Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Irish Animation Awards
Posted: 26th May 2025
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate the winners of the 2025 Irish Animation Awards, which took place last weekend in Galway. Nominees from Animation Ireland’s member studios travelled from across the country to celebrate creativity and innovation at this year’s ceremony, which was supported by Primary Sponsor Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and opened by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Patrick O’Donovan.
Dublin studio Turnip + Duck emerged top of the leaderboard with an impressive four award haul for their Maddie + Triggs series, which bagged Best Animated Preschool Series (up to 6 years old), Best Original Song, Best New IP, and Best Innovation Awards. Maddie + Triggs follows the adventures of a curious little girl and her doggy best friend who find music and adventure in everyday sounds.
Galway’s Moetion Films took home two Irish Animation Awards for The Magic Reindeer Saving Santa’s Sleigh, including Best Feature Film or Special. Roscommon's Studio Meala also bagged two awards for the hit TV series Doodle Girl, with one going to young Dublin actress Aisling Walsh who claimed the Best Voice Acting accolade.
Dublin studio Kavaleer Productions was honoured with two gongs for their series Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, winning Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old), and scooping the Kids Choice for Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old) as voted by the children of Hazelwood Integrated Primary and Nursery in Belfast.
Dublin's Brown Bag Films came out tops in the Best Script for a Feature Film or Special category for Lu and the Bally Bunch, while also winning the Sustainability Champion 2025 Award.
Best Animated Short Film - Ireland went to Retirement Plan directed by John Kelly, with a script co-written by Tara Lawall and John Kelly. The film is supported by Screen Ireland's flagship Frameworks short film scheme.
Ronan McCabe, CEO of Animation Ireland, said:
It's been a challenging time for the industry since we last got together in 2023 and whilst we remain conscious of the difficulties facing our members, it is important that we celebrate and showcase the work and creativity of our professional Animation, VFX and Gaming communities.
We only get to do every two years so it’s with gratitude that we come together, with our friends and colleagues from this island and beyond, to share and celebrate the best our industry has to offer. Well done to all the nominees and congratulations to the winners."
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, added:
Screen Ireland is proud to support the 2025 Irish Animation Awards - an important opportunity to highlight the outstanding Irish animation sector and the range of creative vision and talent it represents.
Our congratulations and best wishes go to all of the nominees this year, whose stunning work continues to connect with audiences worldwide."
Find the full list of winners below:
- Best Animated Preschool Series (up to 6 years old): Maddie + Triggs (Turnip + Duck)
- Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old): Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese (Kavaleer Productions)
- Best Script for an Animated Series: Nikhil and Jay: Messiest Mango (Paper Owl Films)
- Best Animated Short Film: Retirement Plan (John Kelly)
- Best International Animated Short Film: A Night at the Rest Area (Saki Muramoto)
- Best Voice Acting: Doodle Girl - Aisling Walsh (Studio Meala)
- Best Sound Design: The Magic Reindeer - Saving Santa's Sleigh (Moetion Films)
- Best Original Score: Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach (Cartoon Saloon)
- Best Original Song: Maddie + Triggs - Pearly Whites (Turnip + Duck)
- Best Animated Preschool Series (up to 6 years old): Doodle Girl (Studio Meala)
- Kids Choice for Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old): Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese (Kavaleer Productions)
- Sustainability Innovator/Champion of the Year: Brown Bag Films - Industry & Community Outreach Committee
- Best Design and Art Direction: Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach (Cartoon Saloon)
- Best Direction of an Animated TV Series: Kizaki Moto: Generation Fire (Triggerfish Animation)
- Best Feature Film or Special: The Magic Reindeer - Saving Santa's Sleigh (Moetion Films)
- Best Script for a Feature Film or Special: Lu and the Ballybunch (Brown Bag Films)
- Best VFX Animation: Kizaki Moto: Generation Fire (Triggerfish Animation)
- Best New IP: Maddie + Triggs (Turnip + Duck)
- Best Editing: ODO: Best Joke Ever (Sixteen South)
- Best Storyboarding: Silly Sundays (Estrela Lourenco, Oriol Vidal, and Suzanne Williams; Cartoon Saloon)
- Best Animated Student Film: Every Other Weekend (James Naughton, Niamh Asple)
- Best Innovation: Maddie + Triggs (Turnip + Duck)
- Outstanding Contribution to Industry: John Phelan
The Irish Animation Awards are a biennial event, celebrating more than 2,500 highly skilled animation professionals who make and create across the island of Ireland, from Dublin to Galway, Derry to Cork. Irish animated films and series are enjoyed by children and adults in 182 countries worldwide, with Irish animation studios and their workforces in huge demand internationally, valued for their creativity, craft, professionalism, and commitment.
The Irish Animation Awards 2025 are made possible with the support of Primary Sponsor Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, and RTÉjr. With thanks to Coimisiún na Meán, Enterprise Ireland, Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, Corpay, Northern Ireland Screen, TG4, Aon, Brophy Gillespie, Creative Europe Ireland Media, ERA, Gorilla Post Production, Nickelodeon, Milkshake, Menagerie Media Group, National Talent Academy for Animation, Toon Boom Animation and Tyrell.