Student Animators Win Big in 24-Hour Movie Race
Student animators from around the world raced against the clock to write, design, and animate original short films in just 24 hours.
Can you imagine drawing, colouring, and finishing an entire movie in just one single day? That is exactly what talented college teams did during an exciting global student animation contest! On 18 October 2026, the best short films from this fast-paced marathon premiered on the big screen at the Animation Is Film festival, hosted at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, United States.
The special event, known as the 24th annual 24 HOURS Animation Contest for Students, invited creative groups from across the planet to put their skills to the test. With the clock ticking non-stop, these brave students had exactly 24 hours to think of an idea, draw every scene, and complete an original 30-second animated film.
What happened?
Before the race began, the participants had no idea what kind of story they would have to tell. The secret theme was officially revealed by guest artist Daniel Chong, who created the popular television series We Bare Bears and directs the Pixar feature film Hoppers. He announced that this year’s theme was “Everyone Calm Down.” As soon as those words were shared, the countdown started, and pencils and digital styluses flew across desks!
Making a cartoon takes an enormous amount of effort. In just one day, each team had to write a script, design funny characters, sketch out storyboards, and animate every single movement. When the strict deadline arrived, a massive total of 670 completed student films were submitted. A panel of professional industry animators and artists carefully evaluated and scored all the entries to find the very best work.
Seven outstanding teams took home prize bundles valued at over $107,000. These awesome prizes included cash, digital drawing tablets, specialized software, art books, and film festival passes. Taking first place with an impressive score of 361 out of 400 points was team FIVEGUYS from Sheridan College in Canada.
Second place went to The Whomp Whomps from California State University, Long Beach, in the United States with 357 points, while another group from Sheridan College, named 500lb Tungsten Cube, earned third place. There was also a special Behind-the-Scenes Award won by team Bald Guyz from the University of Technology in Jamaica. They captured hearts by sharing a humorous two-minute video showing their late-night teamwork and how they handled a sudden drawing tablet malfunction!
Why does it matter to you?
Do you love watching animated cartoons on your television or tablet? Big animated movies usually take hundreds of artists several years to finish inside giant Hollywood studios. This contest shows young dreamers across India and the world that you do not need years of production time or a massive studio to tell a wonderful story.
If you have paper, pencils, or a computer, you and your school friends can create magical worlds together too. By working as a team, sharing your best ideas, and supporting each other when things get tough, you can turn your imagination into moving art!
Words to know
- Storyboard: A series of drawings that outline the scenes and camera angles planned for a film.
- Animation: The art of making still drawings or models appear to move by showing many pictures quickly in a row.
- Malfunction: When a machine, computer, or piece of equipment suddenly fails to work properly.
- Panel: A chosen group of experts gathered together to judge a competition or make important decisions.
Did you know?
The free contest was originally founded by animation professor Aubry Mintz. Over the past 24 years, more than 22,000 students from 377 schools in 50 countries have taken part in this thrilling 24-hour creative challenge!
Think about it
If you and your friends had only 24 hours to make a 30-second cartoon about staying calm, what funny story would you tell? Which role would you like best: writing the story, designing characters, or drawing the animation?
Quick quiz
What was the official theme for the 2026 24 HOURS Animation Contest?
- Everyone Calm Down
- Journey to Space
- Bears on the Loose
See the answer
Everyone Calm Down
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
