Welcome All
The AVAAN Animation Film Festival (AAFF) is a celebration of creativity, storytelling, and innovation in animation.
Organized by the Animation & VFX Artist Association Nepal (AVAAN), AAFF provides a platform for students, independent artists, studios, and professionals to showcase their talent, exchange ideas, and connect with the growing animation community.
> Animated Short Film Showcase
> Competition Categories
- Act to Animate Challenge
- Nepal Reimagined Challenge
- Unleash the Block Challenge
> Festival Timeline
- Submission Opens: July 2026
- Final Submission Deadline: September 25, 2026 23:59
- Festival Week: October 2026
Big Stories. Short Runtime.
Showcase your creativity through an original animated or VFX short film from around the world.
Whether you’re an independent artist, student, or studio, this competition celebrates compelling storytelling and exceptional animation.
ELIGIBILITY
Open to Students, Independent Creators, Professional and Studios
Films must be original work
Films completed within the last 5 years are eligible
The filmmaker retains full copyright.
THIS SHOWCASE IS NOT RESTRICTED BY THE FESTIVAL THEME
SUBMISSION SPECIFICATIONS
STYLE
2D | 3D | Stop Motion
VFX | Motion Graphics | Hybrid
DURATION
2 to 15 minutes
(including credits)
RESOLUTION
Minimum Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Recommended Resolution: 2048 x 1080 (2K DCI) or Higher
File Format: MP4 (H.264) or MOV (H.264/ProRes)
Maximum File Size: 5 GB
SUBTITLE
English subtitles required if dialogue is not in English
“मैले देखेको नेपाल”
Design Worlds Yet to Be Discovered.
The AAFF Concept Art Competition invites artists to create ONE (1) original design that bring characters, environments, creatures, props, vehicles, or worlds to life.
Through its breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cultures, rich heritage, everyday life, future possibilities, or untold stories—illustrate your unique vision of Nepal through original concept art inspired by the theme “मैले देखेको नेपाल” in a single image.
SUBMISSION SPECIFICATIONS
THEME
“मैले देखेको नेपाल”
ARTWORK
One final artwork per submission
MEDIUM
2D | 3D | VFX | Traditional
FILE INFO
Minimum Resolution: 300 dpi
Format: PNG / JPEG
Color Mode: RGB
WIP
3 Stage of Progression
- Sketch
- Color Exploration
- Intermediate Stage
Judging Criteria
- Creativity & Originality
- Interpretation of the Theme
- Storytelling
- Visual Design
- Composition
- Technical Skill
One Dialogue. Infinite Performances.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
Participants create an original animated performance using the provided audio.
The challenge focuses on acting, timing, emotion, and character performance.
SUBMISSION SPECIFICATIONS
STYLE
2D | 3D | Stop Motion
DURATION
Matches the provided dialogue
FILE INFO
Minimum Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
File Format: MP4 (H.264) or MOV (H.264/ProRes)
WIP
3 Stage of Progression
- Layout
- Blocking
- Polish
Judging Criteria
- Acting Performance
- Lip Sync
- Facial Expressions
- Body Mechanics
- Timing & Spacing
- Creativity
- Entertainment Value
Same Scene. Endless Creativity.
Every great scene begins with a solid foundation. In the Block Animation Challenge, inspired by the theme “मैले देखेको नेपाल” AAFF provides a pre-blocked animation scene with a basic layout, camera, and character blocking.
Artists can expand the given scene by adding environments, props, lighting, textures, effects, and visual storytelling elements that reflect their unique perspective of Nepal.
SUBMISSION SPECIFICATIONS
THEME
“मैले देखेको नेपाल”
DURATION
Based on the provided scene
FILE INFO
Minimum Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Recommended Resolution: 2048 x 1080 (2K DCI) or Higher
File Format: MP4 (H.264) or MOV (H.264/ProRes)
WIP
3 Stage of Progression
- Blocking
- Detailing
- Texturing
Judging Criteria
- Creativity & Storytelling
- Lighting & Mood
- Composition
- Modeling & Asset Integration
- Rendering Quality
- Technical Execution
- Overall Visual Impact
AAFF Provides
- Initial Blocked Animation
- Camera
- Template Scene files in .blend and .abc
- The festival is open to students, independent artists, professionals, and studios.
