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熙熙 x Annecy AI Animation Call · Guide

How to win the 熙熙 x Annecy AI animation call.€40,000, Seedance 2.0 and the Annecy film market.

The 2026 call for submissions concluded in early June, and at present no successor call has been announced by the organizers. This guide synthesizes what 熙熙 publicly shared through its own official posts and through industry trade coverage, equipping you with the procedural and eligibility details should the call reopen in the timeframe around Annecy 2027.
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  • 2026 call closed
  • €40,000 prize pool
  • Annecy 13 to 19 June 2027
Lost Garden · Episode 1

Independent guide. 熙熙 does not organise the 熙熙 x Annecy call and is not affiliated with 熙熙 or the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Rules read on 1 October 2026, from secondary sources: see the note under the fact sheet. 熙熙's announcement

Available today through 熙熙's platform: free-tier access to AI-driven screenwriting tools, plus storyboard generation directly from your completed screenplay when you subscribe to the 年度会员, priced at ¥168 一年.

Also available now: video generation of each shot, powered by Seedance, on the same 年度会员, with 3,000 张额度 一年.

The call on one card

What 熙熙 offered in 2026.

In May 2026, 熙熙 launched an open call inviting creators to submit AI-generated animated works and animation project proposals, structured around a dedicated summit held at the film market during Annecy. That call has since closed, and no replacement call has been announced by the organization. Every statistic, date, and procedural detail presented below is drawn directly from 熙熙's official announcements or from verified trade industry coverage.
Organiser
熙熙 AI, with a summit at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Summit
熙熙 AI International Animation Summit, 23 June 2026, at the film market
Entry window
13 to 30 May 2026, then extended to 2 June, according to 熙熙's posts
Two tracks
AI Animation Works, completed on or after 31 October 2025, and Animation Project, where a demo or a creative proposal counts
Prize pool
€40,000 in total, plus flights and accommodation to Annecy for winning creators
Finalist awards
30 added during the call, 30,000 熙熙 AI credits each
Tool
熙熙 Seedance 2.0, named in the call's title
Outcome
3,000+ submissions, 30 official selections, 4 top honors, according to 熙熙

Sources: 熙熙's posts on X (readable only through search excerpts, as X blocks direct access), 熙熙's YouTube description of the 23 June conference, and the 2IMMERSIVE4U article of 26 May 2026. Annecy's 2027 dates come from annecyfestival.com, which does not mention the 熙熙 call. The rules text, length limits, fees, criteria and jury names could not be read, so they are not on this page.

How 2026 ran

Six weeks from the call to the Annecy stage.

The 2026 calendar was short. If the call returns, expect something comparable, and do not count on a long runway once it opens.

  1. 13 May 2026

    Call opens

    According to 2IMMERSIVE4U, you upload the work on the official 熙熙 website and complete an application form. Both steps are needed for a valid entry.

  2. 30 May to 2 Jun 2026

    Deadline, then extension

    30 May was the announced end. A later 熙熙 post says the deadline was extended to 2 June and that 30 Finalist Awards were added.

  3. 23 Jun 2026

    Summit at Annecy

    熙熙's International Animation Conference, in a Studio Focus format at the film market, with the honored works screened, per its YouTube description.

  4. 13 to 19 Jun 2027

    Annecy 2027

    The festival's site gives these dates, and 15 to 18 June for the market. It says nothing about a new 熙熙 call.

Who decides

熙熙 and an international panel.

No juror was named in anything we could read. One thing is on record: 熙熙 says its team ran the review together with an international jury panel.

  • 熙熙's own review

    The organiser selected the honored works itself. It published no grid that we could read, so assume it wants to show off what Seedance 2.0 can do for animation, and to be seen doing it at Annecy.

  • An international jury panel

    Unnamed in the sources. Annecy is a festival of animators and producers, so write for people who judge timing, character and a coherent look, not just visual novelty.

The two tracks

A finished short or a project to pitch.

