N22.5m Up for Grab as Entries Open for NOA Animation Award

Sunday Ehigiator

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in partnership with LIFANIMA – the Nigerian Animation Festival, has opened entries for the NOA Animation Award, with Nigerian animators set to compete for a total cash prize of N22.5 million.

A statement yesterday, explained that the initiative was aimed at stimulating creativity and innovation while strengthening Nigeria’s fast-growing animation industry.

The NOA Animation Award is a national creative platform exclusively open to Nigerians and designed to promote authentic storytelling through animation. Organisers said the award seeks to encourage the production of original local content that reflects Nigerian values, culture, identity and lived experiences, positioning animation as a powerful medium for national orientation and global storytelling.

Entries for the award must be developed around the theme, ‘What Makes a Real Nigerian?’ and submitted works must be produced solely by Nigerians.

Eligible entries are required to have a maximum runtime of three minutes and can be created in 2D, 3D or stop-motion animation formats. A total prize pool of N22.5 million would be shared among the top three entries in the NOA Animation Award category.

According to NOA and LIFANIMA, the initiative is part of broader efforts to support homegrown talent, deepen youth engagement in the creative economy and use animation as a tool for cultural preservation and social values promotion. The organisers noted that the award also aims to project Nigerian stories to international audiences from a distinctly local perspective.

“Each submission must clearly indicate the category under which it is entered. Entries must be submitted individually. Submissions must include a content rating: G, PG, PG-13, or 18. Films produced in languages other than English must include English subtitles,” it added.

LIFANIMA features six competitive categories: Best 2D Animation Short, Best 3D Animation Short, Best Animation Commercial, Best Visual Effects, Best Stop Motion Animation and the NOA Animation Award. Winners across all categories will be selected by a jury, whose decisions are final. The deadline for submissions is July 3, 2026, with entries accepted exclusively via FilmFreeway at www.filmfreeway.com/lifanima.