- All submissions must be the original work of the participant(s). Entries that infringe upon copyrights, trademarks, or intellectual property rights will be disqualified.
- Entries must follow the theme and submission requirements of their respective competition category.
- All entries must meet the required technical specifications, including file format, resolution, duration, and file size.
- Include your name, artwork title, category and genre.
- Entries submitted after the official deadline will not be considered unless otherwise announced by the festival organizers.
- Participants are responsible for securing the legal rights to all music, images, fonts, models, textures, sound effects, and other third-party assets used in their submissions. Proper credit must be provided where required.
- Fan art, copyrighted characters, or unlicensed intellectual property are not eligible.
- Participants may use any 3D software or rendering engine.
- AI-generated content is not permitted
- Participants may submit multiple entries less then 3 submissions. Each submission must be completed and uploaded separately.
- Must provide work-in-progress files.
- Participants retain full copyright ownership of their work. By submitting, they grant AAFF a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to screen, exhibit, and use selected works, excerpts, stills, and artist information for festival promotion, education, and archival purposes, with full credit to the creator.
- All submissions will be reviewed by an independent jury based on the published judging criteria. The jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
- AAFF promotes a respectful, inclusive, and professional environment. Entries containing plagiarism, hate speech, discrimination, explicit illegal content, or offensive material may be rejected or disqualified.
- AAFF reserves the right to disqualify any submission that does not comply with the competition rules, technical requirements, or ethical standards.
- Officially selected entries may be screened during AAFF and featured on the festival’s website, social media, promotional materials, and press releases with appropriate credit to the creator.
- Submission to AAFF constitutes acceptance of all festival rules, eligibility requirements, and decisions made by the organizing committee.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General Questions
AAFF 2026 (AVAAN Animation Film Festival 2026) is a festival celebrating animation, visual effects, concept art, and digital storytelling in Nepal.
The theme for AAFF 2026 is:
“मैले देखेको नेपाल” (My Nepal, Reimagined)
Artists are encouraged to imagine and visualize their own vision of Nepal through animation, VFX, and concept art.
AAFF 2026 will take place in October 2026.
Detailed dates and venue information will be announced soon.
Anyone with an interest in animation, VFX, concept art, or digital storytelling may participate.
This includes:
Students
Independent Artists
Freelancers
Animation Studios
VFX Studios
Creative Professionals
Yes. Both Nepali and international participants are welcome unless otherwise specified in the competition guidelines.
Animated Short Film Showcase
The Animated Short Film Showcase is a non-competitive screening program where creators can submit their animated or VFX-based short films for public screening during AAFF 2026.
No.
The showcase is intended to celebrate and share creative work. There are no rankings or awards for showcase submissions.
There are two showcase categories:
Animated Short Film
VFX-Based Short Film
Films must be between:
2 minutes and 10 minutes including credits.
No.
The Short Film Showcase is open-themed.
Participants may submit any original story or subject matter.
Yes.
Both individual creators and studios may participate.
Nepal Re-imagined Challenge
Participants create a single artwork inspired by the festival theme:
“मैले देखेको नेपाल” (My Nepal, Reimagined)
The artwork should represent the participant’s vision of Nepal.
Accepted mediums include:
Traditional Art
Digital Painting
Matte Painting
3D Rendering
Environment Design
Character Design
VFX Concept Design
No.
AI-generated artwork is not permitted.
Participants must create original artwork themselves.
Submission limits will be announced in the official competition rules.
Yes.
Selected artworks will be showcased during the AAFF 2026 exhibition.
