Cartoons Underground presents independent animated shorts in Singapore, pairing an international competition with a competition for students enrolled in Singapore. Its focus includes animated stories from Asia and emerging Southeast Asian filmmakers. The festival dates back to 2012; its co-founders are animator Patrick Smith and festival director Vicky Chen. Crowdfunding and artists’ contributions support this community-driven event. Past programmes include work by Bill Plympton, Hisko Hulsing, Špela Čadež, Mirai Mizue and Lei Lei, while screenings, filmmaker Q&As, masterclasses and industry talks connect its public and professional programmes.
The 15th edition takes place on 14 November 2026 at Filmhouse in Singapore. Its three programmes combine international and Singapore student shorts with Playground, a new selection for younger audiences. The Golden Durian Awards recognise international and Singapore student films, with an audience vote alongside the jury prizes.
Festival rules
2026 edition — submissions closed.
Eligibility and competition sections: Animated short films using any animation technique, completed after 1 January 2024, with a maximum running time of 30 minutes. International Animated Short accepts films from Singapore and worldwide. Singapore Student Animated Short accepts films by students enrolled in Singapore.
Deadlines and fees: Entries open 22 May 2026. International early-bird deadline: 10 June 2026 (free). International final deadline: 10 July 2026 (SGD 5). Singapore Student deadline: 10 August 2026 (free). Incomplete and late submissions are not accepted. The stated notification date is 10 October 2026.
Submission: Submit through FilmFreeway, with one entry form per film. Only online preview screeners, such as Vimeo or YouTube, with or without passwords, are accepted.
Selection and withdrawal: A pre-selection committee reviews submissions; the Programme Director curates the final programme. Selected films screen in person in Singapore. The submitting contact receives selection notification by email and a request for publicity and screening materials. Written requests to withdraw may be made following notification. The festival pays no screening fees. The selected-film list is announced on the official website one month before the festival.
Screening materials: Supply a digital QuickTime or MPEG4 file, H264 or ProRes422 HQ compression, at 1920 × 1080 resolution. Dialogue or narration in a language other than English requires embedded English subtitles.
Jury and awards: Jury members are proposed by the Festival Director. Jurors decide Best Film and Best Singapore Student Film; attendees vote for Audience Choice. An International Competition Special Jury Prize and Singapore Student Competition Special Achievement Prize are discretionary jury awards.
Publicity and broadcast: Submission materials and an excerpt of up to 10% of the film, capped at three minutes, may be used solely to promote the festival in television and web programmes, interviews and reports.
Rights and responsibilities: Entrants declare that they are the author or rights owner and hold all literary, dramatic and musical rights, guaranteeing the festival against claims, conflicts and legal action concerning presentation. Preview screeners enter the festival library. The festival reserves the right to use films for strictly non-commercial educational purposes.
Acceptance: Participation and submission imply unreserved acceptance of the regulations. Entry forms are valid without a signature. Submission questions: programme@cartoonsunderground.com.
