2026 Annie Awards: Winners, Nominations, and Highlights
The 53rd Annie Awards are currently taking place at UCLA’s Royce Hall, with winners being announced throughout the evening. Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters and Pixar's Elio lead the nominations with 10 each, followed by Disney Animation Studios' Zootopia 2 and Gkids' Little Amélie or the Character of Rain with five nominations each. The Best Animated Feature Oscar category has seen a trend where winners at the Annies often go on to win the Academy Award, but last year's winner, Flow, did not follow this pattern. The winners of the 2026 Juried Awards have also been announced, recognizing exceptional contributions to animation.
The winners of the 2026 Annie Awards so far include the Winsor McCay Award recipients Michaël Dudok de Wit, Christopher Miller, and Phil Lord, the June Foray Award recipient Sandy Rabins, and the Ub Iwerks Award recipient Wacom. Special Achievement Award went to LightBox Expo, and the ASIFA-Hollywood Merit Award was presented to Jeffrey New and Haley Mirren Douthit. The Best Feature nominees include Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, The Bad Guys 2, and Zootopia 2.
In the Best Feature – Independent category, the nominees are A Magnificent Life, Arco, I’m Frankelda, Lost In Starlight, and Scarlet. The Best Special Production nominees include A Loud House Christmas Movie: Naughty or Nice, Adult Swim’s The Elephant, Not Just a Goof, Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical, and The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland. The winners in various categories such as Best Short Subject, Best Sponsored Animated Short, Best TV/Media – Preschool, Best TV/Media – Children, Best TV/Media – Mature, Best TV/Media – Limited Series, and Best Student Film have also been announced.
The winners in the Best FX – TV/Media, Best FX – Feature, Best Character Animation – TV/Media, Best Character Animation – Feature, Best Character Animation – Live Action, Best Character Animation – Video Game, Best Character Design – TV/Media, Best Character Design – Feature, Best Direction – TV/Media, Best Direction – Feature, Best Music – TV/Media, Best Music – Feature, Best Production Design – TV/Media, Best Production Design – Feature, Best Storyboarding – TV/Media, Best Storyboarding – Feature, Best Voice Acting – TV/Media, Best Voice Acting – Feature, and Best Writing – TV/Media categories have also been announced. The Annie Awards continue to celebrate excellence in the animation industry, recognizing outstanding achievements in various categories.