The animated short from a team of students at ESMA about a rat fighting a pigeon for a small slice of pizza takes the Computer Animation Festival’s top award; conference runs August 10-14 in Vancouver.
SIGGRAPH 2025 has just announced its winners of this year’s Computer Animation Festival, the conference’s Academy Award-qualifying competition. For the first time, all three top honors have been awarded to student projects, underscoring the extraordinary creative power emerging from today’s academic institutions. The entire selection of top films will screen at the Electronic Theater on August 11.
This year’s winning films are:
Best in Show:
Trash
Directed by Maxime Crançon, Fanny Vecchie, Margaux Lutz, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Grégory Bouzid, Robin Delaporte, and Mattéo Durant from École Supérieure Des Métiers Artistiques (ESMA).
In a dark alley, a scrawny rat has no choice but to fight with a pigeon for a small slice of pizza. Without a second thought, they throw themselves in a vertiginous chase from the top to the bottom of the street.
Best Student Project:
The Mooning
Directed by Mason Klesch and Vivian Osness from Ringling College of Art and Design.
The Mooning is an animated mockumentary that reveals the truth behind the 1969 moon landing.
Jury's Choice:
Jour de vent
Directed by Martin Chailloux, Ai Kim Crespin, Elise Golfouse, Chloé Lab, Hugo Taillez, and Camille Truding from École des Nouvelles Images (ENSI)
Wind appears in a park. People fly away.
“These projects don’t just meet professional standards, they redefine them,” said Dawn Fidrick, SIGGRAPH 2025 Computer Animation Festival Director. “It’s inspiring to see student filmmakers leading the charge in both storytelling and innovation. This year’s winners reflect a global future of animation that is fearless, inventive, and deeply human.”
At the conference, the Computer Animation Festival includes screenings of the Electronic Theater and Animation Theater, giving attendees multiple ways to experience emerging trends in animation from across the globe. Several of the top films will also be included in SIGGRAPH’s Computer Animation Festival Traveling Show, a touring collection that brings the Electronic Theater to campuses, festivals, and local communities worldwide.
Source: SIGGRAPH 2025
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
