Cartoon Saloon’s animated fantasy film My Father’s Dragon came out on top at this year's 2023 Irish Animation Awards with an incredible five wins, including Best Irish Feature.
Igloo Animation’s children’s series Tales from Dún Draíochta, produced for RTÉjr, came away with two wins, including Best Animated Kids Series.
Sixteen South's preschool series Odo also bagged two awards on the night.
for Best Irish Feature for My Father's Dragon
The biennial awards ceremony was held in-person for the first time since 2019 and was hosted by TV and radio star, Baz Ashmawy in Galway.
This was a record year for the Irish Animation Awards as 53 Irish productions were nominated.
The ceremony this year featured the inaugural Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award, which was presented to Teresa Mc Grane, formerly of Screen Ireland, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support and nurture the growth of the Irish Animation industry.
Animation Ireland is the trade association for Ireland's animation studios, representing forty-four member studios, who employ more than two thousand people on the island of Ireland.
The sector has seen meteoric growth in recent years, with the industry now generating almost €200 million for the economy annually, with Irish animation projects are viewed in over 190 countries worldwide.
There was a great atmosphere all around at #IAA2023 😆
— IrishAnimationAwards (@IrishAnimAwards) May 30, 2023
Plenty of entertainment, celebrations and good fun!
We're already looking forward to the next awards in 2025 😍 pic.twitter.com/RBIQKoMrPl
Commenting on the awards ceremony, Animation Ireland’s Chief Executive, Ronan McCabe said; "It has been yet another superb and record-breaking year for Irish animation. The sector is continuing to power ahead both in terms of the quality of the work being produced, which you can certainly see from the awards ceremony and the number of productions being delivered.
The Irish Animation Awards is a wonderful occasion to celebrate the hard work, dedication, talent and outstanding creativity we have here in Ireland.’’
