In the screening process this year, entries were first divided into two categories of full-length works and short works. They were then narrowed down to some candidates on whom we conducted thorough reviews and comparisons and finally decided on the final prizewinning works. While stable rendering techniques are required of more entertaining full-length works, originality and artistry are …

[Critique by work category] Full-length Animation

We evaluated 60 TV/OVAs, 24 theatrical films, and 10 others as full-length works, though they were mainly works for commercial use, except for the short ones. Among theatrical films, there were some large-scale works created by using lots of time, money, and talent, all of which were technically of the highest quality. It is nice to know that we can now produce a number of high quality films …

[Critique by work category] Short Animation

The criteria for selection of this year are as follows: Whether or not the work was convincing as an independent piece of short animation; whether or not there were expressions unique to animation; and whether or not it had interesting content. While applications increased in number this year, there were many works that had not reached the required quality level, which, to our regret, made the …