Animation category

The Animation category is one of the festival's eight competition genres, aimed at young filmmakers up to the age of 25. It is a competitive category with a prize of £250 awarded to the winning film.

While the official rules do not provide a stylistic definition, within the context of the Earth Stories mission, "Animation" can be understood as:

• A Medium for Environmental Storytelling: It invites filmmakers to use animated techniques to explore the festival's core themes: the climate crisis, nature's degradation, and pathways to sustainable futures through human-nature reconnection.
• A Form of Creative Expression: It allows for boundless creativity, enabling filmmakers to visualise concepts, metaphors, and narratives that might be impossible or difficult to capture through live-action filmmaking.
• A Technically Flexible Category: Submissions can utilise any animation style (e.g., 2D, 3D, stop-motion, hand-drawn, CGI, or mixed media) as long as the final film meets the festival's technical requirements.

Key Rules for Animation Submissions

If you are submitting an animated film, you must adhere to the festival's standard rules:

• Duration: Films must be between 1 and 10 minutes long.
• Language: Films must be in English or include accurate English subtitles.
• Content: Any genre is accepted, but films with strong adult elements (profanity, sex, gore, drugs, violence) will be rejected.
• Originality: You must be the copyright holder of your original work.
• Entry Fee: Submissions are free.

In essence, the Animation category at Earth Stories is an opportunity for young creators to use the art of animation to voice their concerns and hopes for the planet in a visually imaginative and impactful way.