Participants must submit at least three (3) Work-In-Progress (WIP) images showing different stages of their creative process.
These are required to verify the originality of the artwork.
Submissions without WIP images may be disqualified.
Submit your final artwork in High Resolution (minimum 300 DPI). The artwork should be suitable for large-format printing.
Artists retain the copyright to their work.
By submitting, participants grant the organizers permission to display, promote, and print the artwork with proper credit for exhibition and promotional purposes.
Yes.
Winners will receive awards and prizes.
Details will be announced later.
Along with your artwork, please provide:
- A short description ( about your concept and inspiration)
- A short artist bio
- Three (3) WIP images
No.
Entries must be original and must not infringe on any copyrighted material or intellectual property.
Unleash the Block Challenge
The block serves as a guide for the overall composition and the flow of the main character. Use it as the foundation for your own creative interpretation.
“मैले देखेको नेपाल” (My Nepal, Reimagined)
Show your unique vision of Nepal through your chosen style and story.
Anything!
2D animation, 3D, stop motion, VFX, motion graphics, mixed media, or any other creative medium is welcome.
Your submission should be 5 seconds long at 24 FPS.
You may stylize and integrate it into your scene, but it should still support the intended composition and character flow.
A clear idea, strong visual storytelling, and a creative interpretation of the theme.
Act to Animate Challenge
AAFF will provide a selection of dialogue clips.
Participants choose one dialogue and create an animation based on it.
Yes.
Different interpretations are encouraged.
No.
Only the official dialogue clips provided by AAFF may be used.
You can get the official dialogues from HERE.
The animation length should match the provided dialogue clip. Additional guidelines will be announced with the dialogue package.
Submission Questions
16 September 2026, 11:59 PM UTC +5:45
Updates may be allowed before the submission deadline. Details will be provided in the submission guidelines.
Accepted file formats and technical requirements will be announced before submissions open.
Participants retain ownership of their work.
By submitting, participants grant AAFF permission to screen, exhibit, and promote the submitted work in connection with the festival.
Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on creativity, originality, storytelling, artistic quality, technical execution, and interpretation of the theme.
Follow AAFF’s official website and social media channels for announcements, deadlines, and festival news.
Yes.
Participants may enter multiple categories and competitions.
For example, a participant may submit:
A Short Film Showcase entry
A Concept Art Challenge entry
A Pantomime Animation Competition entry
A Dialogue-Based Animation Competition entry
As long as each submission meets the requirements of its respective category.
Yes.
Submissions may be created by individuals or teams unless otherwise specified in the category guidelines.
3D Animation Questions
Yes.
Participants are encouraged to use their own original models, rigs, environments, and assets.
Yes.
Participants may use free-to-use assets, models, and rigs obtained from legitimate sources, provided that:
The asset’s license permits such use.
Proper credit is given to the original creator when required by the license.
The participant has the legal right to use the asset.
Yes.
Commercial assets may be used if the participant holds a valid license to use them.
No.
Judging will focus primarily on:
Animation Quality
Acting and Performance
Storytelling
Creativity
Theme Interpretation
Technical Execution
Participants are encouraged to focus on creating the strongest animation possible.
Yes.
Participants may modify assets and rigs where permitted by the original license.
Yes.
Any third-party assets, rigs, models, audio, or other materials that require attribution must be properly credited during submission.
Failure to provide required attribution may result in disqualification.
Originality & Fair Use
Not necessarily.
Participants may use legally obtained third-party resources, such as:
3D Models
Character Rigs
Textures
Sound Effects
Music (with appropriate rights)
However, the creative work being evaluated—such as the concept art, animation, storytelling, performance, and artistic execution—must be the participant’s own work.
No.
To promote artistic skill and creative craftsmanship, AI-generated visual content is not permitted in competition submissions.
This includes AI-generated:
Artwork
Concept Art
Character Designs
Environments
Animation
3D Models
Rendered Images
Participants must create or legally source their assets through traditional artistic and production methods.