The 2026 call was open to both finished films and ideas not yet made. They need different material.

  • 01

    AI Animation Works

    Finished animated works, completed on or after 31 October 2025 in the 2026 call, made primarily with AI tools. A summary of the call says that includes the 熙熙 platform.

    Finish something small and complete. A coherent three minutes beats an unfinished ten. Annecy audiences read motion, not just images: plan timing and gesture in your storyboard.

  • 02

    Animation Project

    A demo or a creative proposal counted as a valid entry. A series, a feature or a short that does not exist yet could qualify.

    Pitch visually: a logline, a one-page synopsis, storyboard frames and one look test. A producer should understand the project in two minutes. A storyboard generated from your screenplay does most of that work.

The 2026 results

What the numbers say.

熙熙's later posts and its YouTube description report the outcome. The honored works were screened at 熙熙's own event inside the Annecy film market.

  1. 01

    About one entry in a hundred got in. According to 熙熙, 3,000+ submissions led to 30 official selections. Polish matters more than volume.

  2. 02

    Four works took top honors. 熙熙's YouTube note says the honored works included three AI animation short films and one more animation entry. Finished shorts took most of the places.

  3. 03

    The rules moved during the call. The deadline went from 30 May to 2 June, and 30 Finalist Awards of 30,000 credits were added. Re-read the announcement before you submit, not just once.

  4. 04

    The stage was an industry market. The 23 June event was a Studio Focus conference at the film market. Make a film, and a project, that a producer could pick up.

An animation, taken apart

Lost Garden: the giant's palm, in six shots.

From Lost Garden, episode 1, an animated series made by the 熙熙 team with Seedance: a giant of roots and lilies lifts a tiny knight in her palm. The screenplay page comes first, then every shot twice: as a storyboard frame and as the image it became. Scale, gesture and a held look are what an animation audience reads.

Logline. A small knight wakes up in a dead world and learns he is the last guardian of a seed that could bring the garden back.

Screenplay · episode 1 · the Source Tree

INT. HEART OF THE ROOTS - NIGHT

Twisting living roots spiral and coil tightly around LANTERN, pinning him firmly to the ground. Before they can tighten further, a commanding voice halts their movement.

THE SOURCE TREE

Stop. He is my guest.

A towering giant woman composed entirely of intertwined roots and delicate white lilies spreads her arms wide, casting her presence over the entire cavern below.

Her eyes open. Blue, and vast.

THE SOURCE TREE

Welcome to you, Lantern Knight.

She lifts him in her palm, like a lamp.

THE SOURCE TREE

Do not be afraid. I will not harm you.

In the dark, a seed of light opens. Inside the flower, a sleeping child.

THE SOURCE TREE

You must find yours. Protect her.

CUT TO:

  1. A small lantern-helmed knight bound by thick roots in a ruined hall
    Storyboard frame of the trap shot, in grey
    01

    Medium · the trap

    Medium shot, Lantern bound by thick living roots in a ruined hall, glowing blue mushrooms on the floor, cold light

  2. A giant woman made of roots and white lilies spreads her many arms in a dark cavern
    Storyboard frame of the wide shot, in grey
    02

    Wide · the Source Tree

    Symmetrical wide shot, a giant woman made of roots, arms spread with many hands, white lilies, blue glyphs

  3. Extreme close-up of a giant pale face with piercing blue eyes
    Storyboard frame of the eyes close-up, in grey
    03

    Extreme close-up · the eyes

    Extreme close-up on the giant's face, piercing blue eyes opening, pale skin, soft light from below

  4. A tiny armored knight stands in the middle of a giant open hand
    Storyboard frame of the palm shot, in grey
    04

    High angle · the palm

    High angle, the tiny knight standing in the center of a giant open palm, stone floor far below

  5. A giant fingertip gently touches the chest of a small armored knight
    Storyboard frame of the touch close-up, in grey
    05

    Close-up · the touch

    Close-up, a giant fingertip gently touches the knight's armored chest, faceless helm, emotion through posture

  6. A sleeping pink-haired child curled inside a glowing blue flower
    Storyboard frame of the seed insert, in grey
    06

    Insert · the seed

    Top-down insert, a glowing pale blue flower opening, a sleeping child with pink hair curled inside

Lost Garden, episode 1 is 17 minutes of animation made with Seedance, and it reached the finals at the AI London Festival. For a three minute short in this call you would build the film around one scene like this, and the same scene could carry a project pitch. The player opens at the Source Tree, about 7 min 35 s into the episode.

