Short Film Creation Project Design Competition 2026

We’re inviting artists and designers to develop an original visual concept for the chance to see their creative vision brought into production through Animation Club School’s Short Film Creation course, with guidance from the Lihtar Studio production team.

We especially encourage original concepts and ideas inspired by public-domain literature, fairy tales, folklore, mythology, tabletop fantasy-inspired works, and other public-domain works. Concepts inspired by other existing works may be considered where the necessary rights allow and where the project meets the competition’s production requirements.

◼Open to artists aged 18+ worldwide, where legally permitted. 

◼Free to enter. 

◼Individuals and teams welcome. 

◼No purchase, payment, or enrollment in an Animation Club School course is required to enter.

All concepts will be reviewed for intellectual property, content, and production considerations before selection.

The selected concept is intended to enter production as part of the Short Film Creation course, subject to the competition’s Rules, Terms & Agreements, rights clearance, and production feasibility.

As the project develops, the Concept Creator will have opportunities to share feedback and stay involved in the creative process. Lihtar Studio and the Short Film Creation production team will make final creative and production decisions.

The competition also allows participants to showcase their work to the Lihtar Studio production team. Participation or selection does not guarantee future employment, freelance work, or other paid opportunities with Lihtar Studio. 

Your Submission

When submitting your concept, your work needs to be organized in a PDF 

presentation. 

Competition starts: October 20, 2026
Submission deadline: November 20, 2026

File type: PDF

Maximum number of files: 1 file per submission

Maximum number of submissions: Up to 3 individual concepts

The presentation should include:

• A description of the project and its concept.
• Identification of any source material used.
• Links to any source material the concept is based on, if applicable.
• A character lineup; this can include character development sketches or turnarounds. 
• Examples of the background style (1–2 style frames + concepts).
• Optionally, a storyboard or animatic to help us understand the specific scene, story, or part of the concept you are focusing on. 
• An Entrant/contributor page with their written signature. If submitting as a team, all members must be listed here. 

You don’t need to develop the entire project. The goal is to present the visual concept and the world clearly.

Example of a concept development

All submitted artwork and visual development must be created by the entrant or identified members of their team. Generative AI is not permitted. Entrants may be asked to provide work-in-progress materials that demonstrate their creation process. 

Who Can Submit?

• Artists and designers aged 18 or older may enter individually or as a team, where participation is legally permitted.
• Each individual may submit up to three original concepts.
• Artists may also collaborate on multiple team submissions. Each team may submit up to three concepts.
• Current Animation Club School students, volunteers, and alumni are welcome.
• No purchase, course enrollment, or entry fee is required.

All team contributors must be identified, acknowledge their contributions, and provide written consent. Additional eligibility requirements apply to studio employees and contractors.

Choosing Your Source Material 

Start with a concept that gives the production team room to develop an original visual direction.

We recommend:

• An original story or world of your own
• Public-domain literature
• Fairy tales and folklore
• Greek, Norse, or other mythology
• Tabletop fantasy-inspired works
• Other public-domain stories and characters

Explore public-domain options through Project Gutenberg, the Public Domain Library, a list of public-domain films, and a list of public-domain animated films.

Other source material may also be considered on a case-by-case basis. This may include literary or independently published works where the necessary adaptation rights or permissions are available. If you choose existing source material, your submission must develop an original visual interpretation rather than reproducing character designs, environments, artwork, or other protected visual elements from an existing film, series, game, comic, or other adaptation. 

Concepts involving copyrighted works, brands, music, real people, or other protected material may require additional permissions and may not be eligible for production. Animation Club School and Lihtar Studio reserve the right to decline a concept because of intellectual property, content, or production concerns.

Please review the full Rules, Terms & Agreements before developing your submission.

Looking for Inspiration? Start Here!

Every great Idea for an animation has to start somewhere! Whether you’re reimagining a classic fairy tale, exploring ancient mythology, or creating an entirely new world, there are countless stories waiting for a fresh visual interpretation.

We’ve gathered a few tales to spark your imagination.

Classic Stories to Reimagine

Give familiar literary worlds a new perspective, explore untold stories, or bring lesser-known characters into the spotlight.

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
• Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, etc. 

Fairy Tales, Folklore & Legends to Revive

These timeless stories offer endless opportunities to experiment with character designs, environments, atmosphere, and visual storytelling.

• Cinderella
• Snow White
• Beauty and the Beast
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Hansel and Gretel
• Sleeping Beauty
• The Little Mermaid
• Sun Wukong (The Monkey King)
• Princess Kaguya (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter)
• One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), etc.

Fantasy Worlds & Genres to Explore

Love worldbuilding? Tabletop role-playing games and fictional universes can inspire unique characters, creatures, environments, and stories.

