developing the Stylized World of “The Wild Robot” by DreamWorks Animation
• “South of Midnight”: Crafting a Stop Motion Southern Gothic Game by Compulsion Games
• Exploring the Novel Real-Time Pipeline of Nickelodeon’s “Max & the Midknights” by Nickelodeon Animation
Also, there will be Animation Theater in Conversation sessions with the team behind particular projects as they provide a behind-the-scenes look at their work. These include “In Your Dreams,” with a sneak peek at the upcoming Netflix feature animation, along with a Q&A and poster signing, and “Inkwo for When the Starving Return,” which will feature a screening and in-person conversation with the creators.
Schedules for the Computer Animation Festival events can be found on the SIGGRAPH website. A separate ticket is required for the Electronic Theater.
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