‘Hoppers’ Director Daniel Chong To Kick Off 24 Hours Animation Contest For Students

The 24 Hours Animation Contest for Students will return this Friday, October 2, with Hoppers director and We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong on hand to reveal this year’s theme.

Now celebrating its 24th edition, the annual competition challenges teams of five students to conceive, design, animate, and complete an original 30-second film in just 24 hours. Participants can’t prepare scripts or storyboards in advance, and they won’t learn the theme until the event begins. Any animation technique is allowed, including 2D, CG, stop-motion, motion graphics, and experimental approaches.

Cal State Long Beach animation professor Aubry Mintz created the contest as a classroom exercise designed to push students to take creative ownership of their work and collaborate under pressure. According to organizers, it has since grown into the world’s largest student animation competition, with more than 20,000 students from 280 schools in 50 countries participating over its history.

Chong, whose Pixar feature Hoppers was released earlier this year, will deliver a message to participants and announce the 2026 theme during a livestream kickoff at 3 p.m. PT on Friday. The 24-hour production period begins an hour later, at 4 p.m. PT, with films due at the same time Saturday.

Mintz said of this year’s event:

This event is so much more than a contest — it’s a transformative experience that takes students beyond the classroom and puts them in the heart of the creative process. In just 24 hours, they learn the power of collaboration, discover what they’re capable of accomplishing as a team, and push their imaginations further than they ever thought possible. What began 24 years ago as a challenge for just five students has grown into a truly global celebration of animation — one that transcends borders, cultures, and politics and brings thousands of students together through their shared passion for storytelling and animation. This year is especially exciting as we celebrate our 24th anniversary and celebrate with the one and only Daniel Chong who will be introducing a powerful new theme that will challenge our students in unexpected and exciting ways. I can’t wait to see what they create — and you won’t want to miss it!

Seven teams will receive prize packages this year. Last year’s prize pool exceeded $120,000, while this year’s awards will include cash, drawing tablets, software, festival passes, art books, and studio merchandise.

The 2026 jury includes Forgotten Island story artist Daria Khil, LUKi & the Lights director Toby Cochran, Teen Titans Go! storyboard artist Karina Gazizova, director-producer Nigel Tierney, and Over the Garden Wall and Rick and Morty art director Carol Wyatt, among others.

Winners will be announced during a livestream on October 16 at 12:30 p.m. PT.