News

Irish Animation Awards 2025: Nominees Announced

Posted: 28th April 2025

The nominees for this year’s Irish Animation Awards have been announced today by Animation Ireland, the representative trade body for animation studios across the island of Ireland. 35 Irish productions across 23 categories are now in the running to scoop an award at the ceremony on Saturday 24th May, which is supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland as the awards' Primary Sponsor.

Animation Ireland CEO Ronan McCabe said of this year’s Awards: “The Irish Animation Awards are a wonderful showcase for the industry on our shared island. The talent and creativity on display is hugely impressive and it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to come together as a community to celebrate our work and our people. A special mention to all the overseas guests who’ll be joining us on the night, the organising team and committee, and major thanks to all our sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible.”

Animation studios across Dublin, Kilkenny, Belfast, Galway, Roscommon, Louth and Cork feature in the nominations, along with many Irish and international independent creatives. With 12 jury nods, Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon are leading the Irish Animation Awards 2025 race, followed closely by Brown Bag Films in Dublin which has 10 nominations and Belfast’s Sixteen South which has 9 nominations. 

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, Belfast 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. 

Discover the full list of nominees below:

Best Animated Preschool Series 

• Maddie + Triggs; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)
• Silly Sundays; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Nikhil and Jay; Paper Owl Films (Belfast)
• ODO; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Doodle Girl; Studio Meala (Roscommon)

Best Animated Kids Series (over 6 years old)

• Fairly Odd Parents: A New Wish!; Giant Animation (Dublin)
• Kizazi Moto Generation Fire; Triggerfish Animation (Galway)
• The Imagination Machine - Series 2; Firebrand Productions (Dublin)
• Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)
• Cozmo & Friends; Treehouse Republic (Dublin)

Best Animated Short Film - IRELAND

• Retirement Plan; John Kelly (Independent)
• A Wind and the Shadow; Enter Yes! (Belfast)
• Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Eldritch Karaoke; Joe Loftus (Independent)
• Introducing Bovina Creamcracker Buttermilk; Studio 9 (Dublin)

Best International Animated Short Film

• A Night at the Rest Area; Saki Muramoto (Independent, Japan)
• Voicemail; Iona Menzies (Independent, UK-England)
• Wind Goes On; Eric Lee (Independent, Hong Kong)
• Lifted; Daniel Robichaud (Independent, USA)
• The Old Man and the Robot; Callum Scott-Dyson (Independent,Korea)

Best SCRIPT for an Animated Series

• Kizazi Moto Generation Fire: Hatima; Triggerfish Animation (Galway)
• Maddie + Triggs: Bubbles; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)
• Nikhil and Jay: Messiest Mango; Paper Owl Films (Belfast)
• ODO: The Visitor; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Wonder Pets In The City: Save the Runaway Egg!; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)

Best SCRIPT for a FEATURE FILM OR SPECIAL

• Puffin Rock and the New Friends; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Lu and the Bally Bunch; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• The Magic Reindeer Saving Santa’s Sleigh; Moetion Films (Galway)

Best Design and Art Direction

• Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Puffin Rock and the New Friends; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Eva The Owlet; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• Silly Sundays; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Golden Ties; Michelle Bardon (Independent)

Best Direction of an Animated TV Series

• Dee & Friends in Oz; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• Flix; Pictor Films (Cork)
• Kizazi Moto Generation Fire; Triggerfish Animation (Galway)
• Nikhil and Jay; Paper Owl Films (Belfast)
• Wonder Pets In The City; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)

Best ORIGINAL SCORE

• Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• The Imagination Machine - Series 2; Firebrand Productions (Dublin)
• The Magic Reindeer Saving Santa’s Sleigh; Moetion Films (Galway)
• The Scavengers; Little Moon Animation (Dublin)
• Yukee; Score Draw Media (Dundalk, Louth)

Best ORIGINAL SONG

• Yukee; Score Draw Media (Dundalk, Louth)
• URBANTAILS: Grasshopper; Pink Kong Studios (Dublin)
• Wonder Pets In The City: Since I’ve Branched Out; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)
• Maddie + Triggs: Disco Train; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)
• Maddie + Triggs: Pearly Whites; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)

Best Sound Design

• Grimsburg; Ed Costello (Independent)
• Coop Troop - The Animauville Horror; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Puffin Rock and the New Friends; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• The Magic Reindeer Saving Santa’s Sleigh; Moetion Films (Galway)
• The Scavengers; Little Moon Animation (Dublin)

Best Feature Film or Special

• Pinkalicious & Peterrific Special; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• The Magic Reindeer Saving Santa’s Sleigh; Moetion Films (Galway)
• Lu and the Bally Bunch; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• Hungry Bear Tales: To the Pole!; Treehouse Republic (Dublin)
• Puffin Rock and the New Friends; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)

Best New IP

• Doodle Girl; Studio Meala (Roscommon)
• Coop Troop - The Animauville Horror; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Lí Ban; Paper Owl Films (Belfast)
• Maddie + Triggs; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)
• Lu and the Bally Bunch; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)

Best Editing

• Coop Troop - The Animauville Horror; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Eva The Owlet; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• ODO; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Póg mo Pigeon; Lighthouse Studios (Kilkenny)
• Wonder Pets In The City; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)

Best Storyboarding

• Doodle Girl: Adeola Lawal; Studio Meala (Roscommon)
• Silly Sundays: Estrela Lourenco/ Oriol Vidal/ Suzanne Williams; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• Dee & Friends in Oz: Irene Martini; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• ODO; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach: Giovanna Ferrari/ Iker Maidagan; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)

Best Animated Student Film

• Every Other Weekend; James Naughton (Independent)
• You've Got This, Allie!; Wren Petkov, Michelle Saal (Independent)
• Wasting; Laura Breslin (Independent)
• A Necessary Wish; Séan Nolan (Independent)
• Rendezvous; Lydia Stone (Independent)

Best VFX ANIMATION

• Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Screecher’s Reach; Cartoon Saloon (Kilkenny)
• The Imagination Machine - Series 2; Firebrand Productions (Dublin)
• Rick and Morty S7; Lighthouse Studios (Kilkenny)
• Dee & Friends in Oz; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• Kizazi Moto Generation Fire; Triggerfish Animation (Galway)

Best INNOVATION

• Decos Records; Wigglywoo (Dublin)
• Maddie + Triggs; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)
• Team Jay Season 2; Piranha Bar (Dublin)
• Wonder Pets in the City; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)
• Zaki Signs; Jam Media (Dublin)

Best VOICE ACTING

• Coop Troop - The Animauville Horror: Zehra Jane Naqvi, Beth Chalmers, Bob Golding; Sixteen South (Belfast)
• Lu and the Bally Bunch: Freya McLaughlin; Brown Bag Films (Dublin)
• Maddie + Triggs: Bonnie O’Meara; Turnip + Duck (Dublin)
• Doodle Girl: Aisling Walsh; Studio Meala (Roscommon)
• Wonder Pets In The City: Vanessa Huzar; Kavaleer Productions (Dublin)

Industry Sustainability Champion (Impact and Awareness)

• Brown Bag Films - Industry & Community Outreach Committee
• Jam Media - Jess Patterson & Richard Gordon
• Cartoon Saloon - Enora Le Luherne

The Irish Animation Awards 2025 will take place at The Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, Galway on Saturday May 25th. Special guests will be announced shortly. See www.irishanimationawards.ie for more information and updates.

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 Animation, Toon Boom Animation and Tyrell.