The Kuandu International Animation Festival (KDIAF) is run by the Department of Animation at Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) and takes place on the university's campus in Kuandu, in Taipei's Beitou district. The department and the festival both began in 2011: full-time faculty organise each edition, and the department's students stage it together with them. Since 2013 the festival has held an international competition, the KuanDog Prize, with awards for animated shorts, student films, Taiwanese works and Taiwanese film scores; submissions have grown from about 300 shorts in the early years to more than 2,000 a year from nearly 100 countries.
Alongside the competition, the week-long programme includes selections of work by individual directors, showcases from schools and animation associations, lectures, workshops and a night of TNUA student films. The festival is part of the Kuandu Arts Festival at TNUA. The 2026 edition runs from 25 to 31 October 2026.
Awards and prizes
KuanDog Awards (2026 edition):
- Best Animated Short Film Award: one winner; cash prize of USD 2,000 (or NTD 60,000) and a KuanDog Trophy. Open to all animated films.
- Best Student Film Award: one winner; cash prize of USD 1,500 (NTD 45,000) and a KuanDog Trophy. For films made while the filmmakers attended an educational institution under instructors' supervision.
- Taiwan Special Award: one winner; NTD 45,000 and a KuanDog Trophy. For films by Taiwanese filmmakers.
- Taiwan Student Award: one winner; NTD 45,000 and a KuanDog Trophy. For student films by Taiwanese filmmakers.
- Best Taiwan Film Score: one winner; NTD 30,000 and a KuanDog Trophy. For films by Taiwanese filmmakers.
- Honorable Mention: one or more winners; award certificate.
Festival rules
Submissions are made through the festival's FilmFreeway page. Only completed animated films are accepted; a film may be entered in one category only, and student films may enter either the general or the student category. Films cannot be modified or retitled after submission.
Required materials: a preview copy (at least 1920 x 1080, MP4 H.264 or MOV; Blu-ray and DCP are not accepted), one photo of the director and three stills (JPEG, under 5 MB each). Films with dialogue need English subtitles and a subtitle text file; films with Chinese dialogue also need Traditional Chinese subtitles.
Nominees are announced on the festival website and notified via FilmFreeway, and must supply a complete screening copy by the given deadline. A jury of animators, filmmakers, scholars and experts selects the winners, who are announced at the awards ceremony.
Entrants confirm they hold all rights to the film and grant the festival the right to screen it during the festival (online screenings, if any, are limited to Taiwan) and to use excerpts, stills and information for promotion. Student entrants indicate whether they also wish to take part in the Taiwan International Student Design Competition (TISDC).
The regulations are published in Chinese and English; the Chinese text prevails and Taiwanese law applies.
