We are thrilled to welcome Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé of See Creature Animation as our 2026 Keynote Speakers!
See Creature is Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé, a husband and wife team who met working in stop motion television series. They founded See Creature in 2011 with the belief that anything can be animated.
Their work embraces mixing the hand-crafted, traditional animation techniques with the latest digital technologies and software. Film projects include the feature film The Little Prince (dir. Marc Osbourne, 2015), Bone Mother (2018), If I Was God (dir. Cordell Baker, 2016), Les Emerveilleurs (2022), and Melodia Torrential (dir. Jose Luis Saturno, 2022). Commercial clients include Nike, Hot Wheels, Tim Horton's, and many non-profit organizations.
They also maintain a vibrant and inspiring teaching practice with See Learn Academy, hosting workshops and creating educational materials for amateur and professional animators. They believe that stop motion infuses animation with a human quality, making it feel more alive and genuine. The subtle nuances and slight imperfections in each frame contribute to the overall warmth and humanity that we all need.
VAF 2026: APRIL 17 - 18
Submissions open on November 27!
VT Animation Festival 2026
The Vermont Animation Festival is proud to celebrate our eleventh year! We will kick off this years’ screenings, workshops, and artist talks on Friday, April 17th. 2026 events include workshops for both beginner and experienced animators, a screening of student films, and an Artist Talk by our Keynote Speaker (TBA).
The Vermont Animation Festival is hosted by Vermont State University - Lyndon in partnership with Catamount Arts.
Submission Guidelines
We welcome submissions of animated films, especially from students and emerging animators. Prizes are awarded in the following categories: Best Student Film, Best Supershort, Best Film from a Vermont Animator, Best Use of Traditional Media, and Best Overall. Submissions close on Friday, 2/13/26 at 11:59PM.
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- We will consider one submission per filmmaker. Please do not submit more than one film. If you are submitting several films on behalf of a group of students, please submit each film separately, and use the students names instead of the instructor's.
- Films must be at least 10 seconds long
(repeated loops will be considered).
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- Credits should not exceed the length of the film.
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-Please double check all links. If we can't view your film, or if we can't download a selected film, it will not be included.
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- All content that is created by artists other than the submitter must be credited appropriately.
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SUBMISSIONS CLOSE at 5PM on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 .
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Get in Touch!
For questions regarding the Vermont Animation Festival please contact
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Kate Renner, Assistant Professor of Visual Art