Spain’s Animayo Gran Canaria Awards Top Prizes to Family-Themed ’18 Months’ and ‘Because Today is Saturday’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Animayo Gran Canaria, Spain’s foremost animation film festival, has awarded its top prizes to family-themed “18 Months” and “Because Today is Saturday.”

Both features will go on to compete at the Oscars given that Animayo remains the first and only animation festival in Spain recognized by the Academy as an Oscar-qualifying festival in two categories: the Grand Jury Prize and Best Animated Short Film with Ñ.

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These winners are also eligible to vie for the Annie Awards as starting this year, Animayo forms part of the first Annie Awards qualifying festival list set up by ASIFA-Hollywood.

For Damián Perea, director and founder of Animayo, “being included in the Annie Awards list is one of the most important recognitions the festival has received since its creation. It confirms that the work developed from Gran Canaria ‘La Isla de mi Vida’ for more than two decades is now part of the international conversation on the present and future of animation.”

As winner of the Animayo Gran Canaria 2026 ‘La Isla de mi Vida’ Grand Jury Prize, “18 Months” by Paulo García and Natalia Gouvea also takes home a cash prize of $3,480 (€3,000).

The stop motion animation feature explores the unexpected paths to building a family through a story inspired by real events. The International Jury praised its artistic excellence, sensitive direction and emotional depth in portraying universal themes of love, hope, waiting and motherhood.

“Because Today Is Saturday” by Alice Eça Guimarães, a Variety Portuguese Animation Talent to Track, was recognized with the best animated short film with Ñ award.  It turns on a woman who wakes up early on a Saturday to give herself a gift: time. But every time a moment of inspiration arises, she is interrupted – the children, the laundry, the meals.

“Women continue to carry a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work, leaving them chronically tired and with little opportunity for personal growth, creativity, or reflection,” says Guimarães.  

The jury praised its honest, sensitive storytelling and its ability to transform a deeply personal perspective into a universal reflection.

Now bound for Annecy and Tribeca, “Because Today is Saturday” also reflects a growing trend in Ibero-American animation, where filmmakers are using the medium to explore themes of care, work-life balance and modern family life.

Both stood out from more than 2,000 projects from 78 countries that took part in the selection process. Of these, 915 passed the first selection phase and only 75 projects made up the Official Shortlist of Animayo Gran Canaria 2026.

The International Jury, which deliberated across the different categories, was made up of leading professionals from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Skydance Animation, Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Warner Bros., DreamWorks and ASIFA-Hollywood.

“Animayo’s international recognition is also the result of a long-term shared vision developed together with the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Turismo de Gran Canaria and Promotur Turismo de Islas Canarias. Their sustained commitment to culture, education, internationalization and the audiovisual industry has enabled Gran Canaria to emerge as a recognized meeting point for global talent, major studios and emerging creators, while allowing Animayo to connect local talent with the international animation community,” said Perea.

According to Animayo, France led the number of submissions with 177 works, followed by Spain with 102, the U.S. with 65, Russia with 36 and Mexico with 35. From a technical point of view, 2D animation once again was the dominant format, with 424 submitted works. These were joined by 151 productions made in 3D, 132 hybrid and experimental proposals and 92 stop-motion short films.

The official selection also featured representation from some of the most prestigious schools in the world, including Gobelins, ESMA, Rubika, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, National Film and Television School, Brigham Young University and iACADEMY, bolstering Animayo’s role as a bridge between specialized training and the international industry.

Among the most notable recognitions this year was “Pigeons” recognized for its exceptional art direction; “Gauze,” a stand-out for its emotional impact; “Only Rats” as best independent short film and with the Social Awareness Award and “Pobre Marciano,” noted for the quality of its narrative within the Animation with Ñ category.

The all-important Audience Award, went to “Bestias de la Muerte,” the directorial debut of Peruvian-born filmmaker Sandra Powers, which had its world premiere at Animayo.

The children’s jury of Mi Primer Festival went to “There Once Was a Tiger,” a tender story inspired by true events that captivated younger audiences with its inspiring message of friendship, tolerance and overcoming prejudice.

2026 WINNERS:

GRAND JURY AWARD

“18 Months,” Paulo García & Natalia Gouvea (U.S.)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Azimuth,” Martin Bluy, Cassandre Cinier, Chloé Coudray, Thomas Courtois, Mathis Giraudeau, Damien Lagadeuc, François-Clément Michez, Thomas Teisseire, (France)

BEST COMEDY

“The Undying Pain of Existence,” Oscar Jacobson (Germany)

BEST STOP MOTION

“My Gut Friend,” José Manuel Lo Bianco, Mariano Andrés Bergara (Argentina)

BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM

“Chère Fin,” Khéma Cousin, Lien Franckel, Laora Le Boursicot, Alissende Masson, Joséphine Mounier, Clément Saden (France)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“Pigeons,” Julien M. Wagner, Amos Sussigan, Timo von Gunten (U.S.)

BEST CG – 3D

“Blu’s,” Rajesh PK (India)

BEST INDEPENDENT SHORT FILM

“Only Rats,” Paz del Carre (Spain)

MOST EMOTIONALLY IMPACTFUL SHORT FILM

“Gauze,” Noran Fikri Alezabi, Nicholas Arujah, Xinyue Ma, Yulin Yue, Xiaonan Zhou (France)

BEST 2D

“Cursed,” Marion Boitelle, Leïla Bouguerch, Myriam Brandao Serseri, Ashe Daniel, Margaux Deculty, Andrea Mamessier Degrange, Nicolas Paoli, Alisson Pigerol, Marie Seve (France)

SPECIAL JURY MENTIONS

SPECIAL MENTION FOR BEST PRODUCTION

“Tears of the Mountain,” Luke Ashworth, Ange Yajima, Yehor Bondarenko, Alp Kurdoglu, Romane Talva (France)

SPECIAL MENTION FOR STUDENT SHORT FILM

“Love & Gold,” Connor Van Dyke (U.S.)

SPECIAL MENTION FOR BEST STOP MOTION

“Adios,” José Prats (U.K.)

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM WITH Ñ

“Becase Today is Saturday,” Alice Eça Guimarães (Portugal, France, Spain)

ANIMATION WITH Ñ JURY AWARD – SOCIAL AWARENESS

“Only Rats,” Paz del Carre (Spain)

ANIMATION WITH Ñ JURY AWARD – BEST NARRATIVE QUALITY

“Pobre Marciano,” Alex Rey (Spain)

BEST VIDEO GAME CINEMATIC

“Divinity,” Cinematic Announcement Trailer, Maxime Luere, Larian Studios (Belgium)

BEST ADVERTISING

“Ovo – Power Struggle,” Réalité (U.K.)

BEST MUSIC

“Addicted to it,” Nigel Tierney (director, producer), Federico Heller (co-director), Jeff Marx (Music & Lyrics), Andrew Hawkins (co-creator) (U.S.)

AUDIENCE AWARD

“Bestias de la Muerte,” Sandra Powers (Mexico)

YOUTH & CHILDREN’S AUDIENCE AWARD – MY FIRST FESTIVAL

“There Once Was a Tiger,” Dmitry Mosyagin, Marina Verik (Russia)