OIAF 2026: Award Winners, ‘Ray Gunn’ Panel, AI In Animation, And More From Ottawa

Cartoon Brew spent last week at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, which celebrated its 50th anniversary with a packed program of screenings, talks, industry events, and some very late nights. Now that the festival has wrapped, we’ve collected all of our OIAF coverage in one place.

Highlights include moderating an in-depth Ray Gunn presentation with Brad Bird and members of the film’s creative team, sitting in on conversations about AI and the changing value of animation markets, and watching Cheyenne Curtis’ King Baby Snail take the top prize at TAC’s Pitch THIS! competition.

We also covered Ottawa’s record-breaking competition lineup, previewed some of the festival’s most anticipated films, and marked OIAF’s half-century with a look at its 50th-anniversary edition and an excerpt from artistic director Chris Robinson’s new book.

And, of course, we were there for the awards: Kohei Kadowaki’s We Are Aliens and Joe Hsieh’s Praying Mantis took the festival’s two Grand Prizes, while Laurence Thérien’s Ball Face made OIAF history with four awards.

Be sure to sign up for our Cartoon Brew Newsletters. They arrive twice weekly with all the top stories, and we will continue to do special editions like this OIAF Spotlight at upcoming events.

All The Top News From OIAF 2026

1. 
   ‘We Are Aliens,’ ‘Praying Mantis’ Win Top Prizes As ‘Ball Face’ Makes Student Film History At OIAF 2026

   Other Ottawa International Animation Festival winners included 'Eri,' 'The Comet,' Adult Swim’s 'The Elephant,' and Don Hertzfeldt’s 'Paper Trail.'
2. 
   Brad Bird Wants To Push Animation ‘Less Towards The Kiddies Table’ With ‘Ray Gunn’

   Bird was joined by Cinesite VFX supervisor Adel Abada, costume designer Neysa Bové, and head of animation Jason Ryan at OIAF to discuss 'Ray Gunn.'
3. 
   How To Make An Animation Market Worth Your Time And Money

   At OIAF, animation professionals shared practical advice on preparing for a market, building relationships, following up, and attending when money is tight.
4. 
   Canada Debates AI’s Place In Animation At OIAF’s The Animation Conference

   A panel of local industry vets tackled AI’s effect on entry-level jobs, creative control, and the growing problems with large AI models.
5. 
   Cheyenne Curtis Wins OIAF Pitch THIS! 2026 With ‘King Baby Snail’

   Selected from more than 100 submissions, Curtis’s series pitch won a CAD $11,300 prize package. Gino Baldeon’s 'tiny BIG adventure' was runner-up.

6. 
   Brazil’s Raucous Road Movie ‘Son Of A Bitch’ Unveils International Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)

   The filmmakers behind the Brazilian feature discuss its 10-year production journey, festival reception, expressive visuals, and music.
7. 
   Ottawa Animation Festival Picks 64 Shorts From Record 3,026 Submissions For It’s 50th Anniversary Edition

   Don Hertzfeldt, Atsushi Wada, Anna Mantzaris, and Georges Schwizgebel land among the filmmakers competing at OIAF's 50th edition.
8. 
   OIAF’s Expanded Feature Competition Flaunts Animation’s Emotional Range

   OIAF's biggest-ever feature competition features seven heavy films that show off the tremendous emotional range of animated storytelling. Bring your tissues.
9. 
   Book Excerpt: OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson’s ‘Watch Me Jumpstart’ (EXCLUSIVE)

   OIAF artistic director and longtime Cartoon Brew contributor Chris Robinson recalls film cans, selection committees, and transformative shorts.
10. 
    ACE Canada Names Nine Animation Professionals For Its Fifth Career Excelerator Cohort

    The Netflix-backed program will bring together artists and filmmakers from across Canada to make an animated short and gain senior-level credits.