16th April 2026
Aberdeen Animates 2026- A Packed Night of Animation and Community
Aberdeen Animates 2026 brought together local animators, and audiences for a packed evening of animation, awards, and connection at The Cellar in Aberdeen.
With tickets fully sold out ahead of the event, it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout and a real sense of energy in the room from start to finish. The night showcased a range of short animations created by talent across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, highlighting different styles, ideas, and approaches to storytelling.
Alongside the screenings, the event created a space for people to meet, chat, and connect: something that was just as important as the animations themselves. It was great to see conversations happening throughout the evening, bringing together creatives from different backgrounds.
Award Winners
The evening also celebrated a number of standout pieces:
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Best Animation – The McGulls: The Best Bits by Trish Smith
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Best Story – Ricky Shae- Ninja Of The Night by Sean-Patrick Sinclair
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Best Visual Style – Carmen’s Demon by Vainilla
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Audience Choice – Chase Your Dreams by Mija Grizaite
Each award recognised a different aspect of animation, from storytelling and visual style to overall execution and audience impact.
A Thank You
We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made the event possible! From those who submitted their work, to our sponsors, supporters, and volunteers who helped bring the night together.
We’re incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement we’ve received throughout this first event, and it’s been amazing to see the response from the local creative community.
This was just the beginning for Aberdeen Animates, and we’re excited to see what comes next.
More photos and video from the night will be shared soon.
News & Updates
5th April 2026
Less than 1 week to go!
With less than a week to go, we’re excited to share that Aberdeen Animates is now officially sold out.
We’ve been blown away by the support from the local community: from those who submitted work to everyone who’s booked a ticket to come along and be part of the evening. It’s incredibly encouraging to see so much interest in celebrating animation and creativity here in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
We’re now in the final stages of preparing for the event and can’t wait to bring everything together for what promises to be a brilliant night of short films, awards, and connection.
Alongside this update, we’re also sharing the event programme, giving a glimpse of what to expect on the night.
To everyone joining us, we’re really looking forward to welcoming you.
Not long to go now!
4th March 2026
Tickets Now Available for the Aberdeen Animates Screening & Awards Night
Tickets are now available for the Aberdeen Animates Screening & Awards Night, taking place on Friday 10th April at The Cellar in Aberdeen.
Join us for an evening celebrating animation talent connected to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Throughout the night we will be showcasing the submitted animations, announcing the winners selected by our judging panel, and inviting guests to take part in the Audience Choice vote.
Submitted animations will be playing throughout the evening, giving guests the opportunity to watch the work at their own pace while networking with others from the local creative community.
Tickets are £1 per person, helping us contribute towards light food during the event. Capacity is limited, so we recommend booking early to secure your place.
Event details
Friday 10 April 2026
7:30pm – 10:00pm
The Cellar, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen
Tickets are available now via Eventbrite.
Get your tickets here:
22nd February 2026
Aberdeen Animates at MOVE Summit 2026
We recently headed along to MOVE Summit 2026 and came back with plenty to think about.
It was a really good few days of talks, exhibitions and conversations with people working across animation, VFX and storytelling. Events like this are a reminder of how wide the industry is, but also how open and collaborative it can be.
One of the highlights was hearing from Todd Harris, whose work includes Eyes of Wakanda, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Avengers: Infinity War. It was refreshing to hear honest insight into how projects at that scale actually come together.
There were also talks by studios such as BUCK, Pixar, Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Blue Zoo and A+C Studios, which gave a real sense of what is happening across the wider industry.
For us, the most important part was the conversations. The 1:1 meetings and informal chats reinforced how important it is for regional communities like ours to stay connected, visible and ambitious. It was also great to meet up with Clanimation and Animation Scotland, our fellow supporters!
Aberdeen Animates exists to build a stronger animation community in the North East of Scotland. Being in rooms like this helps us bring that energy, knowledge and opportunity back home.
You can watch our short highlights reel from MOVE Summit below.
Find out more about MOVE Summit:
2nd February 2026
Aberdeen Animates Supported by Clanimation
We’re really happy to share that Aberdeen Animates is supported by Clanimation!
Clanimation is a brilliant, Scotland-wide animation community, and their support helps us spread the word about Aberdeen Animates to a wider network of animators, illustrators, and creatives.
It’s great to have their backing as we work towards our celebration night in April and continue building a welcoming, community-led animation event here in Aberdeen.
Huge thanks to Clanimation for the support, we really appreciate it!
Find out more about Clanimation:
23rd January 2026
New Venue Announced for Aberdeen Animates: The Cellar
We’re pleased to confirm that Aberdeen Animates will now take place at The Cellar in Aberdeen, a venue connected to the Noose & Monkey bar.
Following the unfortunate closure of our original venue, The Blue Lamp, in December 2025, we’ve been working behind the scenes to find a space that still offers the relaxed, social atmosphere we want for the event, somewhere audiences, animators and other creatives can come together for screenings, conversation, and celebrations.
