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THE YAY Logo UK COMPETITION 2025

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The YAY UK competition is here to discover and celebrate the best young animators in the UK, aged 11-22.

The competition runs from May to September and the winning films will be announced and premiered at Manchester Animation Festival in November.

Winning animators will be invited on private tours of Aardman, Wildchild, and Blue Zoo animation studios.

Unsure of what to make? Check resources for animation tools such as HUE's animation toolkit. You can also watch previous years' winning films for inspiration!

VIEW PAST WINNERS

THE THEME

This year's theme for the animation is the word UNEXPECTED.

This word can be used to inspire an idea, but they are not required to use this theme; the animations will not be judged on how well they relate to this theme.

Competition Rules

Please submit your entry by midnight Monday 1st September 2025.

The shortlisted films and prizes will be announced on this website on Wednesday 1st October 2025.

  • Entrants must be aged 11-22 years on the closing submission date of 1st September 2025.
  • Video entry must be no more than three minutes long, excluding credits.
  • Video entry should be HD resolution supplied as an MP4 video file (at least 1280x720 pixels)
  • Only one entry per person is allowed.
  • Video entry must have been fully made by the entrant; group projects are not eligible.
  • If using music, entrants must use royalty-free tracks so it can be screened online/at the festival; entries using copyrighted music without permission will be disqualified.
  • Entrants must be living in the United Kingdom.
  • Video entry must have been made after last year's competition deadline of 15th September 2024.
  • Video entry must be submitted by midnight Monday 1st September 2025.
  • Video entry must be created using Stop-Motion, 2D or 3D animation techniques.
  • Your entry must be suitable for a U or PG-rated audience. This means it should not contain swearing, strong violence, sexual content, or anything else that may be considered inappropriate for a family audience. We reserve the right to reject any entry that we believe does not meet these standards.
  • Animation generated using generative AI video tools such as Runway or Kling are not permitted.
  • If the entrant is under 16, a parent/guardian must approve the submission and agree to the competition terms.
  • All visual elements (e.g. characters, backgrounds, logos) must be original or free to use; entries using copyrighted designs, images or assets without permission will be disqualified.
  • By submitting, entrants agree that their film may be screened at the Manchester Animation Festival and featured on YAY UK’s platforms.

The entry will be judged by professional animators using the scoring criteria:

  • Quality of the animation skills
  • Clarity of the storytelling
  • Quality of the design
  • Quality of the overall film

Winners will be announced at Manchester Animation Festival on Sunday 9th November 2025.

Very best of luck!

SUBMIT FILM