Open World Animation Fest
6 November - 9 November 2025
Contact: Brandon Wunder
E-mail: openworldanimation@gmail.com
Phone: 610-462-3282
Address:
707 N. 4th St. Suite 103
Allentown
18102
USA
- About
- Submission Info
Open World Animation Festival encourages creators to explore the frontiers of animation through both traditional & emerging mediums. Its mission is to help general audiences understand the artistry in animation and its diversity of subject matter. It aims to showcase many voices, styles, & perspectives. Anyone is welcome to take part!
For the festival we are partnering with the Roxy Theatre as our official screening location! This 450-seat venue is one of only 600 surviving independent theaters in the Nation. The Roxy Theatre is equipped with DLP Cinema for a state of the art cinematic experience!
Open World also features animation retrospectives, Virtual Reality set-ups, GIF displays, a cereal bar & more!
The festival began in 2016 as a series of independent animation screenings from around the world, curated in a 4-day celebration of the medium. Open World is organized by the Alternative Gallery, a non-profit community art space, and is run 100% by volunteers.
The Alternative Gallery is located in Allentown, PA within the Cigar Factory Artist studios, featuring; exhibit & performance spaces, over 40 artist studios, a printshop, wood shop, darkroom, film archive, makerspace, classrooms & more. The organization & festival are both run 100% through the efforts of dedicated volunteers.
Year established: 2016
Is this festival exclusively animation?: Yes - this is exclusively an animation festival
Is there a marketplace at this festival?: Yes
Submission deadline:
31 August 2025
Entry fee:
(US Dollar) $10
Categories:
- Best Animated Music Video
- Best Animated Short
- Best Animated Short (Student / Graduation Film)
- Best Experimental Animation
- Best VR / Immersive Film
- Voyager Award (BEST IN SHOW)
Submission methods:
- FilmFreeway
Requirements:
Submissions Open February 1, 2025
Early Submissions Open: February 1
Early Submissions Close: March 31
Regular Submissions Open: April 1
Regular Submissions Close: June 30
Extended Submissions Open: July 1
Extended Submissions Close: August 31
Notification Date: October 1
COST
Early Submissions
$10
$5 - students
Regular Submissions
$15
$10 - students
Late Submissions
$25
$15 - students
FILM LENGTH: 10 SECONDS - 120 MINUTES
GIFS: Please send to - Contact@OpenWorldAnimation.com
ELIGIBILITY: Only films made after December 31, 2021 are eligible to compete for awards.
LANGUAGE: ANY (Please include English subtitles if not in English.)
STYLE: Any style that is considered animation, including but not limited to: Stop Motion, Digital & Computer, Film Cel, 3D, Claymation, Rotoscope, Mixed Live Action/Animation, Music Videos, Video Game Cutscenes, Virtual Reality & GIF.
ASPECT RATIO: ANY. We are open to unique framing methods. Please note if there are any special instructions for screening your film.
You may ONLY submit work which you own or have licensing for.
Films MUST be viewable in their entirety to be eligible.
If accepted, you will be contacted with additional information. Please note that due to high number of submissions & requests, we may not be able to respond to every inquiry.
Link to Submit