The Cellar provides the perfect setting for the evening, with a welcoming layout for our animation showcase and easy access to post-screening networking next door at the Noose & Monkey.
We’re looking forward to bringing Aberdeen Animates to this new space in April and sharing a brilliant night of local animation, awards and community.
More details about the event will be announced soon, so keep an eye on our News & Updates page and social channels for updates.
04th December 2025
Cadherent Joins Aberdeen Animates as a Sponsor
We’re delighted to welcome Cadherent as a sponsor for Aberdeen Animates.
Based in Aberdeen, Cadherent provides engineering design and visualisation services across a wide range of sectors. With a multidisciplinary team supported by in-house survey and visualisation departments, they bring a strong blend of technical skill and creativity to the region.
Cadherent’s support comes from a shared passion for nurturing local talent and strengthening collaboration between creative and technical industries. They recognise the importance of retaining skilled animators in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and are particularly interested in supporting 3D animation students, even exploring future graduate opportunities, as their team works with the same 3D software taught at NESCol.
We’re incredibly grateful for their partnership and excited to work together in championing local creators.
Learn more about Cadherent:
25th November 2025
Aberdeen Animates Gains Support from Animation Scotland!
We’re thrilled to announce that Animation Scotland, the national body championing animation and VFX across Scotland, is now supporting Aberdeen Animates!
Animation Scotland exists to represent and develop the Scottish animation industry, offering resources, advocacy, networking and opportunities for studios, creators, training providers, and animators across the country.
What This Means for Aberdeen Animates
Having Animation Scotland’s support strengthens our mission to shine a spotlight on local animators and build a thriving creative community here in the North-East. With their backing, we’re better positioned to:
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Reach a wider network of Scottish animators and VFX artists
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Connect with industry professionals and organisations across the country
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Offer participants and entrants proper visibility within the national animation landscape
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Show that Aberdeen Animates is part of Scotland’s broader animation movement, not just a local event
Why It Matters
Scotland’s animation community is growing fast, with Animation Scotland acting as a hub to unite studios, training institutions, creatives and employers under one banner. By joining forces with them, Aberdeen Animates gains legitimacy and support, and our participants benefit from being part of that network.
Whether you’re an emerging animator, a student, or a seasoned creator, this connection helps open doors beyond Aberdeen. It offers a pathway into the wider Scottish animation industry and all the opportunities that come with it.
We’re incredibly proud to have Animation Scotland on board and grateful for their confidence in what we’re building here. Keep an eye on this space, we can’t wait to see what we create together!
Check out Animation Scotland here:
24th November 2025
Aberdeen Animates featured in Zest Mag!
We’re delighted to share that Aberdeen Animates has been featured in an in-depth article on Zest Mag, highlighting the story behind the project, our goals for the creative community, and why we believe this initiative matters for Aberdeen.
Written by journalist Chrissy Simms, the piece explores the inspiration behind Aberdeen Animates and how the idea grew from a simple conversation to a dedicated platform for local animation talent. Chrissy met with co-founders Aleksandra Clunas and Zara (Zee) Weston at Gaelic Lane café, the perfect backdrop for a conversation about creativity, connection, and community.
The article shines a spotlight on:
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Why Aberdeen Animates was created and the gap it aims to fill in the North-East’s creative landscape
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How local graduates often feel they need to leave the city to find opportunities, and why we want to change that
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The community-driven spirit behind the project, from collaboration with NESCol students to support from other animation festivals
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The bigger mission: bringing people together, encouraging cross-discipline creativity, and showing what’s possible when local talent is given space to shine
Chrissy captures the heart of what Aberdeen Animates is all about: a welcoming, non-competitive space where animators, illustrators, designers, musicians, and creatives of all kinds can meet, share their work, and build something meaningful together.
We’re incredibly grateful to Zest Mag for sharing our story and helping spread the word about this first-of-its-kind animation event in Aberdeen.
You can read the full article on Zest Mag here:
17th November 2025
Aberdeen Animates Featured on the Seasonal Discussions Podcast!
We're excited to share that Aberdeen Animates has been featured on the latest episode of the Seasonal Discussions podcast, hosted by Chris McDonald of SZN Media.
In this special launch-day episode, Chris is joined by co-creators of Aberdeen Animates, Zara Weston and Aleksandra Clunas. Together, they talk about how Aberdeen Animates came to life and what the project hopes to bring to the North-East.
The conversation touches on:
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how Zara and Aleksandra first met during Zara’s college days
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the shared spark that led them to create something new for local animators
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how a small idea grew into a dedicated platform for micro-animation
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their hopes for the future of animation in Aberdeen and beyond
It’s a relaxed, energising chat that gives a real behind-the-scenes look at why Aberdeen Animates exists and who it’s for.