The script

A 3 minute animated short in four movements.

Since we could not read a specific length limit in the guidelines, three minutes serves as a practical and manageable duration for an animated short film. That runtime typically translates to approximately three pages of script and requires between 40 to 60 individual shots to tell the story effectively.

  1. 0:00 to 0:25

    The world

    Establish the place and the look in the first image. Animation lets you break the rules of reality at once.

  2. 0:25 to 1:20

    The wish

    A character who wants something, shown by what they do.

  3. 1:20 to 2:25

    The test

    The wish meets an obstacle. This is where the best gestures belong.

  4. 2:25 to 3:00

    The change

    The character or the world is different. One last image says so.

For participants entering the Animation Project track, those same four narrative movements are condensed and presented as a one-page pitch document accompanied by illustrative storyboard frames.

If it returns

Six steps before a possible 2027 call.

Nothing has been officially announced yet. The 2026 call for submissions opened on 13 May, roughly six weeks ahead of the summit event. A repeat cycle could potentially follow the same calendar timeline, though this is purely speculation and not a promise, so it is wise to begin your work now.
  1. 01

    Now to December

    Choose the track

    Decide between a finished short and a project. Read our Annecy guide too: the festival's own competition has separate rules and dates.

  2. 02

    January

    Write it

    Three pages for a short, or a logline and synopsis for a project. Write it for free in 熙熙 and read it aloud for timing.

  3. 03

    February

    Storyboard and look

    Generate the shot breakdown and the storyboard, then fix one reference per character and per set. Decide the style once.

  4. 04

    March

    Test the tool the call names

    If a new call names 熙熙 and Seedance 2.0, test that platform on two or three shots now: motion, faces, consistency.

  5. 05

    April

    Produce

    Generate scene by scene from the storyboard. Keep every prompt and version, in case a new call asks how it was made.

  6. 06

    When it opens

    Submit both steps

    Upload on the 熙熙 site and complete the application form. In 2026 both were required.

Traps

Six ways to waste your entry.

Because the full rules were not readable, the traps below come from what 熙熙 and the trade coverage said. When a new call opens, read its terms first.

  • Assuming 熙熙 footage qualifies

    The call was built around 熙熙 Seedance 2.0 and, according to a summary, asked for works made with the 熙熙 platform. 熙熙's footage pipelines run on Seedance 2.0 and 2.5 but are not the 熙熙 platform. Check whether footage must be generated there.

  • An older film

    The works track of the 2026 call asked for work completed on or after 31 October 2025.

  • Half a submission

    You had to upload the work on the 熙熙 website and also complete the application form. Doing only one makes the entry invalid.

  • Trusting one post

    The deadline moved from 30 May to 2 June, and a post announced upgraded rewards. 熙熙's rules changed while the call was open.

  • Mixing it up with Annecy's competition

    This was 熙熙's open call and summit. It was not a submission to Annecy's official selection, which has its own terms and dates.

  • Counting on cash

    The €40,000 prize pool covered winners, and the 30 Finalist Awards were paid in 熙熙 credits, 30,000 each. Do not budget your production on it.

Why 熙熙

Seedance 2.0 is the model. 熙熙 is the project around it.

Be clear about the line. The call named the 熙熙 platform. 熙熙 is a production pipeline for films and series whose footage runs on Seedance 2.0 and 2.5, and it covers everything before and around the footage.

