Call for Entries Opens for the 10th Annual Quirino Awards
Photo of the 2026 winners.
- The awards ceremony will be held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on April 23, 2027
- Registration is open until November 25 for works released between June 2025 and December 2026
- New feature: a Committee specializing in video games will be responsible for the preliminary selection in this category
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, October 20, 2026 – The Quirino Awards are opening submissions today for their tenth year: animated films from 23 Ibero-American countries may be submitted for competition through November 25. The awards ceremony will take place on April 23, 2027, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Works released between June 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026, are eligible in the seven main categories: Feature Film, Series, Short Film, School Short Film, Music Video, Commissioned Work, and Video Game Animation. The first six categories also automatically compete in the three technical categories: visual development, animation design, and sound design and original music.
Registration is available exclusively through the Festhome platform. The deadline is November 25 at 11:59 p.m. (Mexico time, GMT-6).
“Reaching the tenth year of the Awards means that Ibero-American animation now has its own event, recognized on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Silvina Cornillón, director of the Quirino Awards. “Participating in Quirino is a mark of international recognition.”
A Dedicated Video Game Committee
As in previous years, the Selection Committee will consist of six industry professionals: Paco Rodríguez, María Laura Moure, Loïc Portier, Barry O’Donoghue, Liliana Rincón, and Carlos Miranda. This committee will select six shortlisted works per category.
New for this tenth Quirino Awards, the shortlisting process for the Video Game Animation category will be carried out by a specialized committee—composed of Daniel Santigosa and Laura González—which will act independently. Following the shortlisting process, a single international jury will select the three nominees in each category and pick the winners.
The list of shortlisted works will be released on February 2, 2027, followed by a press conference in March in Madrid to announce the nominees. Each nominee will receive an invitation for one representative, including lodging and per diem in Tenerife from April 21 to 23. In the Feature Film, Series, Short Film, and School Short Film categories, the invitation also includes travel to Tenerife.
The rules also stipulate that entries will not be accepted if their script, images, animation, voiceovers, sound, or music were created using generative artificial intelligence in their final version. The use of generative AI is permitted only in auxiliary processes, such as reference research or translation.
The 2026 Wrap-Up: 265 Works from 19 Countries
The ninth Quirino Awards received 265 entries from 19 countries: 103 short films, 60 school short films, 32 series, 20 music videos, 19 feature films, 18 commissioned works, and 13 video games. Spain (58), Brazil (52), and Argentina (42) were the countries with the most entries. The 2026 awards honored, among others, “Decorado,” by Alberto Vázquez (Spain-Portugal), as Best Feature Film.
Selection Committee for the 10th Year
‘Safo’ by Rossana Urbes.
Paco Rodríguez. Founder of PPM Multimedia (1990-2000), where he oversaw international distribution, co-production funding, and executive production for several animated series. Paco has been executive producer on seven feature films, four of which won Goya Awards: “El Cid, la leyenda,” “Pinocho 3000,” “Nocturna,” and “Pérez, el ratoncito de tus sueños.” He heads Media Training & Consulting and serves as a consultant for ICEX and for the European Union’s MEDIA program.
María Laura Moure. Producer and consultant with more than 30 years of experience in content development and production in Ibero-America, specializing in animation, post-production, and the integration of live-action and animation. María Laura served as animation manager at Patagonik, CEO at Metrovisión, and VP of Development and Production for Latin America at Grupo Cinecolor. She received an International Emmy Kids Award for “El jardín de Clarilú” and a Goya Award for “El ratón Pérez.”
Loïc Portier. A member of the French Academy of Cinematic Arts and Techniques (César Awards), he founded and directs Ciné Court Animé, the international animated short film festival in Roanne, France, which will hold its 18th edition in 2027. Loïc is a programmer for the WEIRD Market – Wfest Spain and has curated exhibitions on the work of filmmakers such as Jérémy Clapin and François Vogel.
Barry O’Donoghue. He began his career in 1998 at the Warner Bros. animation division in Los Angeles, as a producer (“The Iron Giant”) and animator (“Osmosis Jones”). In 2002, Barry founded Barley Films in Ireland with his sister Niamh, producing 10 award-winning short films using techniques ranging from hand-drawn animation to stop-motion. He has served as a consultant for Cartoon Saloon and is currently directing the feature film “Little Caribou.”
Liliana Rincón. A Colombian producer specializing in animation, she co-founded 3DADOS MEDIA and produced the first Colombian film selected for the official competition at the Annecy Festival. Liliana co-founded GEMA Colombia – Grupo de Empresas de Animación (Animation Companies Group), which she chaired for six years, and created the country’s first specialized course in animation production.
Carlos Miranda. An illustrator, animator, storyboard artist, and teacher from Tenerife, he has served as art supervisor on series such as “BatPat 2,” “MeteoHeroes,” and “Nina & Olga,” and as animation supervisor on “Lotte & Totte.” Carlos’ work has been recognized at festivals in Spain, the United States, Canada, Germany, and Uruguay. He is currently developing interactive projects and promoting illustration and animation through TFanimation Group.
Video Games Committee
Daniel Santigosa. He is a leading figure in the organization of video game events in Spain, devoted to promoting the industry both nationally and internationally. In 2018, he founded IndieDevDay, the country’s leading independent video game expo, which he directed until it evolved into BCN Game Fest. Daniel is currently co-director of SAGA Barcelona Game Fest, the major event born from the merger of BCN Game Fest, SAGA, and RetroBarcelona, which aims to establish itself as the leading expo in Southern Europe. He is also the director of the Spain Game Horizon project; a catalog focused on the internationalization of the Spanish video game industry.
Laura González. A Spanish video game developer and project manager, originally from Asturias and now based in Barcelona. She began programming in BASIC in the 1990s, which kicked off her professional career in the industry. Laura co-founded IndieDevDay, the largest independent video game fair in Southern Europe. She is currently the director of PowerUp+, Spain’s first gender-sensitive incubator.
Registration Information
- Link: https://festhome.com/festival/premios-quirino
- Deadline: November 25 at 11:59 PM (Mexican Time, GMT-6).
- Categories: Feature Film, Series, Short Film, School Short Film, Music Video, Commissioned Work, and Video Game Animation.
About the Quirino Awards
Quirino is the ecosystem for Ibero-American animation, based in Tenerife, Spain, since 2018. In addition to its annual awards ceremony, it features an industry section comprising the Co-Production and Business Forum, the Futures Lab, and Quirino Lab.
The Quirino Awards are primarily sponsored by the Tenerife Island Council through Turismo de Tenerife and the Tenerife Film Commission, as well as by Proexca, ICEX Spain Export and Investment, ICAA, the Development Corporation of the City of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Egeda.
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