Explore the storytelling styles and genres of:

• Dungeons & Dragons: High fantasy and adventure
• Call of Cthulhu: Cosmic horror and mystery
• Vampire: The Masquerade: Gothic fantasy and supernatural drama
• Starfinder: Science fiction and space fantasy
• Cyberpunk RED: Futuristic cities and dystopian worlds
• Shadowrun: Cyberpunk meets urban fantasy, etc. 

Important: These games’ rule sets and published story guidebooks (such as D&D Tales of Strad or Call of Cthulhu: Arkham) are protected intellectual property. Use them as inspiration for original worlds and concepts, not to directly adapt their characters, settings, or other protected material without permission.

Now, Make It Your Own!

What if a familiar story took place in a completely different world? What if the villain became the hero? What if you explored a character’s story that was never told?

Don’t let this list limit your imagination! It’s simply a starting point to get your ideas flowing.

We encourage you to experiment, explore unexpected directions, and develop a visual concept that reflects your own creative voice.

Timeline

Competition announcement: October 20, 2026
Submission deadline: November 20, 2026
Winning concept announcement: December 1-11, 2026
Animatic development and concept finalization: December 14, 2026 – January 28, 2027
Course starts: January 29, 2027

Following the submission deadline, eligible projects will be reviewed by the Lihtar Studio judging team to create a shortlist. The future Short Film Creation student team will then vote among the shortlisted concepts to select the winning project.

If two or more concepts receive the same highest number of votes, the students will vote again between the tied concepts.

How Your Concept Is Selected 

The selected concept will undergo final eligibility, rights, and production review before the winner is confirmed. Animation Club School and Lihtar Studio reserve the right to adjust the competition and production schedule when necessary. Please see the Rules, Terms, & Agreements for full selection and eligibility requirements.

Public Portfolio Review

Shortlisted submissions will be featured in a public livestream hosted by Animation Club School and Lihtar Studio. During the review, industry professionals will provide constructive feedback on each concept, highlighting its creative strengths, visual storytelling, character and environment design, and potential for animation production. This is an opportunity for artists to gain professional insights and showcase their work to a wider audience.

Important to Know

Participation is free. The competition does not guarantee cash prizes, royalties, paid work, scholarships, or employment opportunities.

The selected Concept Creator may be invited to share feedback during production, but participation is voluntary and final creative decisions remain with the production team.

Selection does not guarantee completion or public release of the animated film.

What’s In It For You?

• Personalized career mentorship: receive three individual 90-minute mentorship sessions, one each with our animation supervisor, art director, and recruitment advisor. With 4.5 hours of personalized guidance, you’ll have the opportunity to receive professional feedback and gain insights to help you prepare for future opportunities in the animation industry.
• Bringing your concept to life: the selected project is intended to become the foundation for a fully animated short film, allowing you to see your visual direction developed further by the student production team. Production remains subject to the Rules, Terms & Agreements, rights clearance, and production feasibility. 
• Stay involved as the project develops: as the Concept Creator, you’ll have opportunities to share feedback and your perspective as the production develops. The production team may adapt characters, environments, story elements, designs, and scope as needed for production. Final creative and production decisions remain with Lihtar Studio and the Short Film Creation production team. 
• A project for your portfolio: the finished film has the potential to become a complete professional case study that can be used for further development in the industry, subject to the publication, attribution, third-party rights, and release requirements described in the Rules, Terms & Agreements. 
• Follow the concept through production: see how a production team develops an initial visual concept into an animated project, with opportunities to share your perspective at different stages of development. 
• An opportunity to get noticed: the selection is made by the Lihtar Studio team, allowing the creator to connect with the studio and potentially be considered for future projects.
• Creator promotion: the selected creator will receive Concept Creator credit for the project. Animation Club School and Lihtar Studio may also feature the creator and their work in project-related promotional and educational materials, subject to the Rules, Terms & Agreements. 
• Choose your own direction: start with an original concept or find a fresh direction through public-domain stories, literature, folklore, mythology, and other eligible source material. Whatever you choose, focus on developing an original visual interpretation that gives the production team something new to explore. 

Disclaimer: Participation in the competition does not guarantee a cash prize, monetary compensation, employment, freelance opportunities, or future paid work with Animation Club School or Lihtar Studio. All opportunities are subject to the official Rules, Terms & Agreements.

Your Work, Your Rights

By entering, you give Animation Club School and Lihtar Studio permission to showcase and promote your submitted materials in connection with the competition.

If your concept is selected, the Short Film Creation production team may develop, adapt, and animate it as part of the course. This may involve changes to characters, environments, story elements, and visual designs to meet the project’s creative and production needs.

The resulting film may be publicly released on official digital platforms, featured in educational and promotional materials, and submitted to animation festivals without requiring additional approval, as described in the Rules, Terms & Agreements.

Your original intellectual property remains yours. Additional commercial exploitation beyond the rights granted in the competition terms requires a separate agreement.

Please review the full Rules, Terms & Agreements before submitting.