Hiroshima Animation Season (Hiroshima International Animation Festival)

Overview

The Hiroshima Animation Season (HAS) is an international animation festival held biennially in Hiroshima, Japan. The 3rd edition (HAS 2026) runs August 19 to 23, 2026, at JMS Aster Plaza and Yokogawa Cinema. It is the only Academy Award-qualifying film festival in Japan dedicated solely to animation. The Short Film Competition Grand Prix winner gains eligibility for US Academy Award nomination consideration.

HAS 2026 received 3,181 submissions from 110 countries and regions, setting a new festival record and significantly exceeding the 2,634 submissions from 97 countries for HAS 2024 and the 2,149 submissions for HAS 2022. From these, 76 films (71 shorts and 5 features) were selected for the official competition.

The festival is organized around three pillars: the Competition, which determines the Grand Prix and other prizes from global submissions; the Awards, which honor individuals who have made significant contributions to animation in the Pan-Pacific and Asia regions; and the Academy, which connects animation with education. The artistic director is Koji Yamamura, an acclaimed animator whose works have been selected for competitions at major festivals worldwide.

The festival's identity is connected to Hiroshima's history as the site of the first atomic bomb attack in 1945. The founding vision connected animation's capacity for emotional expression with the city's reconstruction and peace advocacy. This orientation toward humanistic themes remains central to the festival's programming.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through FilmFreeway. Full submission guidelines are available as a PDF on the competition page.

HAS 2026 submission timeline:

• Submission opens: December 1, 2025 (10:00 JST)
• Early Bird deadline (free submission): March 22, 2026
• Regular deadline: April 12, 2026 (23:59 JST)
• Selection results announced: May 2026
• Festival dates: August 19 to 23, 2026

Entry fees:

• Early Bird (December 1 to March 22): Free
• Regular (March 23 to April 12): 5,000 JPY per film (approximately $33 USD)

Competition categories:

• Short Competition - films 30 minutes or less, produced in any country
• Feature Competition - films over 30 minutes, produced in any country
• Pan-Pacific and Asia Youth Competition - youth animation from the Pan-Pacific and Asia region
• Japanese Commissioned Film Competition - commissioned works (commercials, music videos, TV specials, educational/promotional content) produced in Japan, any length

The organizer and selection committee determine the categorization of each submission. Films can be submitted to only one category.

Eligibility requirements:

• Submitted work must be an animated film
• No restrictions on technique used
• Only films for a single screen are eligible (VR films are not eligible)
• Films must have been completed on or after April 1, 2024
• No restrictions on length for the Japanese Commissioned Film Competition

Selected films:

• The festival provides accommodation for a director or producer of selected films during the festival period
• International juries determine award winners for Short Film, Pan-Pacific/Asia Youth, and Japan Commissioned Works competitions
• Feature Film competition winner is chosen by public votes
• Awards announced at the Closing Ceremony on August 23, 2026

Key Sections

• Short Competition - animated short films (30 minutes or less) from around the world, competing for the Grand Prix and category awards
• Feature Competition - animated feature films (over 30 minutes) from any country, winner chosen by audience vote
• Pan-Pacific and Asia Youth Competition - youth animation from the Pan-Pacific and Asia region
• Japanese Commissioned Film Competition - commissioned animation works produced in Japan (commercials, music videos, TV specials, educational content)
• Awards Program - honors individuals who have made significant contributions to animation in the Pan-Pacific and Asia regions
• Academy Program - connects animation with education, including the H-Air Hiroshima Artist in Residence program for animation professionals
• Screenings and Events - talk sessions, networking opportunities, and special programs with attending filmmakers

What Filmmakers Should Know

Hiroshima is the most significant animation competition in the Asia-Pacific region and the only Academy Award-qualifying animation festival in Japan. The Short Film Competition Grand Prix winner gains eligibility for US Academy Award nomination consideration, making it a direct pathway to Oscar recognition for short-form animators.

The festival's submission volume has grown rapidly: 2,149 entries in 2022, 2,634 in 2024, and 3,181 in 2026. Despite this growth, the selection remains intimate at 76 films, making the acceptance rate approximately 2.4%. The festival provides accommodation for one director or producer per selected film, which reduces the financial burden of attendance for international filmmakers.

The Early Bird submission period (December 1 to March 22) is free. After that, the fee is 5,000 JPY per film. The festival accepts submissions through FilmFreeway, making it accessible to international filmmakers without requiring a separate registration system.

For animators from Asia and the Pan-Pacific region, the Pan-Pacific and Asia Youth Competition provides a dedicated platform separate from the international short and feature competitions. The Japanese Commissioned Film Competition recognizes commercial and commissioned animation work, a category that most animation festivals do not include.

The H-Air Hiroshima Artist in Residence program, part of the Academy pillar, offers residency opportunities for animation professionals working on new projects. The residency period is approximately 92 days (June to August), with 3 artists selected. Applicants must be working on a new, unpublished animation project.

The festival's connection to peace and human dignity is not just thematic branding. The founding vision of Renzo Kinoshita and Sayoko Kinoshita in 1985 connected animation's emotional expressiveness with Hiroshima's identity as a city that experienced atomic devastation and rebuilt. This gives the festival a moral dimension that separates it from other animation festivals.

Major Awards

Short Competition:

• Grand Prix - top prize, Academy Award-qualifying
• "A Slice of Society" Award - for films reflecting social reality
• "Contemporary Tale" Award - for contemporary storytelling
• "Fictive World" Award - for imaginative and fictional worlds
• "Visual Poetry" Award - for poetic and artistic expression

Feature Competition:

• Grand Prix - chosen by public audience vote

Pan-Pacific and Asia Youth Competition:

• Grand Prix - top prize for youth animation
• Stéphane Aub... Award - named jury award
• Koyo Yamashita Award - named jury award

Japanese Commissioned Film Competition:

• Grand Prix - top prize for commissioned works
• Masashi Kawamura Award - named jury award
• Kotomi Deai Award - named jury award
• ShiShi Yamazaki Award - named jury award

Audience Award:

• Grand Prix - chosen by festival audience vote across all categories

Festival History

The Hiroshima International Animation Festival was founded in 1985 by Renzo Kinoshita and Sayoko Kinoshita. The founding vision connected animation's capacity for emotional expression with Hiroshima's identity as a city that had experienced atomic devastation in 1945 and rebuilt. This connection between animation and human experience remains central to the festival's identity four decades later.

The festival was reorganized in 2022 as the "Hiroshima Animation Season" (HAS), becoming the main program of the Media Arts Division of the broader Hiroshima Festival. The first edition under the new format (HAS 2022) received 2,149 submissions. HAS 2024 grew to 2,634 submissions from 97 countries, and HAS 2026 set a new record with 3,181 submissions from 110 countries.

The festival is organized around three pillars: Competition, Awards, and Academy. The Competition pillar runs the four competitive categories. The Awards pillar honors individuals who have made significant contributions to animation in the Pan-Pacific and Asia regions. The Academy pillar connects animation with education through the H-Air residency program and other educational initiatives.

The festival takes place at JMS Aster Plaza and Yokogawa Cinema in Hiroshima. The 2026 edition (August 19 to 23) represents the third edition under the HAS format and the 41st year since the festival's original founding.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For animation techniques and terminology, visit the Filmmaker Glossary. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For full submission guidelines, visit the HAS 2026 Competition page.