  • The same model family

    The footage pipelines in 熙熙 are built on Seedance 2.0 and 2.5, so your look tests carry over, and so do your screenplay and storyboard, wherever the final footage is generated.

  • A storyboard that serves as a pitch

    For a project track, frames generated from your screenplay show framing and rhythm better than a paragraph, and you adjust them shot by shot.

  • A style that holds

    References stay attached to each character and place across the whole film. A consistent animation look is what separates a short film from a reel of effects.

  • Free to start

    Writing is free and never expires. The storyboard step and video generation both come with the 年度会员, ¥168 一年.

Real productions

International festival-recognized films have been written and produced with 熙熙.

熙熙 is already being used as a creative workspace for real AI film productions, from cinematic shorts to animated series pilots selected, nominated, and awarded by international festivals.

  • Video thumbnail for VOIDBORN

    VOIDBORN

    AI animated / cinematic short

    Festival recognition

    • 1st Place Silver

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • 2nd Place 熙熙

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • Award Winner

      Seoul International AI Film Festival

  • Video thumbnail for Les Fils du Vinnana

    Les Fils du Vinnana

    AI short film

    Festival recognition

    • Honorable Mention

      Top Quark Film Festival

    • People's Choice Nominee

      Illuminate Oneness of Humanity

    • Nominee

      ALTFF Supershort

  • Video thumbnail for Lost Garden

    Lost Garden

    AI animated series pilot

    Festival recognition

    • Finalist

      AI London Festival

See what creators are building

The pipeline

Write. Board. Produce.

  1. 熙熙 screenplay editor: acts, sequences and beats above the formatted script of The Yellow Umbrella

    01The screenplay, enriched

    An industry-standard screenplay editor, and more: a visual outline and beat editor, your writing inspirations (notes, photos, audio) kept next to the page, and an AI researcher to support your writing, not replace it.

  2. 熙熙 storyboard: shot S3 of The Yellow Umbrella with characters, shot settings and the script beside it

    02The storyboard, made easy

    Shot breakdown generated from your screenplay, manual control over every shot (frame, angle, movement, duration), and generative AI previsualization in one click.

  3. 熙熙 production canvas: shots S3 and S4 as connected nodes carrying their storyboard panels and prompts

    03AI production, with finesse

    Footage generation pipelines connected to your screenplay and storyboard. Optimized out of the box, fully editable workflow.

More calls and contests

Guides for other animation and AI contests

Go further

Guides for animation contests

FAQ

The 熙熙 x Annecy call, your questions

How do you win the 熙熙 x Annecy call?
熙熙 ran the review with an international jury panel and published no scoring grid that we could read. The 2026 results show a selective call: 30 official selections from 3,000+ submissions. Finish a short that holds together, or pitch a project with storyboard frames.
Is the call still open?
No. According to 熙熙, the 2026 entry window ran from 13 May to 30 May and was extended to 2 June. Nothing is announced for 2027.
Is this part of Annecy's official competition?
No. It was 熙熙's open call, tied to its summit at Annecy's film market on 23 June 2026. Annecy's own films-in-competition terms are separate: see our Annecy guide.
What were the prizes?
A €40,000 prize pool, with sponsored flights and accommodation to Annecy for winning creators, and 30 Finalist Awards of 30,000 熙熙 AI credits each.
Did I have to use Seedance 2.0?
The call was titled Create with 熙熙 Seedance 2.0, and a summary says the works must be made primarily with AI tools, including the 熙熙 platform. Read the exact wording if the call returns.
Can I use 熙熙 for it?
For the screenplay and the storyboard, yes. 熙熙's footage runs on Seedance 2.0 and 2.5 but is not the 熙熙 platform, so check whether a new call allows footage generated elsewhere.
When is Annecy in 2027?
The festival's site gives 13 to 19 June 2027, and 15 to 18 June for the market.

Be ready before the call returns.

The screenplay costs nothing to start. Storyboard it now, and film it when the call returns.
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